"Data is the pollution of the 21st century"

"Data is the pollution of the 21st century" is an epigram that security expert Bruce Schneier uttered recently. He explains that every action we take tends to cause someone to log info about us, and this tendency - and the amount of data logged - will increase, whether we are looking at the web, moving about, using a cell phone or buying things (et cetera). And, he says, "we have no idea how to dispose of this data safely."