Data Dilemmas
- Challenges and ethical issues arising from the collection, storage, use, and sharing of data in digital societies.
- Data dilemmas can arise due to:
- Data bias, reliability and integrity.
- Control, ownership and access to data.
- Data privacy, anonymity and surveillance.
Data Bias, Reliability and Integrity
Data Bias
- When data reflects prejudices or inaccuracies, leading to unfair outcomes in decision-making processes.
- Data bias can arise from:
- Biased data collection: When the data collected is not representative of the entire population.
- Biased algorithms: When the algorithms used to process the data are biased.
Facial Recognition Technology: Many facial recognition systems have been found to misidentify people of color at higher rates than white individuals. This is often due to training datasets that lack diversity.
Data Reliability and Integrity
- The consistency and accuracy of data over time.
- The trustworthiness of data, ensuring it has not been altered or tampered with.
- Data reliability and integrity can be compromised by:
- Human error: Mistakes made during data entry or processing.
- System failures: Technical issues that corrupt data.
- Malicious attacks: Cyberattacks that alter or destroy data.
COVID-19 Data: In 2020, the UK government faced criticism for underreporting COVID-19 cases due to errors in data processing. This raised concerns about the reliability and integrity of the data used to make public health decisions.
Control, Ownership and Access to Data
- The ability to manage who can access, modify, or share data.
- The rights and responsibilities associated with possessing data.
- The ability to retrieve and use data.
- Data control, ownership, and access issues arise when:
- Data is collected without consent: Users may not be aware of what data is being collected and how it is being used.
- Data is shared without permission: Organizations may share data with third parties without user consent.
- Data is stored in jurisdictions with different laws: Data stored in different countries may be subject to different regulations.
Cambridge Analytica Scandal: In 2018, it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had harvested data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. This data was used to influence political campaigns, raising questions about data control and ownership.
Data Privacy, Anonymity and Surveillance
- The right to control how personal information is collected, used, and shared.
- The state of being unidentifiable within a set of data.
- The monitoring of individuals or groups to collect information about their activities.
- Data privacy, anonymity, and surveillance issues arise when:
- Data is collected without consent: Users may not be aware of what data is being collected and how it is being used.
- Data is shared without permission: Organizations may share data with third parties without user consent.
- Data is stored in jurisdictions with different laws: Data stored in different countries may be subject to different regulations.
- How can data bias affect decision-making processes?
- What are the differences between data reliability and data integrity?
- Why is data privacy important in digital societies?
- How can organizations ensure they have control over their data?
- What are the potential consequences of a data breach?
