Dr. Matthew North


Data mining as a discipline is largely transparent to the world.  Most of the time, we never even 
notice that it’s happening.  But whenever we sign up for a grocery store shopping card, place a 
purchase using a credit card, or surf the Web, we are creating data.  These data are stored in large 
sets on powerful computers owned by the companies we deal with every day.  Lying within those 
data sets are patterns—indicators of our interests, our habits, and our behaviors.  Data mining 
allows people to locate and interpret those patterns, helping them make better informed decisions 
and better serve their customers.  That being said, there are also concerns about the practice of 
data mining.  Privacy watchdog groups in particular are vocal about organizations that amass vast 
quantities of data, some of which can be very personal in nature.