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


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


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


Practices examined• Transparency

• Profiling and tracking

• Re-use / secondary use

• Data access


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


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%).


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


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


QUESTIONS

Any questions?

Key contacts: ◦ Rachel Finn, [email protected]

◦ Anna Donovan, [email protected]

Thank you

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Ethical and Social Issues in Big Data Practice