BIG DATA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data#Examples
Any big & powerful country or corporation will always try to acquire as much data as possible on essentially anything. Sometimes its just for statistics or for marketing purposes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Data_Center
But sometimes an immense data blanket is added to the many previous layers.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/all/1,
http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-applications/image-gallery-governments-10-most-powerf/224700271

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data#Critique:
http://desert-shapes.blogspot.ca/2013/03/id-and-digital-tracking.html

https://www.avclub.com/