Will Transparency Help Big Data Face Down Its Critics?

Big data has a big problem. They're the lifeblood of a marketing industry bent on efficiency and accurate targeting, but data-mining companies have for decades operated under a shroud of mystery and are not so easily trusted when it comes to consumers and privacy activists. Data giant Acxiom is aiming to quell concerns with a little transparency in the hopes that it will pacify lawmakers threatening to curb the industry's practices and preempt heightened consumer concern about data security and privacy.

Acxiom's solution -- the just-launched website AboutTheData -- invites visitors to enter their names, addresses, and the last four digits of their social security numbers to access a portal that reveals the information the company has gathered on them. The initiative addresses a call made by Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill, who has been prodding the data industry to be more forthcoming about what it knows and how it operates. Her cautious praise could inspire other data firms to embark on similar projects aimed at transparency and appeasing government.