Is Big Data Good or Evil?

With all of the lawsuits working through the courts and all of the scary possibilities being discussed in the media, it has led some people to assume that big data is inherently evil. Once you believe that big data is evil, a natural response is to try and shut down the collection and analysis of big data to the maximum extent possible. While big data certainly has risks, it would be a classic case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater if the use of big data is shut down.