Since the NSA’s PRISM program was leaked by a former NSA employee last week, tech companies have responded in efforts to assuage their customers where they stand on government access to user information. PRISM is an unstructured big data framework that encompasses audio and video chats, phone calls, photographs, e-mails, documents, Internet searches, Facebook (News - Alert) Posts, mobile logs and connection logs as well as relevant analytics that enable analysts to extract patterns. The NSA then analyzes data people don’t even know they themselves were creating. 

The net result is that online privacy concerns are on the rise.

It should not come as a surprise to anyone in today’s world that we generate data - data that can pinpoint our whereabouts and daily habits. Then as a natural chain of events companies have interest in this data and they collect it. In many ways, we benefit from this collection. Credit card companies have collected more data on us than anyone else and we benefit in the form of identity protection. Sometimes they get it wrong but often credit card security companies can detect suspicious access within hours of a transaction alerting the user and the financial institutions. This would not be possible if they did not collect data regarding purchases, typical amounts being spent, and historical locations the user regularly stays in.

Still, the concern comes from data that no one knew existed or knowing who is accessing it, when and why. Companies that collect data do not allow their customers access to that data. Businesses typically do it to create better products and services. In and of itself this is not nefarious. Yet what we do not know what is what else they do with it. They can sell it, for instance. Some would even divulge data without adhering to stringent legal processes. Apple (News - Alert), recently, made known its strict legal procedure for any government agency that wishes access to user’s information.

"Naturally, there are core groups that like uneven information flows. Whenever an industry is told to increase its openness and accountability, they tend to scream that the sky will fall." - said David Brin, author of “A Transparent Society,” in a statement.

We have, in effect, no idea what is true when it comes to companies handing out user data or even how they use it. Why are people denied access to their data and what is happening with it? Decades ago credit agencies use to keep credit scores secret from consumers. They cited doomsday scenarios if people found out what their ratings were. After the Fair Credit Act was passed and people were given access to their scores, responsibility crept in. This is due to the fact that more accountability equals more awareness. Hence, people actually got more responsible.