Introduction to Ethics of Big Data

An Introduction to Ethics of Big Data

§  Webcast by Kord Davis"

Preamble §  Deeply passionate about more productive discussion"§  Academic background in philosophy"§  Experiences with Big Data "§  Topic site to launch with book release"§  #ethicsofbigdata "

www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata

Current State §  A data architect and a product

manager (or two) walk into a meeting… "

§  Creepy? Yes, it is. No, it isnʼt."§  In the absence of a common

vocabulary and framework for discussion, individuals revert to their own moral codes"


Future State §  Creating a common vocabulary and

framework for productive discussion (ethical inquiry)"

§  Ethics of Big Data is about understanding the influence of our values on our actions. "

§  Seeking a set of common values"§  Action in alignment with those values"


Path Forward §  Review key concepts in the book"§  Raise awareness and engagement"§  Intentional ethical inquiry"§  Explore a framework""» Four Aspects of Big Data Ethics""» Ethical Decision Points""» Values & Actions Alignment""» Value Personas"

"""


What Is This Big Data Thing? §  Assuming familiarity"§  Some characteristics"§  Familiar examples"§  Volume, variety, velocity creates a “forcing function”"


What Is This Ethics Thing? §  Big Data is ethically neutral"§  Use of Big Data is not"§  Ethics is only one aspect"§  Abstract concepts, real implications"§  Ethical inquiry informs ethical action"§  Ethical principles informed by values"§  Aligning action with those values"


§ Pushing business operations deeper into our lives"

§ Changing common meanings"§ Value implications"

Big Data’s Forcing Function

Big Data’s Forcing Function §  Volume, Variety, Velocity "§  The Supreme Court and Netflix"§  Data Exhaust/Ecosystem/Life stream"§  Meta-data"

"


Anatomy of a Tweet §  Place type"§  Verified Badge status"§  Number of favorites"§  Number of followers"§  Protected status"§  Country"§  Application used to Tweet"§  Authorʼs screen name"§  Authorʼs biography"


Big Data’s Forcing Function §  Imagine if Hemingway blogged, JFK tweeted, or Rosa

Parks was on Facebook"§  What will our grandchildren know about us that we didnʼt

know about our grandparents?"§  Library of Congress"§  Political change (Egypt, SOPA)"§  Social change (location, interaction, communication)"§  Education, Healthcare, Weather"

"


Big Data’s Forcing Function §  Risk"!» Security!!» Privacy!!» Legal compliance!!» Customer Engagement!

§  Opportunity"!» Innovation!!» Deeper insights!!» Broader outlooks!!» Customer Engagement!

!

!"


Balancing Risk and Innovation §  Use the Force"!» Acknowledge!!» Frame!!» Differentiate!!» Engage!

§  Frame Key Aspects"!!

"


§ Identity"§ Privacy"§ Ownership"§ Reputation"

Four Aspects of Big Data Ethics



Iden8ty Privacy

Ownership Reputa8on


§  Identity"» Is offline existence identical to online existence?!

§  Privacy"» Who should control access to data about you?!

§  Ownership"» What does it mean to own data about ourselves?!

§  Reputation"» How can we determine what is trust-worthy?!"


Identity §  “Identity is prismatic”, Chris Poole"§  “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a

lack of integrity”, Mark Zuckerberg"§  Fred Wilson proposes “lightweight” online identity"§  New products and services launch"§  US Government proposes National Strategy for

Trusted Identities in Cyberspace!§  Google+ policy changes on pseudonyms"

"


Iden8ty Privacy

Ownership Reputa8on

Privacy §  “Data can be either useful or perfectly anonymous but

never both.” (Paul Ohm)"§  87% of Americans can be identified by three data points:

gender, birthdate, ZIP code"§  In last 12 months:"

» Supreme Court ruled warrantless GPS tracking is unconstitutional"» Homeland Security tests crime prediction technology"» Zuckerberg declares “age of privacy” to be over"» New product and services launch based on privacy control"» OʼReilly publishes “Privacy and Big Data”"» Google streamlines 60+ privacy policies into one—generating

industry debate and Congressional inquiry""

