digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at arstechnica.com

Study: Amount of digital info > Global Storage Capacity

arstechnica.com — A study reveals that the volume of information about us generated automatically on a daily basis surpasses the total volume of digital information that we actively create about ourselves. IDC notes that this trend has significant privacy implications and that pressure will increasingly fall on the IT sector to address information management

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • luchid, on 03/13/2008, -1/+32Half of that is porn.
    • IllBeBack, on 03/13/2008, -0/+14Oh it's more than half on my hard drive.
      • unknownsoldierX, on 03/13/2008, -0/+18You only have ONE hard drive full of porn?
        • steelmaverick, on 03/13/2008, -0/+2I have at least 3 1TB hard drives dedicated to porn, and another 1TB thats half full so far. Thanks, bittorrent, for providing me with endless amounts of pr0n!
  • cr8nkenstein, on 03/13/2008, -5/+0Yeah, and I bet they get most that information from our myspace activities ;)
  • SaladCactusKing, on 03/13/2008, -0/+9Isn't this kind of a "no *****" thing?
  • capiCrimm, on 03/13/2008, -0/+7"For the first time your digital shadow is larger than the digital information you actively create about yourself."

    I'm pretty sure before digital camera's etc were ubiquitous this was true. I mean not 15 years ago most people didn't have a personal computer. All it would take is one bank or phone company using a machine for billing to flip the shadow.
    • Sporky023, on 03/13/2008, -0/+1Also, if you consider the digital world to be a world per se, then you have to accept the law of karma - which is essentially that every action generates effects beyond what you may choose to consciously communicate. This "digital shadow" in the real world is the wake of turbulence you leave behind you in every interaction, and that is and always has been larger than the effects we consciously create.
      • nevaseez, on 03/13/2008, -2/+1From 1982-1993, 17 million C64s were sold
        nobody had a personal computer.... I know I sure had one 15 years ago
        • capiCrimm, on 03/13/2008, -0/+2And you can find personal computers in the 70's. My point was that the *average* American didn't have them. I'm sure you could find someone who has more info then a digital shadow. That doesn't change the *average*.
  • fenderday, on 03/13/2008, -6/+2Wow I am just really concerned about these important findings.
  • TheDHC, on 03/13/2008, -31/+2░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀█░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀░░█░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░▄▀░░▄▀░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░█▄░▄▀░░░░░░░░▄█▄░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░█░▀▄░░░░░░░▄▀░█░▀▄░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░▀▄░░▀▄░░░▄▀░░▄▀▄░░▀▄░░░
    ░▄░░░░░░░░▀▄░░▀▄▀░░▄▀░░░▀▄░░▀▄░
    ░█▀▄░░░░░░░░▀▄▀█▀▄▀░░░░░░░▀▄░█░
    ░█░░▀▄░░░░░▄▀░░█░░▀▄░░░░░░░░▀█░
    ░░▀▄░░▀▄░▄▀░░▄▀░▀▄░░▀▄░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░▀▄░░█░░▄▀░░░░░▀▄░▄█░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░▀▄█▄▀░░░░░░░░▄▀░█░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░▀░░░░░░░░▄▀░░▄▀░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀░░▄▀░░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█░▄▀░░░░░░░░░░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█▀░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
  • emja, on 03/13/2008, -4/+1Title != blurb.

    *plonk*
  • Wedg3, on 03/13/2008, -0/+24How is that possible? Isn't all digital data stored somewhere until deleted, in which case it is no longer digital data? Must not the amount of data be smaller than the storage capacity by definition?
    • undersky, on 03/13/2008, -0/+7deep
    • BelatedHero, on 03/13/2008, -3/+1*head explodes*
    • notcarsondaly, on 03/13/2008, -1/+4COMPRESSION
    • meshman, on 03/13/2008, -0/+5"For the first time ever, the total volume of digital content exceeds total storage capacity. "

      I don't understand this either. How is this even possible? How can we generate digital content without storing it somewhere? If we've got 281 exabytes of data then there HAS to be 281 exabytes of storage. If we had 300 exabytes of data, where is the extra 19 exabytes being stored?
      • captmorgan555, on 03/13/2008, -1/+1As notcarsondaly said above and i said below in another comment, Compression. Compression of 50:1 is very real.
    • flameboy, on 03/14/2008, -0/+1Thats one very good reason why this article is retarded. And there's more...
      I dont know about the rest of you, but before I accept "conclusions" from studies like this, somebody needs to explain how these people went about calculating "all the bytes ever created and replicated worldwide". Sounds pretty unlikely to me.

      Unless they actually found a correct way of doing this, all these "conclusions" are total hogwash. Besides, I'm sure I'd find the methodology of this study much more interesting than these "scary privacy concerns" based off unknown math.
  • IxXxIRhinoIxXxI, on 03/13/2008, -6/+1My pr0n Folder ≥ 80,709,885,774,375,825,096 bytes of information.....
  • piratearggghhh, on 03/13/2008, -2/+10Have we tried deleting some temp files? Or calling Geek Squad for a system optimization?
    • Sporky023, on 03/13/2008, -0/+4flush the browser cache - that can get enormous. Will somebody take care of that please?
      • HueytheFreeman, on 03/13/2008, -0/+2DEFRAGMENT FASTER DAMN YOUUUUUUU!
  • lidong, on 03/13/2008, -2/+2so many trash infos surround us
  • asishh, on 03/13/2008, -2/+0i think this number is fake.
  • doshindude, on 03/13/2008, -1/+1defrag? reformat?
  • captmorgan555, on 03/13/2008, -1/+1They never mention whatthe global storage capacity is and (very important) if they calculated COMPRESSION into their findings.
    • pentalive, on 03/13/2008, -0/+0Also, does the value for created data include data that is created then soon deleted?
  • captmorgan555, on 03/13/2008, -1/+2Here's something that might blow your mind. Think about all that data and almost all of it (with the exception of your home PC or retarded business) is duplicated or even triplicated on web nodes, off site backups and even development environments. But when you can get compression from 2:1 to 50:1 (depending on the data) it still doesn't really matter. To counter that statement, now think about encryption. In the future you would like to think everything will be encrypted. The down side of encryption is that you can't compress it nearly as much unencrypted data.
  • Homerr, on 03/13/2008, -0/+5This seriously interferes with my plan to download the entire internet.
  • trollick, on 03/13/2008, -1/+3"Amount of digital info > Global Storage Capacity"?
    How the heck is that even possible??? That would mean that excess DIGITAL info is NOT stored. Where the heck is it then??? Do people just walk around trying to remember it: "100100001111010100..."
  • Paisley09, on 03/13/2008, -0/+1Creepy sesh.
  • shell81, on 03/14/2008, -0/+0watch top 10 movie 2008 online ..top 10 film 2008 en ligne :

    http://www.assrir.org

    or

    http://www.44frez.com

    thinks all
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.