though not eliminating them entirely. Big data Big data is generally defined as the rapid accumulation and compiling of massive amounts of information that is being exchanged over digital communication systems. The volume of data is large (often exceeding exabytes), cannot be handled by conventional computer processors, and is instead stored on large server-system databases. This information is assessed by analytic scientists using software programs, which paraphrase this information into multi-layered user trends and demographics. This information is collected from all around the internet, such as by popular services like Facebook, Google, Apple, Spotify or GPS systems. Big data provides companies with the ability to: Infer detailed psycho-demographic profiles of internet users, even if they were not directly expressed or indicated by users. Inspect product availability and optimize prices for maximum profit while clearing inventory. Swiftly reconfigure risk portfolios in minutes and understand future opportunities to mitigate risk. Mine customer data for insight and create advertising strategies for customer acquisition and retention. Identify customers who matter the most. Create retail coupons based on a proportional scale to how much the customer has spent, to ensure a higher redemption rate. Send tailored recommendations to mobile devices at just the right time, while customers are in the right location to take advantage of offers. Analyze data from social media to detect new market trends and changes in demand. Use clickstream analysis and data mining to detect fraudulent behavior. Determine root causes of failures, issues and defects by investigating user sessions, network logs and machine sensors. Other potential Internet privacy risks Cross-device tracking identifies users' activity across multiple devices. Massive personal data extraction through mobile device apps that receive carte-blanche-permissions for data access upon installation. Malware is a term short for "malicious software" and is used to describe software to cause damage to a single computer, server, or computer network whether that is through the use of a virus, trojan horse, spyware, etc. Spyware is a piece of software that obtains information from a user's computer without that user's consent. A web bug is an object embedded into a web page or email and is usually invisible to the user of the website or reader of the email. It allows checking to see if a person has looked at a particular website or read a specific email message. Phishing is a criminally fraudulent process of trying to obtain sensitive information such as usernames,