Is "Big Data" creepy?

We now live in a world of Big Data, massive repositories of structured, unstructured or semi-structured data. This is seen as a valuable resource for organisations, given the potential to analyse and exploit that data to turn it into useful information. However, the cost and risk of continuing to hold that data can also make it a burden for many organisations. There are also a number of fetters to the exploitation of Big Data. The most significant is data privacy, which cuts across the whole of the Big Data lifecycle: collection, combination, analysis and use. This article considers the current framework for the regulation of Big Data, the Article 29 Working Party's opinion on Big Data and the proposed new General Data Protection Regulation. In particular, the article considers if current and proposed regulation strikes the right balance between the risks and benefits of Big Data. (C) 2013 Linklaters LLP. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.