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Redirected from: data trails

Definition: data exhaust


Digital byproducts. Data exhaust refers to cookies deposited by websites in the user's computer. It also includes the many log files and temporary files generated by applications for their own purposes. Data exhaust is big data, which is used by marketing organizations to tailor ads to individual users. The gathered data are also analyzed to improve the performance and presentation of an application or system. See cookie, log file and big data.