The Internet is an information superhighway upon which data, new technologies, and applications can be run. Right now, one of the most hyped and hoped-for applications is big data. We even hope that big data can predict the future from old data, and that big data can solve all human problems.

If you ever reserve a hotel on the Internet, the next time you log on a hotel advertisement will pop up on your screen. This shows that somewhere, a system is collecting your big data. It is annoying for now. Someday, you will be shocked at how far it can go to invade your personal life and privacy.

Ethical reasoning in big data: an exploratory analysis is a timely book on the ethical aspects of big data. It has three parts. Part 1, “Applying a Contextual Analysis of Privacy in Big Data Research,” suggests that a researcher should always consider the ethics in big data research. This part also suggests a framework to implement it. The chapters in Part 2, “Ethical Reasoning Beyond Privacy in Big Data,” say that privacy concerns many things. Privacy should engage public discussion. Privacy should be paid special attention in large-scale research. Data itself also has privacy issues. In Part 3, “Institutionalizing Ethical Reasoning About Big Data,” the authors propose some technologies and mechanisms to include ethical reasoning in systems, education, methodologies, and so on.

Big data analytics is a very important tool for future society. Used properly, it can benefit generations to come. Keep in mind that governments and corporations could also use it to invade people’s privacy and well being. Therefore, everyone should keep an eye on big data development. This book is a harbinger for ethical reasoning in big data, though it is a bit technical. We can expect more books about the societal issues of big data in the future. Wait and see.