Essay
In my opinion, the most important factor affecting the collection of digital data is privacy. Privacy concerns play a vital role on how digital data is collected. For instance, activists of privacy are of the belief that a person has the right to know how their information is being utilized and that such a person also has the right to withhold such information. Such issues have affected the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate activities that are criminal in nature. For instance, a person accused of committing a certain crime may claim that he or she has the right to withhold his personal information, such as his mobile phone, and hence refuses to give out such information.
Big data has spread to almost all aspects of life. Different organizations are using big data in a variety of ways. It has even made its way into the criminal justice system. In fact, big data is rewriting the playbook for the criminal justice system. It is thus important to look for big data because it contains a large pool of information ranging from video evidence, social media data to crime trends (Zavrsnik, 2019). This kind of information is essential in that it can provide investigators with more accurate findings. Importantly, big data can be used to enhance or find evidence in a criminal or civil violation investigation. Big data can help in retracing the activities of the defendant. For instance, through big data it is possible to get hold of the offender’s social media activities-their posts could reveal important information about their interactions, places they have been to, future plans etc. All this can serve to identify any suspicious activities they may have engaged in. Video evidence can also provide important details of what the defendant did.
Reference
Zavrsnik, A. (2019). Big data, crime and social control. Routledge.
