Ethical and Social Issues in Big Data Practice
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Transcript of Ethical and Social Issues in Big Data Practice
BYTE: Ethical and social issues in big data practice
Rachel Finn, Anna Donovan and Kush Wadhwa
Trilateral Research & Consulting, LLP
Big data roadmap and cross-disciplinary community for addressing societal externalities
BYTE WP2 Workshop
Lyon, 11 Sept 2014
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
WP2: Elements of societal impact
Task 2.3 D2.1
Task 2.5 D2.2
For information related to open access and big data (T2.6), please see D2.3
Task Description
T2.1 Economic issues in big data
T2.2 Legal issues in big data
T2.3 Social and ethical issues in big data*
T2.4 Political issues in big data
T2.5 Public perceptions relevant to big data*
T2.6 Open access to data
T2.7 Validation workshop
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
ObjectivesTo understand what potential social and ethical externalities exist relative to big data processing
To offer informed conjecture as to what members of the public might expect in a big data environment
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
MethodologyBoth based on desk research / literature review
◦ Review of social and ethical issues focused on academic journal articles, research reports, media materials, etc.
◦ Review of public perceptions and aspirations focused on public opinion surveys ◦ E.g., Special Eurobarometer 359: Attitudes on Data Protection and Electronic Identity in the European Union 2012
◦ Big Data: Public views on the Collection, Sharing and Use of Personal Data by Government and Companies 2014
◦ Unisys Security Index: UK 2014
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
Practices examined• Transparency
• Profiling and tracking
• Re-use / secondary use
• Data access
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
TransparencyPotential positive impacts
◦ Increased support for processing of data◦ Information Commissioner’s Office (UK) – “Companies are asking… ‘should we do this with the data’?”
◦ Transparency may lead to greater trust, and more willingness to provide data
Potential negative impacts◦ Data sabatoge – “once actors realise that an institution is collecting data and looking for patterns, they can
attempt to sabotage this by providing false information”
◦ A “chilling effect” – individuals restrain themselves from particular behaviours because they suspect that their activities are being monitored
Unisys 2014 survey:
75% of British people will not shop or bank with people they cannot trust to safeguard their personal information
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
Profiling / trackingPotential positive impacts
◦ Trend identification
◦ Personalisation
◦ Efficiency
Potential negative impacts
◦ Discrimination
◦ Objectification
◦ Exploitation
◦ Privacy infringement
Eurobarometer Flash 225:
What is personal data? Information about tastes and opinions (27%), nationality (26%), hobbies, sports and places visited (25%), and websites visited (25%).
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
Re-use / secondary usePotential positive impacts
◦ Use of “data exhaust” for innovation or to capture efficiencies
◦ Limits the need for costly duplication of recourses
Potential negative impacts
◦ The “data gap”
◦ Extending “discriminatory” practices
Eurobarometer 359:
34% of respondents were concerned that their information is being used without their knowledge and 23% were concerned about their information being used in different contexts from the ones that were disclosed to them
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
Data accessPotential positive impacts
◦ Opening access to data can enable the linking of data sets to generate new insights
◦ Differential access may be appropriate in some circumstances
Potential negative impacts◦ Creation of a “digital hierarchy”
◦ Gender, race and class bias in those creating the digital models
◦ Potential privacy infringements when data sets are opened, linked and mined.
Ipsos Mori 2014:
90% support the use of people’s data to help develop treatment for cancer,
75% support data being used to improve the scheduling of transport services, and
70% support data use to prevent crimes
@BYTE_EU www.byte-project.eu
QUESTIONS
Any questions?
Key contacts: ◦ Rachel Finn, [email protected]
◦ Anna Donovan, [email protected]
Thank you