"www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata

Iden8ty Privacy

Ownership Reputa8on

Ownership §  Google website devoted to “liberating your data”"§  UK government proposes “personal identity data”

marketplace (a DC company does the same)"§  Doc Searls calls for an end to collecting customer data"§  World Economic Forum (WEF) describes personal data

as a “new economic asset class” (data as currency)"§  The Sierra Club sues Orange County for access to GIS

data""


Iden8ty Privacy

Ownership Reputa8on

Reputation §  Google+ policy changes on pseudonyms"§  “The Future of Reputation” (2007)"§  New products and services launch"§  “Reputation management” "§  Ongoing debate about reputation"

"» Itʼs alive: h$p://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/03/how-‐to-‐defend-‐your-‐reputa8on.html"

"» Itʼs dead: h$p://techcrunch.com/2010/03/28/reputa8on-‐is-‐dead-‐its-‐8me-‐to-‐overlook-‐our-‐indiscre8ons/

""

"

"www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata

Iden8ty Privacy

Ownership Reputa8on

§ What is the current state of affairs?"§ Fortune 50 public-facing policy

statements"

Current Practices: Alignment?

Current Practices: Buying & Selling

§  On the one hand…34 out of Fortune 50 companies would NOT SELL personal data without consent"

§  No policy stated they would sell personal data"

§  On the other hand…11 out of Fortune 50 stated they would BUY (or “obtain”) data from third parties"

§  0 out of Fortune 50 stated they would NOT BUY personal data"


§  If itʼs not okay to sell something, how is it okay to buy it?"

Ethical Decision Points

Ethical Decision Points §  Ethical incoherence"§  Values and actions can be in conflict"§  “Donʼt know what we donʼt know”"§  Opportunity to align values and

actions to increase collaborative innovation"

§  Reduce value conflicts in Big Data innovations"

§  Comfort factor (reduced creepy)"


Ethical Decision Points §  Some real-world examples include:""» adding a new product feature""» policy development""» security breach""» designing new products/services""» opportunity to use or combine data in a new way"


Ethical Decision Points §  " Continuous cycle:""» Inquiry""» Understanding""» Articulation""» Action"


Inquiry

Understanding

Ar8cula8on

Ac8on

Values & Actions §  Alignment"§  Benefits of alignment"§  Risks of misalignment"§  Value Personas"

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Values & Actions §  You already know how to do this"§  Our values inform our actions all the time"§  We value lots of things"§  Ethical practice is an outcome of ethical inquiry"§  Ethical inquiry is an exploration of values"§  Values can be personified"

""


Value Personas §  Evolution of “user persona”"§  Articulate how specific values inform

specific actions in specific context"§  Aligns operational perspectives on

values & actions: executives, managers, line staff"

§  Designed in collaborative workshops with cross-functional team"


Value Personas §  Considerations include:""» Intention""» Security""» Likelihood""» Aggregation""» Responsibility""» Benefit""» Harm""» Organizational roles""» Timeline"

"

""www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata

Common Themes §  Big Data is:""» Ubiquitous""» Permanent""» Explicit""» Aggregated"


Transparent Collaboration §  Acknowledge the complexity at Ethical Decision Points"§  Be explicit with ethical discussions"§  Engage the nuance"§  Encourage “value talk”"§  Use Value Personas to help create a common

understanding & facilitate dialog"§  Seek alignment of values and actions"§  See Exact Target best practices"

"» http://subscribersrule.com/""» http://www.exacttarget.com/company/orange-culture.aspx "

"


§ If your data handling actions were known today … would they align with your values? Your customerʼs values?"

Transparency

Thank You! §  Topic site: "www.ethicsofbigdata.com"§  Blog: " "www.kordindex.com"§  Email: " "[email protected]"§  Twitter:" "http://twitter.com/kordindex "§  LinkedIn: "http://www.linkedin.com/in/korddavis "§  Ethics of Big Data (OʼReilly, March 2012):"" "http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920021872.do"

"""""All references will be provided in archived presentation."


Introduction to Ethics of Big Data

Technology

Transcript of Introduction to Ethics of Big Data