Big Data & Civil Rights

We live in the era of Big Data. Online advertisers track user reading habits, search inquiries and online purchases. Payment systems like PayPal gather huge quantities of information about credit card purchases in retail outlets around the world. But as Big Data analytics allow companies and government to gain greater insight into our lives, civil rights groups have said, “it is vitally important that these technologies be designed and used in ways that respect the values of equal opportunity and equal justice.” (Civil Rights Principles for the Era of Big Data, 2014)