Big Data – for better or worse: 90% of world's data generated over last two years

A full 90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years. The internet companies are awash with data that can be grouped and utilised. Is this a good thing?

An increasing amount of data is becoming available on the internet. Each and every one of us is constantly producing and releasing data about ourselves. We do this either by moving around passively -- our behaviour being registered by cameras or card usage -- or by logging onto our PCs and surfing the net.

The volumes of data make up what has been designated 'Big Data' -- where data about individuals, groups and periods of time are combined into bigger groups or longer periods of time.