The malware can steal data and social-network conversations, take snapshots of computer screens, penetrate across networks, turn on a computer's microphone to record audio and scan for Bluetooth-active devices.
Instead of being bought up by Star, US Weekly, and the National Inquirer, these snapshots are used to create profiles purchased by marketing companies and other data broker customers.
This real-time data will be more powerful than what we currently obtain by using questionnaires and cognitive snapshots during stressful visits to the doctor's office.
The first statement that anecdotes are data is playing out as new information technology makes it even easier to turn stories into snapshots of mood and opinion.