The Future of Data Ethics   One of the most important assets of an organization is its data

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The Future of Data Ethics

 

One of the most important assets of an organization is its data.  In the past, data was viewed as an organizational asset.  While data is still considered an asset, in today's society it has also been recognized as a liability.  Data is the lifeblood of organizations.  Data is used extensively in the decision-making process.  Decision-making is critical to the survival of an organization. Therefore, an organization must be careful when collection data.  They must collect data that will bring value to the organization.  But organizations are collecting as much online data as they can from customers, perspective customers, and even visitors to their websites.  They are hoarding data while knowingly or unknowingly creating a virtual data landfill that awaits someone to sift through it. The organization sitting on this data is an organization that is taking a great risk.  Time and money must be spent on technical controls and policy protections to protect the landfill.  The increase in the amount of data that can be stored coupled with highly sophisticated data analysis tools has changed the way we do business.  The landfill has become vulnerable.  Data is now being analyzed in near real-time.  Ever performed a search on Facebook Marketplace, then 10 minutes later you receive 50 advertisements on what you searched for?  This has sparked some serious philosophical and legal debates on the ways this data can and should be used (Hand, 2018).  For the future of data ethics, I believe those that create the data, users of the data, and the suppliers of data must come together and consider these ethical challenges.  

 

What is Data Ethics?  Data ethics is simply about the responsible use of data while ensuring the data sustains its integrity.  The focus must be about doing the right thing for people/society.  Data ethics refers/adheres to the principles and values ??on which human rights and personal data protection laws are based (Data Ethics Principles - Data ethical Thinkdotank, 2015).  The ethical boundaries of data have exposed a problem.  The existing laws cover very little when it comes to data ethics, leaving a gray area that has been exploited.  Between 2013 and 2019, 9.7 billion data records were lost or stolen globally (Managing the Ethical Complexities of the Age of Big Data, n.d.).  Tech giants such as Facebook, Apple, and Google have been under scrutiny for multiple data privacy breaches such as collecting text messages, phone call records, and conversations through smart devices without proper consent of their customers.  The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has things to another level.  Machine algorithms are being used to search the virtual landfill and it is accomplished many times faster than a human.  This has prompted customers (individual and corporate) to question the tech giants ethical use of data.  Customers have shared their sensitive information with businesses assuming that there are proper security measures in place to protect their data.  So, the question is, “What is the future for data ethics?” 

 

The future of data ethics is going to be an on-going process for years to come.  Just as property laws have been legislated over a period of time, data ethics will also go through similar legislation where the gray areas will be reduced and, for the most part, manageable.  This is of great importance because personal data is at risk for identity theft and corporations trade secrets are vulnerable.  Strides have been made to lay the groundwork for a universal code of ethics, with unique guidelines for each industry to protect customer/organizational data.  As tech giants have been under scrutiny, other tech giants have answered the call of duty to establish data ethics reform.  Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook has called on Congress and the Federal Trade Commission to establish current and future legislation for the protection of customer/organizational data (Future of Digital Ethics: Is Your Organisation Ready for 2030?, 2020). There are several laws that aim to regulate data ethics such as HIPAA to regulate PHI and The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB Act) that regulate personal information stored in financial institutions.  But there is no single piece of legislation that governs data protection.  The EU has established the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that focuses on cross-border transmissions.  The US and EU have developed the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework that mandates businesses maintains a high level of data protection between them (Andrada Coos, 2018).  But this is not a law, it is an agreement.  The future of data ethics is taking shape.  Is it where it should be?  The answer is a resounding No!  There is yet work to be done.  As of March 2019, one hundred and seven countries have formulated legislation to protect data and privacy of their citizens and organizations that reside within their borders.  There is still yet a problem.  As mentioned, there are 107 countries that have enacted data ethics legislation.  This means that, if they do business with each other, there are 107 different ways of doing business.  The world will only notice a change in the future of data ethics when countries around the world come together and establish a broad-based, global set of ethical guidelines that govern the collection and use of data.

 

 

 

Questions for the class:

 

How would you legislate data, corporate and personal, being sold to the highest bidder?

Do you think the organization that stores or will store data should send a notice that states the purpose of their use and/or collection of personal data?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Andrada Coos. (2018). EU vs US: How Do Their Data Privacy Regulations Square Off? Endpoint Protector Blog. https://www.endpointprotector.com/blog/eu-vs-us-how-do-their-data-protection-regulations-square-off/

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Data Ethics Principles - Dataethical Thinkdotank. (2015). Dataethics.Eu. https://dataethics.eu/data-ethics-principles/

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Future of Digital Ethics: Is your organisation ready for 2030? (2020, April 8). Creating New Ways. https://blog.objectiflune.com/future-of-digital-ethics-is-your-organisation-ready-for-2030/

‌Hand, D. J. (2018). Aspects of Data Ethics in a Changing World: Where Are We Now? Big Data, 6(3), 176–190. https://doi.org/10.1089/big.2018.0083

Managing the ethical complexities of the age of big data. (n.d.). Www2.Deloitte.Com. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/public-sector/government-trends/2020/government-data-ai-ethics.html

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