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$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Current State § A data architect and a product
manager (or two) walk into a meeting… "
§ Creepy? Yes, it is. No, it isnʼt."§ In the absence of a common
vocabulary and framework for discussion, individuals revert to their own moral codes"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
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"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Path Forward § Review key concepts in the book"§ Raise awareness and engagement"§ Intentional ethical inquiry"§ Explore a framework""» Four Aspects of Big Data Ethics""» Ethical Decision Points""» Values & Actions Alignment""» Value Personas"
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www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
What Is This Big Data Thing? § Assuming familiarity"§ Some characteristics"§ Familiar examples"§ Volume, variety, velocity creates a “forcing function”"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
What Is This Ethics Thing? § Big Data is ethically neutral"§ Use of Big Data is not"§ Ethics is only one aspect"§ Abstract concepts, real implications"§ Ethical inquiry informs ethical action"§ Ethical principles informed by values"§ Aligning action with those values"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
§ 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"
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www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Anatomy of a Tweet § Place type"§ Verified Badge status"§ Number of favorites"§ Number of followers"§ Protected status"§ Country"§ Application used to Tweet"§ Authorʼs screen name"§ Authorʼs biography"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
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"
"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Big Data’s Forcing Function § Risk"!» Security!!» Privacy!!» Legal compliance!!» Customer Engagement!
§ Opportunity"!» Innovation!!» Deeper insights!!» Broader outlooks!!» Customer Engagement!
!
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www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Balancing Risk and Innovation § Use the Force"!» Acknowledge!!» Frame!!» Differentiate!!» Engage!
§ Frame Key Aspects"!!
"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
§ Identity"§ Privacy"§ Ownership"§ Reputation"
Four Aspects of Big Data Ethics
Four Aspects of Big Data Ethics
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Iden8ty Privacy
Ownership Reputa8on
Four Aspects of Big Data Ethics
§ 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?!"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Identity § “Identity is prismatic”, Chris Poole"§ “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a
lack of integrity”, Mark Zuckerberg"§ Fred Wilson proposes “lightweight” online identity"§ New products and services launch"§ US Government proposes National Strategy for
Trusted Identities in Cyberspace!§ Google+ policy changes on pseudonyms"
"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
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$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Iden8ty Privacy
Ownership Reputa8on
Ownership § Google website devoted to “liberating your data”"§ UK government proposes “personal identity data”
marketplace (a DC company does the same)"§ Doc Searls calls for an end to collecting customer data"§ World Economic Forum (WEF) describes personal data
as a “new economic asset class” (data as currency)"§ The Sierra Club sues Orange County for access to GIS
data""
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
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$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Iden8ty Privacy
Ownership Reputa8on
§ What is the current state of affairs?"§ Fortune 50 public-facing policy
statements"
Current Practices: Alignment?
Current Practices: Buying & Selling
§ On the one hand…34 out of Fortune 50 companies would NOT SELL personal data without consent"
§ No policy stated they would sell personal data"
§ On the other hand…11 out of Fortune 50 stated they would BUY (or “obtain”) data from third parties"
§ 0 out of Fortune 50 stated they would NOT BUY personal data"
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§ If itʼs not okay to sell something, how is it okay to buy it?"
Ethical Decision Points
Ethical Decision Points § Ethical incoherence"§ Values and actions can be in conflict"§ “Donʼt know what we donʼt know”"§ Opportunity to align values and
actions to increase collaborative innovation"
§ Reduce value conflicts in Big Data innovations"
§ Comfort factor (reduced creepy)"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
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"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Ethical Decision Points § " Continuous cycle:""» Inquiry""» Understanding""» Articulation""» Action"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Inquiry
Understanding
Ar8cula8on
Ac8on
Values & Actions § Alignment"§ Benefits of alignment"§ Risks of misalignment"§ Value Personas"
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www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Values & Actions § You already know how to do this"§ Our values inform our actions all the time"§ We value lots of things"§ Ethical practice is an outcome of ethical inquiry"§ Ethical inquiry is an exploration of values"§ Values can be personified"
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Value Personas § Evolution of “user persona”"§ Articulate how specific values inform
specific actions in specific context"§ Aligns operational perspectives on
values & actions: executives, managers, line staff"
§ Designed in collaborative workshops with cross-functional team"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Value Personas § Considerations include:""» Intention""» Security""» Likelihood""» Aggregation""» Responsibility""» Benefit""» Harm""» Organizational roles""» Timeline"
"
""www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
Common Themes § Big Data is:""» Ubiquitous""» Permanent""» Explicit""» Aggregated"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
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 "
"
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata
§ If your data handling actions were known today … would they align with your values? Your customerʼs values?"
Transparency
Thank You! § Topic site: "www.ethicsofbigdata.com"§ Blog: " "www.kordindex.com"§ Email: " "[email protected]"§ Twitter:" "http://twitter.com/kordindex "§ LinkedIn: "http://www.linkedin.com/in/korddavis "§ Ethics of Big Data (OʼReilly, March 2012):"" "http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920021872.do"
"""""All references will be provided in archived presentation."
www.ethicsofbigdata.com" Twi$er: @kordindex #ethicso4igdata