Amy Balkin

I ? Data Mining

Data mining is a computer software process that can involve the neutral or benign analyzing of internet data for patterns, however, it can also imply the more sinister activities of surveillance or subject-based information gathering. Amy Balkin’s neon sculpture I (heart) Data Mining, takes on this issue by revealing the acronyms or abbreviations of both technology companies and government bodies that have either profited from data mining, or have used it to political ends. The culprits include Facebook, Investigative Data Warehouse, Apple Computer, The Department of Homeland Security, Narus, Target, and Twitter. As the colorful neon text directs us to these organizations, a second layer of neon text reading ‘I (heart) Data Mining’ flickers on and off. Despite the existence of various landmark cases — from the dozens of civil lawsuits against the telecommunications giant AT&T for providing the NSA (National Security Agency’s) with its customers’ phone and Internet communications for data-mining, to the targeting and tracking of individuals for commercial or political purposes — most internet users have little knowledge of these programs that capture and process the information traveling through computer networks. Balkin’s piece reflects on the sensitive and complex nature of privacy and surveillance and the ethical binds that corporations and government bodies constantly face in a digital era.