Data exhaust or exhaust data is the trail of data left by the activities of an

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

or other computer system users during their online activity, behavior, and transactions. This is part of a broader category of unconventional data that includes geospatial, network, and time-series data and may be useful for

predictive analytics Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of statistical techniques from data mining, predictive modeling, and machine learning that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future or otherwise unknown events. In business ...

. Every visited website, clicked link, and even hovering with a mouse is collected, leaving behind a trail of data. An enormous amount of often raw data are created, which can be in the form of

cookies A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nuts ...

, temporary files,

logfile In computing, logging is the act of keeping a log of events that occur in a computer system, such as problems, errors or just information on current operations. These events may occur in the operating system or in other software. A message or lo ...

s, storable choices, and more. This information can help to improve the online experience, for example through customized content. It can be used to improve tracking trends and studying data exhaust also improves the user interface and the layout design. On the other hand, they can also compromise privacy, as they offer a valuable insight into the user's habits. For example, as the world's most popular website, Google, uses this data exhaust to refine the predictive value of their products. The data that is collected by companies is often information that does not seem immediately useful. Although the information is not used by the company right away, it can be stored for future use or sold to someone else who can use the information. The data can help with quality control, performance, and revenue. Unlike primary content, these data are not purposefully created by the user, who is often unaware of their very existence. A bank for example would consider as

primary data Raw data, also known as primary data, are ''data'' (e.g., numbers, instrument readings, figures, etc.) collected from a source. In the context of examinations, the raw data might be described as a raw score (after test scores). If a scientist ...

information concerning the sums and parties of a transaction, whilst secondary data might include the percentage of transactions carried out at a

cash machine An automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine (in British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, fund ...

instead of a real bank.

Medical Exhaust Data

Most medical devices emit some form of exhaust data, such as many pacemakers, dialysis machines, and cameras used during surgery. The majority of this data is never captured, and is primarily abandoned after the surgery is completed, or the device makes its next routine check. Some issues have arisen regarding the use of the data captured by devices like pacemakers. This can lead to larger issues surrounding the use of this exhaust data. Using electronic medical records (EMR) for research poses a large number of challenges, the most prevalent being the amount of data there is. This surplus of data is too much for people to sort through and analyze, thus creating a need for

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specificat ...

Solutions

Although data exhaust is not a new concept, the ubiquity of internet-enabled gadgetry has exacerbated the scope and impacts of our passive digital trail. The collection and distribution of data thus generated is not illegal, but there are steps that must be taken to ensure that the use of this data is ethical. In order to ensure privacy of users, when the information is sold it can be

anonymize Data anonymization is a type of information sanitization whose intent is privacy protection. It is the process of removing personally identifiable information from data sets, so that the people whom the data describe remain anonymous. Overvi ...

d. Also, users can be given the opportunity to

opt-out The term opt-out refers to several methods by which individuals can avoid receiving unsolicited product or service information. This option is usually associated with direct marketing campaigns such as e-mail marketing or direct mail. A list of thos ...

of the selling of their information if they choose. Lastly, to build trust, websites can update their

privacy policies A privacy policy is a statement or legal document (in privacy law) that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client's data. Personal information can be anything that can be used to identify ...

so that they include all the data in which they will be collecting about the user.{{Cite web, url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Dealing+with+data+exhaust-a0469639913, title=Dealing with data exhaust. - Free Online Library, website=www.thefreelibrary.com, access-date=2018-11-01

References

Data management Internet privacy

Medical Exhaust Data

Solutions

See also

References