Ethics of Big Data

Big Data is a fascinating, complex, and multi-layered topic that, with its inherent complexities, could have easily turned this book into a several hundred page publication. The truth is, the ethics around big data are equally if not more complex than the mechanics of how its collected, segmented and used. Fortunately, both Kord Davis and Doug Patterson do not wade too deeply into toolsets or the mechanics, but artfully balance real world examples with thought-provoking points about the use and ethics of big data. Whether you actively are collecting and using big data today or you are completely new to the topic, Ethics of Big Data is an excellent (and easy) read for all to really explore the implications behind such rich insights collected on each one of us. I most appreciated the examples peppered throughout of different corporate published policies versus their actual use of big data. Ethics of Big Data poses very important questions and considerations that every organization should think through. Equally beneficial is for consumers to understand how big data is used today and the risks of its abuse. Best of all, the book does not impose an ethical standpoint, but rather provides a meaningful structure for organizations to establish their position on and statement of use of big data. Despite the deep nature of the topic, this book is an easy and insightful read and one that I would definitely recommend.

The book is very short und includes 4 chapters – “Big Data, Big Impact”, “Values and Actions”, “Current Practices”, and “Aligning Actions with Values”. It raises a lot of questions and includes lots of repetition but lacks the answers. The book claims to deal with the topic “Ethics of Big Data” but, in my opinion, it only covers the aspect “Personal Data” in die Big Data field, as it only mentions “Privacy”, “Identity”, “Ownership”, and “Reputation”. It is a short, nice intro into the topic “ethical questions of Big Data” and helps to get a first and basic overview. But for a deeper dive it’s not enough.

As our organization is actively exploring greater use of "big data", I thought I would try to get knowledgeable about some of the potential ramifications of this area. I've not completely gotten through the book, but I was more than a little surprised at the book's length (68 pages) - which seemed "less" than what it should have been (based on what I'm not sure), and it seemed disproportionate for the price (although I purchased a Used copy). What I've read so far has not been either inspiring or a significant revelation, but maybe that's just how it goes with some books.

This a fairly small book at 64 pages, but it reads longer than the 64 pages indicate because it is 9x7 inches, has small fonts and short line spacing. This has the highest density of flags among the books I read in recent years. There is a lot of repetition but I found the repetition to be necessary if you are not familiar with the topic of Big Data. The target audience of this book, which the publisher should have made more clear, are people who are working at companies that deal with Big Data or are or will be involved with Big Data in a professional capacity at some point. This is not a general interest book, not in the same way Brian Greene or Neil de Grasse Tyson books are general interest science books. Greene and Tyson books have both educate and entertain components with lots of anecdotes and stories to make the concepts more accessible and the reading smoother. The Big Data book is strictly educate, textbook style, consultant report style, there's no entertain. The first chapter frames Big Data. The second chapter looks at two important factors at play, the Values of a company and the Actions of a company and proposes Ethical Decision Points as the framework. Chapter three discusses Current Practices while Chapter Four fleshes out the framework suggested by the authors. While the book remains neutral on the subject of Big Data, it raises a lot of questions that companies that generate, use and trade Big Data are shying away from, avoiding, ignoring or stonewalling. Questions such as "should individuals have a legitimate ability to control data about themselves and to what degree?" (page #17) and questions about an individual's data ownership and copyright (page #19). The book also exposes something interesting about the top 50 companies: "no company made any explicit statement that they would not buy personal data" (page #31). The author also exposes the hypocrisy of "we value your privacy" while making it almost impossible to opt out (page #38). On the pet peeve front, the book falls into the internet meme argument trap, it uses a Hitler analogy on the second to last page (page #63). So close! It could have easily been avoided, especially when you consider that the main author is a philosopher by education! If you are trying to decide between Kindle or Physical Book, there are only two worksheets and one diagram in the book. Everything else is text. Even on the printed pages, the two worksheets are low resolution, they are too wide for the physical book page, so you probably have to look for them online anyway.

To modern eyes, punch cards such as the Hollerith, the foundation of IBM's original business, and Royal McBee, a staple in American offices after WWII, are primitive means of aggregating and organizing data. Yet punch cards helped the Germans efficiently organize the murder of millions of people. Today, we live in a society where every aspect of our lives is electronically recorded somewhere. Our locations are constantly being updated on the computers of our cellular carriers. Amazon knows all about me because of my purchases. And so on. Privacy is a dead issue: we have none. These huge collections of data are referred to as "big data" and from time to time, you see eruptions about the use of "big data" that so-called journalists and activists see as violating the "rights" of people. Kord Davis is a consultant and a self-styled business ethicist. In this very slim, but very interesting, volume - really an essay - Davis discusses the ethical issues raised for the possessors of "big data". Davis asks, among other things, what are "the implications of the acquisition, storage, and use of large quantities of data about people's attributes, behavior, preferences, relationships, and locations". The answers, according to Davis, require the application of ethics. In other words, it is all subjective and very situationally dependent. We may believe all our medical records, including those for the medications we are prescribed to be "private", but they are not. A shockingly large number of government bureaucrats and business managers can gain access to your medical records. By law, this is for your own good. Or so claim the lawmakers who pass the laws making this data available - after being lobbied and receiving contributions from those who would benefit from this access. Businesses have long collected information about their customers and sold it, even if in an indirect way. For example, people who rented the mailing list of Popular Mechanics magazine subscribers had a good idea of what these people were interested in. Coupled with demographic data compiled by the census and sorted by zip code, you roughly knew how much these people earned and so on. Today, we live in the era of mega-mass markets. Huge amounts of data can be merged, sorted and analyzed. You have no secrets. You have no privacy. Davis argues that businesses should be ethically responsible in the use of such collections of data. His arguments are well-informed, well stated and persuasive. But his main argument is like a tear falling in the ocean. This slim volume is worth reading, though I question the price. Davis makes many interesting points in favor of treating "big data" ethically, but I don't think anyone is listening. Jerry