As big data makes inroads into all aspects of society, how governments regard the technology will be critical for its success. If the past is a guide, the state will embrace big data for its own uses (both good and ill). It will recognize that its authority is threatened and lash out. And government will try to place big data under the yoke of regulatory control. The talk will build on ideas outlined in the new book “Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think” (with Viktor Mayer-Schönberger) to explain where the choke points are—and how to keep big data free from governments’ grip.