In the modern world, where much of all human interaction is stored and recorded in some way on computers, data about every aspect of our lives is available for public consumption in ways that, even a generation ago, we never thought was possible. This creates problems, first for society, and second, for the individual. For society, because there is no consensus on what is the proper use for this data (morally and ethically speaking), and no consensus over what, if any, laws we should enact to govern the use of this data. For the individual, because he or she does not always know, or is aware of, what data is being shared about themselves publicly and what that data is being used for. The end result has been that many people are surprised to learn what advertisers, or even employers, are able to find out about them through data mining.
For a practical discussion of this, let's look at Facebook. Facebook, for those who have spent the last decade in an arctic wilderness devoid of internet accessibility, is a social web site where people create pages about themselves and their lives and share them with their friends. At first this started as just a social networking site. As the company behind it grew, it started adding advertising, games, marketing, and other features to capitalize on its user base. Today Facebook data mines all the posts and pictures people put on it to bombard them with targeted advertising. It is so good that based on benign information you share, it can tell very intimate things about you. For example this article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/.
More alarmingly, employers and health insurance providers have begun buying your purchasing habits from credit card companies and major retailers in order to monitor whether or not you are living a healthy lifestyle. They believe this is a necessary step in keeping medical costs down and keeping people healthy and productive. It also gives them the ability to target wellness programs to benefit both themselves and, presumably, the employees. The counter argument is that this breaks the boundary between one's personal and professional lives and is a violation of an employee's privacy. See this article: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-your-company-watching-your-weight-2013-02-25.
But the reality is, based on available information, employers are able to learn a lot more about you than previous generations. There are also some fairly significant legal issues that go along with adopting such policies, and both employers and employees should be wary of trodding on the rights of people protected by various laws (think Americans with Disabilities Act, hostile work place and discrimination suits).
The end result is that we already have to worry about embarrassing Facebook posts or pictures keeping people from getting jobs, employers targeting employees for health counseling based on purchasing habits, or even employers making adverse employment decision about people based on data mining. The future could get even less private with employers monitoring all aspects of employees' lives to help them be more productive employees. If you hate a boss who micromanages your work, how will you feel when he or she micromanages your personal life, purchasing decisions and even dietary choices? The result of unregulated data usage could very well lead to just such a result. How long before employers can monitor your every move through your cell phone? It already logs your position with GPS and tower triangulation, and your activity based on accelerometers and G-meters.
The end result is that, as technology matures and innovations are made, we as a country (or as a world really) need to create clear legal frameworks for the use of this new world of freely available data. If a society decides that the division between public and private, professional and social, are divisions that should be nurtured, it will need to create a regulatory structure that fosters such results. Otherwise, the future of data mining could well lead to a pseudo Orwellian future where big brother and big employers monitor your every move. Until such framework exists, it's a good idea to be as careful as you can be about what data you are sharing.
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