We Can’t Dodge the Data Ethics Gap Anymore

Author: Winston Thomas; Publisher: CDO Trends; Publication Year: 2022. The following article starts by questioning who the authority on data ethics will be, especially as cultural and legal definitions vary by region and nation. Jay Upchurch, the CIO of SAS, says concerns about how to address and solve data ethics problems led the company to create its Data Ethics Practice (DEP). The DEP is a cross-functional global team to…

Theories of AI Liability: It’s Still About the Human Element

Author: William A. Tanenbaum, Kiyong Song, Linda A. Malek; Publisher: Reuters; Publication Year: 2022. The following article outlines the 2 basic theories/ideas regarding who is responsible or liable for the actions taken and decisions made by an artificial intelligence (AI). The first argument is that the organization that utilizes the AI is solely responsible for the effects of its outcomes. The second contends that those developed the AI should have to…

The Apple Card Didn’t ‘See’ Gender—and That’s the Problem

Author: Will Knight; Publisher: Wired; Publication Year: 2019. The following article touches on the idea of bias “proxies,” like address information as a proxy for race. It talks about how the Apple Card was offering lower credit limits for women compared to men even though gender was specifically excluded as a variable. The author argues that we should be including those specific variables so that the…

Bias Isn’t the Only Problem with Credit Scores—and No, AI Can’t Help

Author: Will Douglas Heaven; Publisher: MIT Technology Review; Publication Year: 2021. The following article discusses how it is a known fact that biased algorithms affect automatic decision-making processes. To fix this problem, many researchers and start-ups are working to build fairer algorithms. The author, however, claims that building a fair algorithm is not enough because low-income and minority groups represent a very small…

A Year Training People on Data Ethics

Author: Violeta Mezeklieva; Publisher: Open Data Institute; Publication Year: 2020. The following article is from the Open Data Institute and it highlights the experience that the author, Violeta Mezeklieva, has had over the past year on training people on data ethics and the insights that have been gleaned from that experience. She highlights that although it is her training all kinds of folks on the importance and the concepts of data ethics, it was her who really had an educational experience observing how much she has learned from the people who go through this sort of training. She starts out by saying she…

As Data Overflows Online, Researchers Grapple With Ethics

Author: Vindu Goel; Publisher: The New York Times; Publication Year: 2014. The following article focuses on issues prompted by controversial studies by Facebook. The first, in 2014, measured how users’ emotions were impacted by an adjustment to the kind of content appearing in their news feed. The second, from 2010, sent notifications to users reminding them to vote, and found that notifications that showed a list…

‘Millions of People’s Data is at Risk’ — Amazon Insiders Sound Alarm Over Security

Author: Vincent Manancourt; Publisher: Politico; Publication Year: 2021. The following article discusses how last year, one European Union employee and 2 U.S. employees acted as whistleblowers on Amazon’s mishandling of customer data. For example, the data storage is so convoluted that it would be nearly impossible to enact “the right to be forgotten,” a right that people have the right to have their data completely…

Downside of Fitness Trackers and Health Apps is Loss of Privacy

Author: Victoria J. Palmer; Publisher: The Conversation; Publication Year: 2016. The following article starts off with a bold statement to capture the audience, saying the public have now become the study subjects and the collection tools. This article focuses heavily on the risks of health tracking through apps. As much as health apps can be an asset, if not handled properly sensitive data can easily be brought public. One example is…

Bias, Racism and Lies: Facing Up to the Unwanted Consequences of AI

Author: N/A; Publisher: United Nations News; Publication Year: 2020. The following article discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) development is especially problematic for countries where governments do not have the ability to effectively regulate consumer privacy or misinformation. International AI regulation will probably be necessary to curb the problem. Social media companies are incentivized to supply…

Fellowship Recipient Uses Data Science to Fight for LGBTQ Rights

Author: N/A; Publisher: Berkeley School of Information; Publication Year: 2019. The following article talks about how one student is using data science to better the world. Master of Information and Data Science student and 2019 recipient of the Paul Fasana LGBTQ Studies Fellowship, Christina Papadimitriou is using the fellowship for her research for LGBTQ equality and rights. She has done various works to order to improve…