Ethics of Big Data

Book excerpt: What are your organization’s policies for generating and using huge datasets full of personal information? This book examines ethical questions raised by the big data phenomenon, and explains why enterprises need to reconsider business decisions concerning privacy and identity. Authors Kord Davis and Doug Patterson provide methods and techniques to help your business engage in a transparent and productive ethical inquiry into your current data practices. Both individuals and organizations have legitimate interests in understanding how data is handled. Your use of data can directly affect brand quality and revenue—as Target, Apple, Netflix, and dozens of other companies have discovered. With this book, you’ll learn how to align your actions with explicit company values and preserve the trust of customers, partners, and stakeholders. Review your data-handling practices and examine whether they reflect core organizational values Express coherent and consistent positions on your organization’s use of big data Define tactical plans to close gaps between values and practices—and discover how to maintain alignment as conditions change over time Maintain a balance between the benefits of innovation and the risks of unintended consequences