Beyond issues of attribution and extraterritoriality, there is the simple reality that digital technology permits the compression of vast amounts of information into brief bursts of computer code.

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Data compression addresses the mechanics of packing down information without losing meaning.

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Combine that with a data compression algorithm, and a large organization can store all of its information in main memory.

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In terms of pure visual data (as calculated by Photoshop at the same level of jpg compression) the Google Map screen weighs in at precisely half the information of its prettier Apple counterpart.

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But like a bad compression algorithm, all they really do is throw away a lot of good information.

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Compression, a mathematical technique to reduce the number of bits required to store information, is essential because image files are very large.

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