Role of big data behind evolution and devolution of technology

Data Science - A boon or bane?*

The use of personal data of individuals has played a vital role in emergence of new technology, this blog may help you to understand the big picture of how one's private & personal data has laid the foundation for new technology. We can understand the logic behind these technologies by knowing below aspects:

1. Source of Data
2. Conventional Centralized Governance & Trade
3. Decentralized Governance & Trade
4. Common factors ruling centralized and decentralized Governance/Trade

1. Source of Data:

Data is anything which servers as a piece of information. Data can be stored either in physical form or digitised form.

Q: What types of data are used?

A: Every type of data. Ex: what we like, what we dislike, what we do, when we do, where we do, how we do & how long it took. All these information adds on to data. There is no junk data or there is no information which is treated useless, as all the things matter here.

Q: How data is gathered?

A: There are many ways to get data, either you have given it away or its been taken away from you by following means:
a. Either people are knowingly or unknowingly submitting their data. They are either innocent or ignorant about their actions and its ill uses. Ex: Social Media
b. Data is taken from your consent via some terms and conditions you agreed upon just by clicking "I Agree" button over internet or in your cellphones
c. You have been cheated and guided to give away your data freely in return of something you have got like: Free WiFi or a free Hot-spot

d. Your ISP, Network provider, Apps, PDAs, OS, Software & Websites may be gathering your data and selling your data. They may be stealing it as well.

e. Even few government agencies and non government companies may be spying and monitoring what people do very intensely and deeply

f. We may be part of some free survey which had offered to give some bounties

g. While enrolling for UID/SSN, we have given all the data which is unique to us and we may have unknowingly shared these unique Ids or we are forcee to share these details (ex: purchase of new SIM, Banking, Vehicle Registration). Other case could be, personal data at a centralised trusted repository is compromised

h. There may be hell lot of ways you can think of getting once personal data. Say an example like: registering to e-mail, job portals, opening bank account/wallets, checking credit score for free, work place, e-cart, online trading etc. etc. etc.

Q: Who are behind the data?

A: In short: Government and Non-Government Agencies.

Rating agency, Internal & Foreign security and spying agencies, Carrier providers, Banks & Money marketing industries, Insurance & Health institutions, Pharma companies, IT companies, Search Providers & Social Networking, Media & Advertising agencies, E-commerce, Terrorists and Scientists, Universities and Research organizations, Social & Political agents so on..

Hope we are not in an assumption that, the more robust and automatic the process & technology, the life is much easier for humans. Ex: Manual unlocking the feature phone changes to PIN & pattern unlock in smartphone. PIN unlocking changes to pattern, pattern unlocking changes to finger print, the finger print unlocking changes to face and hopefully the face unlocking give place to iris based unlocking.

We agree to use these features and/or as we use these we are agreeing to device/software vendor to store/give these unique data which is whole and sole identity of the person. The amount of data in a SSN/UID card is probably lesser than what the smart PDAs we use.

Personal data like: Location access (via carrier or via GPS), bank account details, other passwords & PIN, fingerprint, face identity, photos of family, address, gender, DOB, height and weight, illness records and ebills, medicine details, favorite music, movies, hobbies, TAX IDs so on.. can be easily found in any of today's sophisticated smart PDAs.
The Govt. Organization which issued us the SSN/UID, DL, Passport & VISA, etc. Carrier we use, Work place, Hospital we visit, Schools, Universities, Banks and Insurance firms, Social Media and the internet all have access to one or the other forms of personal data either in Centralized or Decentralized way.

2. Conventional Centralized Governance & Trade:

There are two forms of carrying a transaction or trade or carrying out governance or laying out the policy or even in communication and networking, i.e., having a centralized power or an entity to monitor, govern, judge and guide the lower bodies/people and the other form is distributed or decentralized way of dealing.

Examples of centralized system of running the process & policy are like: Local Banks headed by Central Bank, Lower courts headed by Supreme court, having a Medical union or council for hospital, establishing Education council/union for taking care of education bodies like schools, colleges & universities, having employee council/work ministry to deal with norms related jobs and work and so on..

When we have a centralized system, if the top or lower bodies get into lobbying/malfunctioning and starts selling data or allowing to sell and use data without any stringent measure, then its obvious that our data is going to get leaked into any hand.

Ex: No country may have a stringent data protection act or right to privacy act and not barred individuals personal data getting exposed or ill used by companies. This is one of the reasons like we are still allowing some of the major search engines, some of the leading social media companies and few PDA/Software/Apps manufacturers/owners to constantly monitor, use once personal data as people have agreed the "T&C" when using the device/software/product. Even when the information is sold or exposed to public, we the people can't do anything much apart from doing a debate.

Why to worry about these data? Is it so vital? Hmm...Emerging technologies like Aartificial Intelligence(AI), Internet Of Things (IOT), Machine Learning (ML), Automation, Advanced Communication, Robotics, Image processing, Speed Synthesis solely dependent on Data. That's why there is a huge market and huge lobby for buying and selling any sort of data. Even centralized systems are actively or passively part of this trade. In the name of technology advancement we are still not worried about lost privacy but happy to use Smart phones, Laptops, Tablets, Smart TVs, Automated Music players, TV boxes, WiFi controlled home appliances.

Increased use of cameras, free WiFi and Hot-spots at public places may also be working for our data like what we browse, whom we call, what we eat, where we go, where do we stay, what's my expenses are?, where we do banking?, which credit/debit card I use? etc.. Just for few offers, coupons and discounts we eagerly sign up for more and more e-wallets/e-shopping sites & apps by providing some personal Ids or proof of address and agreeing to their "T&C".

