Big Data is like water, fire and
earth. Just like water, Big Data is continuously flowing, but if mismanaged, it
can burn you like fire. And just like earth, it provides a platform for
prosperity and growth. But as more and more personal data is being circulated,
stored and disseminated, the risk of privacy breach is becoming a global issue.
I recently met a friend who
talked about an interesting incident:
‘I do not use Whatsapp, and I have not even downloaded it nor tried it.
However, one day I got a text message from my wife saying that I should
download Whatsapp. Later that day I mention the text message to my wife, and
she claims never to have sent that message. I got really curious about what had
happened and felt perplexed about the whole situation.’