Big Data: Is it a threat to mankind?

Steve Jobs once said, "our life moves forward but we understand it backward". Have we ever think over the fact that knowingly or unknowingly piling of so much of our personal data on various online platforms could be perilous for our future. Are people so much vulnerable to the possible misuse of this restored personal data at the hands of vested interest?

In this universe, opposite forces are hell-bent upon destroying the harmony of life and often tend to work for cross purposes only to get their pound of flesh. In fact, these are not to be called competing forces as their act is often against the principle of life with peace and harmony resultant of honesty and creativity. So is the case with technology, it has both pros and cons. There is no doubt in understanding that technology has made our life much smoother and easier. But the fact that it has deprived us of our privacy which is often compromised to be ignored for the sake of convenience.

The good part of the internet is that it has brought amazingly the world at one global platform. With this platform, each and everything can be made available to us at the click of a mouse. But the contrast is really threatening, recent reports on the Chinese government creating an open-air prison for the people who are not socially fit by taking their personal data and tracking them secretively. This includes depriving them of visas and many other restrictions that can hamper a person's privacy. All this is possible by sharing your big data publically and in return getting a social credit score.

A recent activity of 10 years' challenge has been made viral. But delving deep into this it is revealed that it was a mental mapping exercise for the artificial intelligence software to identify how a particular person has evolved in the past 10 years. There are many other activities which get ignored by the majority because it is presented in such a way that we get trapped and thus facilitating them to breach our privacy.

The moot question is an efficient and reliable cybersecurity to contain this worldwide malaise.  The question does arise here that making our personal data available socially will be a dividend or a disaster? The most nuanced answer comes out to be, if often get misguided because we trust but do not verify things in our life. But, it depends on our government and the master of roster to regulate these social platforms so that nothing can be used against its own netizens. And, we should be aware of what could be the consequence of the internet of things and use it wisely.