Implications of BIG Data for Individuals

Today, I learned about the implications BIG Data has on individuals, the biggest of which being the infringement of BIG Data on civil liberties. 

One concern about the implications BIG Data has on civil liberties is the investigatory powers act which allows certain organisations to obtain a warrant to bug phones and computers, for which companies would be required to provide assistance as well as encryption keys to decrypt customer communications. 

These organisations can collect massive datasets of communication data, such as a dataset of NHS records, and, by using BIG Data analysis, are able to analyse the data to search for keywords. However, these operations require authorisation from a panel of judges which provides a safeguard from misuse of the investigatory powers act.

 Another implication of BIG Data for individuals is that since all of the data from social media posts are being collected and stored in massive data sets, then it is possible for everyone, including employers, to view everything you have ever uploaded to social media, which could result in you losing your job from a post you uploaded years ago.