Chapter 10

      Chapter 10 is about data on the internet. I learned about concepts associated with computational thinking as well as the mental tools data scientists use to work with data. The final part of this chapter deals with data and privacy policies. I found this chapter to be the most conceptually challenging. I have an interest in potentially pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems with an emphasis on data analysis, so I did find this chapter interesting despite its difficulty. Data is aggregated and analyzed for many purposes, but there needs to be ways to parse through the vast array of information to make sense of things. Obviously, having too much “junk” data, or invalid data, can skew conclusions, and so it is important to determine the validity of the data. Data scientists use several methods to sift through data to better understand the conclusions that can be drawn from such information. From the perspective of social media companies, data is a commodity. It may help to keep this in mind when reviewing a company’s data and privacy policy, because whatever you share can be sold to someone else with unknown intentions. For instance, the DNA testing company 23andMe has collected genetic information from thousands of customers, but they are going bankrupt as a result of the single use nature of the product. They may sell the company, and the genetic information may fall into the hands of someone with different intentions and interests than what 23andMe originally stated. So, it is important to review the data and privacy policies of social media companies, as well as practice some discretion if the data you share and generate can end up being used in a way that doesn’t align with your values.

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