Data Ethics & Privacy: Doing the Right Thing with Data

Author: Ashley Brown

Publisher: RGP

Publication Year: 2020

Summary: The following article discusses how COVID-19 has expedited the use of technology, particularly in healthcare and in dealing with containing the disease. Many countries are using GPS tracking from cellphones to log infection trails and prevent spread. There are also an increased amount of applications that are using personal health data to fight the pandemic, but with all of these resources comes increasing concern about user privacy and how well their data is being protected. This article points out how quickly organizations are having to transition into a technology-driven world with companies not properly equipped to handle the amount of personal data they are dealing with. With people returning to the workplace, it is becoming increasingly important that companies are implementing safety precautions regarding COVID-19. These procedures often include collecting more personal data and with this comes the need to ensure the protection of personal data. The author suggests that not only do companies need to ensure they are abiding by all privacy policies but that they are considering ethics when collecting user data.