Author: Mark Feffer
Publisher: Dice
Publication Year: 2020
Summary: The following article discusses ethical data usage in the real world. There are many opportunities for employees of a particular company to view detailed data on an individual. For instance, around 150 “Google employees have access to medical data from millions of patients across 21 states.” Just because this is “legal” does not mean that this is an ethical practice. The author argues that many individuals would be uncomfortable with their data usage if they knew the extent to which it is being used, especially if it is being used for low-level, personal decisions. As a result, it is imperative that technologists challenge faulty data practices and open a discussion as to how data policies can be improved. However, this does not only benefit the customer, because businesses are more likely to thrive if the customer believes that their data is secure. The author also cites a source that does not believe that regulation is the fix for ethical data issues, and that innate motivation to respect other people’s privacy is the best practice.