The era of big data is here. Although we are yet to see its full potential, the use of big data analytics is already proving invaluable to businesses and its applications have been found in numerous and diverse sectors.

However, the use of big data has also brought much controversy, particularly when it involves sensitive information, concerns children, minorities or other vulnerable people, or where the decision-making has a significant impact on individuals.

As both public interest and regulatory scrutiny in artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data continues to build, it is increasingly becoming important for businesses to be aware of individuals’ rights over their data and be prepared to demonstrate compliance with data protection laws.

This is particularly the case for organisations working with data about individuals in Europe, as the regulatory framework on data protection has changed with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force in May 2018.