Constructing Commercial Data Ethics

The ethics of big data and AI have become the object of much public debate. Technology firms around the world have set up ethics committees and review processes, which differ widely in their organisation and practice. In this paper we interrogate these processes and the rhetoric of firm-lev...

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Main Authors: Linnet Taylor, Lina Dencik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: openjournals.nl 2020-04-01
Series:Technology and Regulation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://techreg.org/article/view/10988
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author Linnet Taylor
Lina Dencik
author_facet Linnet Taylor
Lina Dencik
author_sort Linnet Taylor
collection DOAJ
description The ethics of big data and AI have become the object of much public debate. Technology firms around the world have set up ethics committees and review processes, which differ widely in their organisation and practice. In this paper we interrogate these processes and the rhetoric of firm-level data ethics. Using interviews with industry, activists and scholars and observation of public discussions, we ask how firms conceptualise the purposes and functions of data ethics, and how this relates to core business priorities. We find considerable variation between firms in the way they use ethics. We compare strategies and rhetoric to understand how commercial data ethics is constructed, its political and strategic dimensions, and its relationship to data ethics more broadly.
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spelling doaj.art-665e10cc7d8c449eb648c9ba585082fd2022-12-22T01:45:30Zengopenjournals.nlTechnology and Regulation2666-139X2020-04-01202010.26116/techreg.2020.001Constructing Commercial Data EthicsLinnet TaylorLina Dencik0Cardiff University The ethics of big data and AI have become the object of much public debate. Technology firms around the world have set up ethics committees and review processes, which differ widely in their organisation and practice. In this paper we interrogate these processes and the rhetoric of firm-level data ethics. Using interviews with industry, activists and scholars and observation of public discussions, we ask how firms conceptualise the purposes and functions of data ethics, and how this relates to core business priorities. We find considerable variation between firms in the way they use ethics. We compare strategies and rhetoric to understand how commercial data ethics is constructed, its political and strategic dimensions, and its relationship to data ethics more broadly. https://techreg.org/article/view/10988data ethicsbig databusiness ethicscorporate social responsibilityinformation
spellingShingle Linnet Taylor
Lina Dencik
Constructing Commercial Data Ethics
Technology and Regulation
data ethics
big data
business ethics
corporate social responsibility
information
title Constructing Commercial Data Ethics
title_full Constructing Commercial Data Ethics
title_fullStr Constructing Commercial Data Ethics
title_full_unstemmed Constructing Commercial Data Ethics
title_short Constructing Commercial Data Ethics
title_sort constructing commercial data ethics
topic data ethics
big data
business ethics
corporate social responsibility
information
url https://techreg.org/article/view/10988
work_keys_str_mv AT linnettaylor constructingcommercialdataethics
AT linadencik constructingcommercialdataethics