ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to shed light on the entails dynamics and explores potential interrelations between Big Data and securitisation. Securitisation is a technique of governance that frames security as a permanent process linked to political objectives. Big Data can be seen as a noble attempt to reduce uncertainty by employing complex data analysis, often cited as a means to predict future developments with predictive analytics. Thus, an essential challenge of Big Data is the correct interpretation of the information it provides. While Big Data does not generally represent a surveillance technology, its capacities and related claims fit quite well with a securitisation agenda. The chapter outlines the role of Big Data and its pragmatic approach to exploiting digitised information. The shady side of winning new insights for decision-making is thus the potential emergence of new power asymmetries where a new data pragmatism celebrating quantity and probability curtails quality and innovation.
