Big data is the vast collection of personally identifying information by third parties. Typically, these third parties rely on other companies with the direct relationship to the consumer to collect and then share the data with them. Big data companies aggregate data from a vast network of companies, only then to repackage and resell this data, worth billions of dollars, to marketing agencies and the like. These companies tout that they can identify almost 100% of all American adults, yet most people are nuaware that these companies exist. Big data creates a great potential for misuse and risk, raising many privacy concerns.