unethical use of data analytics

While there’s nothing particularly new about the analytics conducted in big data, the scale and ease with which it can all be done today changes the ethical framework of data analysis. The Washington-based think tank on Sunday released a five-point framework intended to help colleges navigate the ethical concerns surrounding predictive analytics as they flip the switch on adaptive learning, early-warning and other data-driven systems. By the end of March, West Midlands Police is due to finish a prototype for the National Data Analytics Solution (NDAS), an AI system designed to predict the risk of where crime will be committed and by whom. A particularly unethical way to mislead using data visualizations is to mislabel data or use accompanying text that “explains” it inaccurately. Data dredging is a self-serving technique often employed for the unethical purpose of circumventing traditional data mining techniques, in order to seek additional data conclusions that do not exist. For the sake of discussion here, we will be focusing on 'data that is technically legal, but considered bad form'. Those models calculate probabilities to capture patterns in the data. Describing data inaccurately. Data is a double-edged sword, you see. Proceedings ASCILITE2017: 34th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education (pp. Examples for the unethical use of big data analytics and the resulting reputational and economic effects include the public’s reaction to Target’s alleged prediction of a teenager’s pregnancy Big data, a term that is used to refer to the use of analyzing large datasets to provide useful insights, isn’t just available to huge corporations with big budgets. So why are there questions being raised about the ethics of analytics, and its related technology, Big Data? Big data analytics raises a number of ethical issues, especially as companies begin monetizing their data externally for purposes different from those for which the data was initially collected. Data is now one of our world’s most precious resources, and over the last few years, businesses have been learning how to use it to become more successful and profitable. Unethical actions based on interpretations 4. But with the advent of big data, we no longer need to speculate: the future has arrived. There are still many scarred by the care.data debacle. 27 … All too often, we see the inappropriate use of Data Science methods leading to erroneous conclusions. Dashboards set up by the Research and Data Management Team delivered real-time analytics to 7,000 DMPS teachers and staff so they could adapt and intervene sooner, dramatically improving the intervention success rates. This data was allegedly used to … Data visualization made it easy for staff to identify individual, at-risk students and get those students the attention they need. Let's consider this. 2007; Siemens & Long 2011). “Using data ethically is complex, and no magic formula exists,” the report reads. Although the purpose of the law is to discourage unethical behavior, it is nearly impossible for legislators to keep pace with technological advancement. use of resources and prevention of failure or accident. 15 The technology itself is inherently ethics-agnostic. "The first principle for ethical data use is that it should be done with an expectation of tangible benefit," write Etlinger and Groopman. With all this data, though, it can be difficult for data scientists and analytics teams to determine which metrics are actually useful, and the process of plucking meaningful data from a sea of information is tough. Reg Baker, executive director of Marketing Research Institute International, says the industry is working to expand the ethics that cover primary data to also address secondary data. In H. Partridge, K. Davis, & J. Thomas. Data scientists use data to train models. The Open University is authorised … Unfiltered data is without context, and without context, data has too little meaning to engage or inspire its audience. It can improve your business, but customers will be sensitive about it. As a point of reference, analytics that “touches” pro AV and digital signage applications is growing at >30% per year. This year’s G20 Summit finance ministers agreed, for the first time, on G20’s own principles for responsible AI use . The new Data Protection Act, implementing the gold-standard GDPR into our laws provides the right legal basis for privacy and must be respected in letter and spirit across health and social care. Defining ‘data’ in conversations with students about the ethical use of learning analytics. This module points out common errors, in language suited for a student with limited exposure to statistics. Contact center data, including calls, chats, texts, and emails, is no exception. Very internally focused. Many resources are available, such as those from IBM, to provide guidance in data masking for big data analytics. Data is a double-edged sword. Security and privacy have always been at the core of data governance. When I reviewed the curricula of data science and analytics degree programs last year for a course I was developing, I found only one school that requires an ethics class. This is not to say that there is no proper use of data mining, as it can in-fact lead to surprise outliers and interesting analyses. Indeed, setting expectations up front around data usage is vital to protecting customer data from unethical use. This market alone is forecasted to reach > $33 Billion by 2026. However, companies now operate in a more external and connected fashion then ever before. Just two months ago, Facebook’s CTO Mike Schroepfer acknowledged in a statement that “the data of more than 87 million people could have been shared inappropriately with Cambridge Analytica.” Cambridge Analytica abused the possibilities offered by the social platform creating personality profiles based on that data stolen from the platform. Learn about the importance of data ethics. Policy on Ethical use of Student Data for Learning Analytics September 2014 The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). (Eds. mainly for the purposes of academic analytics, or the use of large datasets married with data mining and statistical techniques to draw conclusion directed at the institutional level, rather than at practices aimed at directly impacting students’ learning or faculty teaching (Campbell et al. USE OF BIG DATA ANALYTICS 489 practices, users may continue reducing the data they share, especially health data, because they do not understand the collective value of their data. He says it is essential that no one is harmed related to the use of data, whether obtained in person, on the phone, through Facebook posts or via Amazon transactions. Big data got so big because there’s a demand for consumer and voter information. In fact, it could be a $203 billion industry by 2020. GDPR heavily emphasizes consent for use of personal data, and in an employment context, the meaning of this is quite strict. Finally, Vallor said, big data could be used to discriminate, with “analytics as a quick and dirty form of redlining.” Certain types of people could be classified as poor risks for employment, health care interventions, or educational services, for example. We have big data that is literally increasing by the second and we have advances in analytics that help makes big data quantifiable and thus useful. Unethical use of customer data. A consortium in Singapore to drive ethical use of AI and data analytics in the financial sector; 14 and The Partnership on AI, representing some of the biggest technology firms, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM, and Microsoft, to advance the understanding of AI technologies. It’s difficult to build ethical models when the available training data contains racism, sexism, or other stereotypes. Government Data Needs an Ethical Foundation (Contributed) While the private sector has struggled with unethical uses of data, government can learn … Furthermore, the technology must be developed in accordance with international laws. But it does push the art of the possible to new limits in terms of: • The availability of a wide range of data from many sources. Typically, company policies, processes, and procedures have been designed to comply with these regulations to avoid fines and in some cases jail time. Since big data analytics is so new, most organizations don't realize there are risks, so they use data masking in ways that could breach privacy. We have seen a number of false starts on the use of patient data in the NHS. Figure 4: This map, beloved by President Trump, accurately depicts the county-by-county results of the 2016 presidential election. Computer Ethics vs. Big Data Analytics “Computing Artifact vs. Data” •Because there is controversy with computer ethics compared to general ethics frameworks, there can be a controversy over whether issues such as big data and analytics belong in computer ethics, or if they should be treated on their own. Data validity is not a new concern. This Code of Ethics applies specifically to those seeking (re)-certification as a Certified Analytics Professional (CAP ®), but may be useful to other practitioners who use analytics. Thus, organizations should put clear identity and access-management standards in place and ensure that only those with privileged access can view customer data and make system changes. ), Me, Us, IT! Heedless data collection in business analytics programmes is breeding moral hazards, Frank Buytendijk will tell TDWI symposium in London next week. 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