Ethics of Big Data: Balancing Risk and Innovation

by Kord Davis, Doug Patterson

This book contains a framework for productive discussion and thinking about ethics and Big Data in business environments.

With the increasing size and scope of information that Big Data technologies can provide business, maintaining an ethical practice benefits from a common framework of understanding and vocabulary for discussing questions about coherent and consistent practices.

A framework provides you with a set of conceptual terms and tools that help decision-markers to engage difficult questions the expanding role Big Data plays in an increasing variety of products and services. The approach is to develop a set of terms and concepts, consider ethical principles useful in meaningful business discussions, and then explore and compare several overall views on data handling to help inform the development of an ethics-based data strategy.

The focus is to enhance effective decision-making in business rather than legislate what ought to be done with data. In this book, you will learn methods and techniques to facilitate rigorous, productive internal discussion, and express coherent and consistent positions on your organization's perspective on the use of Big Data in commerce.

Genres: Business, Philosophy

97 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2011

Reviews

[Suhrob]

A very short book presenting a framework for discussion for companies about privacy policies. The analysis is based on the privacy policies of top 50 Fortune 500 companies. The discussion is purely descriptive, no solutions are offered (which is not the point of the book and could not be addressed at this level anyway). The book ends with a "discussion kit" to help opening the discussion within companies.

Modest in scope and aims, I guess it fulfills its goals, but hopefully won't make anybody complacent that the issue is solved.

[Natália Gonçalves]

It could be resumed in less pages. A bit repetitive, but a good discussion book.

[Ahmed Farrukh]

Frustratingly repetitive and somehow simultaneously convoluted.

[Brian]

The rise of big data has allowed tremendous advances to take place in corporate research and the ability to target market segments based upon consumer analytics. For example Google searches coupled with clicks on expedia to target advertisements of Caribbean destinations. Sometimes it is considered creepy what a company can target to a consumer. Target Stores were accused of using this data to target baby items to people who had just become pregnant before even friends and family were told. Kord Davis brings to light the potential pitfalls of such a powerful data set and the ethical considerations that need to be taken into account before pursuing this path. This is really just the tip of the iceberg but does get the conversations started. The book does provide several methodologies for developing big data policies and takes a look at the Fortune 50 companies and their data polices. Although as the author points out many of the Fortune 50 don’t have much in the way of data policies but it is this lack that shows the importance of the conversation. Overall if you are looking for something academic on the subject of big data this is a great start and an excellent primer for executives looking to hold discussions with employees.

[Mikey Sklar]

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not tracking you.