Our Digital Lives, Monitored By A Hidden ‘Numerati’
I listened to an interview, broadcast on NPR’s Fresh Air, with Stephen Baker, where he discusses his new book, “Numerati”, which examines the “mathematical modeling” of humanity, and what he believes are some of the potential consequences of this activity. He talks about how information is collected about each of us from cell phone use, credit cards, super-market scanners, Internet shopping and many other sources. This information about our choices is now being examined, and based on the results consumers will be targeted for particular services and goods, creating customized profiles. On a more serious note this same type of data mining is being used in attempting to understand people more deeply to determine behavior, such as someone’s potential to be involved in terrorism. If you have 20 minutes to listen, this is an interesting topic in light our current discussions on data-mining and classifications of information.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95166854
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