In the spirit of Google or Facebook, the new thinking is that people are the sum of their social relationships, online interactions and connections with content. In order to fully investigate an individual, analysts need to look at the widest possible penumbra of data that surrounds the person — not just whom they know, but whom those people know too, and so on. The ability to capture personal data is often built deep into the tools we use every day, from Web sites to smartphone apps. If we hold people responsible for predicted future acts, ones they may never commit, we also deny that humans have a capacity for moral … Continue reading Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Kenneth Cukier