Countries economy depends on many factors but one important thing is the working of banks and their stability, safety and economic status. Only developed and fast developing countries are only behind latest technology and which country has vast economy there only we see immediate boom or buzz about new trends in technologies and rest of the world follows or listens in most cases. Even these countries or a firm part of that country end up releasing free framework, free softwares or process to use and in some cases charges.

Any technology like IOT, AI, ML, etc needs some sort of connectivity & one main way to connect and communicate happens via internet/WiFi. We know anything and everything over internet is tracked. The servers and hub may be owned by you but it's issued and tracked by others too like ISP, Spying Agencies, Software and Device owners, Govt. Agencies, Cyber Department, VPN provider and may be hackers so on..

These data resides in the hand of central entity only but hierarchy may be different. If a new buzz on decentralised technology called "Block Chain" is heard, many firms hiring and started prototype as well but technically it's peer to peer network which can be applied to any domain not only banking. But why do any country, banks or politically wish to have distributed networking all of a sudden? Is it so fast? Is it so cheap? Is it so simple? Is it so secure?

Nah!.. If no, who has benift? Why some countries totally said no to crypto currency and few have literally no rules or laws?

3. Decentralized Governance & Trade:

Decentralised technology is also growing rapidly, this form of technology is non centralized, means not confined to one firm or one system as central entity but more peer to peer and much more encrypted with transparent user agreement and so on.. If so are we safe? Does this really doesn't need any data and are we secure? Is our transactions/trade over a decentralized system is secure and how about our data?

As said before, data is essential in any process say even in case of buying and selling a bit-coin over a distributed ledger network called "Block Chain"(BC), where there is absence of central entity and no lobbying can happen or no option of downfall can happen due to central agency's malfunctioning. Also this form is more private and other users in the system won't know who resides as peer, as the data is completely encrypted.

If there is any issue with centralized trade you can ask the centralized administrator and hold him responsible but if in case.. by chance of a breech happening in a distributed/non central entity whom you approach for?

If all can be tracked, then the founding father of using Distributed Ledger(DL) technology is still unseen? How countries with major economy allowed it as valid and useful, so it buzz in such an extent? Is it allowed in same way like gambling and betting?

You can't even predict what causes a crypto-currency to rise or fall, you can't know what is the source of this form of currency or what is the fate of it.. Its just a bigger risk but may be with a chance to get more benefit. Also users/traders in decentralized system is yet to face any sort of issue w.r.t hacking or loss of connection to one or few systems in network, handling corrupt records or handling damages to few ledger accounting in connected systems and non functional potential, ease of doing business, handling damage to peer system in network (which itself acts as ledger) is unseen. Issues of block chain is yet to be faced and if faced the impact is also as huge as it can be. System distributed over a network and widely in different geographical areas may have different hardware, different speed, different processing capabilities and speed of network do varies.

Migration from mainframe system to use java or other technology itself taking lot of years.. If so block chain.. hmm..

Even if any developed nation had put the concept of crypto currency via some invisible group/firm as a buzz and instigated a global experiment with their own frame work by using interested participants money joined themselves and if we are following them simply then the decentralised trade can end when in experiment ends or major participants quits. Make note in a peer to peer trade happening worldwide you can't guess the magnitude of trade or quality of participants in trade.

Usage of block chain may also be a form of data, participants interest in which form of crypto currency can also be a data. BTW legislation can bring in concepts of GDPR, privacy protection but still we need to use PDAs to do any trade and as we use these electronic devices, we are forced to agree to use cookies, save cookies and allow to track for complete usage of service by a site/app, hence it puts into same state as before. Concept of DL works well within small geography or small organisation with limited users but there may be issues on demographical usage

Beware: With an unpredictable rapid exponential growth in the value, there comes an unexpected downfall. Bullish and Bearish trends should be seen in any form of life or trade, it's not safe to get carried away by the boom in Crypto Currency! To understand the difference between hype and reality, we need to spend sometime in analysis and study but not to fall in conclusion seeing few patterns in a couple of years.

4. Common factors ruling centralized and decentralized networking/trade:

What are common factors or what is intersection part of centralized and decentralized system/trade?

1. Any country can run either on the basis of democracy or dictatorship, if the way we are ruled itself in both ways is centralized why and who will allow any decentralized system to grow without any benefit? If allowed to grow, then there is always an hidden agenda or a hidden control
2. Both forms of trade need electronic media and electronic instruments and electronic instruments needs a software and software to interact needs a carrier and ISP, most of PDAs have GPS, GPRS and these are again in the hands of Law makers and people who lobby for data and people who snatches the data from use via different ways
3. Government Agencies who monitors the process and frame law, Private Firms who needs data, Network Providers, Software Makers, Device manufacturers who has capability to capture data still works together in any form of distributed or non distributed network

Irrespective of the technology, when the instrument which monitors us, which rules us and which we can't stop using is around us and the market for data is huge and costs millions and billions, any marked can be tackled for social, economical, political reasons and privacy is almost dead due to this.

Any automation beyond certain limit is bane to people itself, as it causes ill health by making them lazy (TV, Washing Machine, Smart Phone, Internet) and again in other forms it loots people by faking them to be active (Smart Watch, Calories Tracker in Fit Bit). Over AI/ML/IOT makes people job less and people are fooled by job offers with advanced skills and good package for the development of new machines in the form of robots which replaces people and their skill.

"Over Automation is nothing but a Suicide"

"Immature complete IOT implementation, is massacre done on civilized society by civilized and educated people them-self"


-Warm Regards,

InfotainmentGuru

* - Note: This is a blog predicting the probable loopholes or links behind the emerging technology with the view point of common people by analyzing the social, political and economical benefits behind the data science. This is at any regard not connected to any country, organization or agency report but a material for self study with a different view point only. The author is no where responsible for any co-incidence with any region/society or trade w.r.t above analytics documented. This is not to be copied or modified and used in any format.