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39 percent of software developers say a government agency is tracking their data

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Abhigna
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SANTA CRUZ, USA: Thirty-nine percent of developers working with Big Data think a government agency is tracking the data that they create, gather, or use in their database applications, according to Evans Data's newly released Data and Advanced Analytics Survey 2013, an in-depth survey of over 440 developers actively working with databases and analytics.

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Of those who are confident that they could tell if the government was tracking their data, the percent of developers convinced that they are being tracked jumps to 59 percent. For those who did not think they would personally be able to tell, ignorance spells bliss as only 23 percent suspect government tracking.

The survey, completed in August 2013, covers a wide range of topics related to data, analytics, and storage, including sections on data security, which is implicated in data tracking. Big Data provides new problems in implementing security, as does governmental interference. When asked, "Have you run into a situation in which your traditional security mechanisms for data don't work with big or unstructured data?" 72 percent who suspect governmental tracking said yes. The belief that governmental tracking is ongoing spans across industries.

"Big Data and Big Government both bring unique challenges," said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data Corp. "Security becomes not only a technical issue but can also become a policy issue that developers may not be able to address. In addition, Cloud platforms, while providing necessary scalability for Big Data, may also increase the risk of governmental eavesdropping."

While developers are split over whether the data will be stored on-site or in the Cloud, two-thirds agree that the typical structure of data or analytics projects must be integrated into an enterprise-wide data warehouse, and not segregated from other data projects, thus increasing the need for security.

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