Can Big Data Prevent Crime?

Tech companies claim that analyzing big data can predict crime and help to prevent it. That sounds like science fiction, but police agencies around the country are buying into it — with federal assistance. Critics say it's science fiction after all — with the risk of violating civil rights and eroding public confidence. Is it making law enforcement more efficient and more effective or reinforcing the biases that are leading to the erosion of public trust?

Later on the program, three months ago, nobody had ever heard of the two-wheeled, motorized scooters called hoverboards. Now they're on millions of American holiday wish lists. We hear how they went from the Internet to the factory floor in record time.

Photo: Cory Doctorow