Data is a source of power, which organizations and individuals of everyform are seeking ways to collect, control and capitalize upon.' Even thoughdata is not inherently valuable like gold or cattle, many organizations andindividuals understand, almost instinctively, that there are great possibilitiesin the vast amounts of data available to modern society. Data mining is animportant way to employ data by dynamically processing it through the useof advancing technology.The common usage of the term "data mining" is problematic becausethe term is used so variably that it is beginning to lose meaning.2 The prob-lem is partially due to the breadth and complexity of activities referred to as"data mining." This overuse, especially from the perspective of those lackinga scientific background, creates a befuddlement and alienation of the topic.As such, individuals seem to haphazardly refer to data mining without a gen-uine understanding of what this technology entails.This paper seeks to demystify data mining for lawyers through a clarifi-cation of some of its intricacies and nuances. The goal is to explain how datamining works from a technological perspective in order to lay a foundationfor understanding whether data mining is sufficiently addressed by the law.A central ambition is to look beyond the buzzword and to take a realisticview of the core attributes of data mining. In an effort to understand if thereis a need for new legal models and solutions, particular attention will be paidto exploring whether data mining is a genuinely new concept or whether it isa case of "the emperor's new clothes."