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800 Megs of Data Per Person Last Year?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-thats-a-lot-of-data dept.

Ant writes "Growing net, computer and phone use is driving a huge rise in the amount of information people generate and use. US researchers estimate that every year 800MB of information is produced for every person on the planet. Their study found that information stored on paper, film, magnetic and optical disks has doubled since 1999. Paper is still proving popular though. The amount of information stored in books, journals and other documents has grown 43% in three years."

2 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Makes you feel... by Chordonblue · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it? All that data about you and yours? Think it'll get any better? Think again.

    It amazes me how much people don't think about privacy anymore. How the concept of supermarket sales has given way to 'Bonus Cards' which track what you buy. Few understand how this information can be used to piece together a bigger picture.

    Some Wachovia Bank branches are now requiring a FINGERPRINT before you can cash a check. The situation is this: If you are not a customer, you are now required to give them a an electronic finger scan to cash a check made out under Wachovia.

    Where does it end? Should I just give them a hair sample now or wait until my implant is required?

    --
    "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
  2. Re:What about redundant information? by Davak · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Bravo.

    Is a cracked version of some latest software package new data?

    Honestly, only about 25k in the *.exe has been changed... but this would count as a doubling of information, hard drive space, whatever.

    Likewise, when we chart medical information, we often duplicate the information from note to note to remind ourselves and others about the important aspects of the patient's history. Really...it's just data duplication.

    Davak