Abstract
Data Analytics needs to have ethical standards. There are numerous examples of why this is so, and the paper cites four particularly egregious ones. The paper offers both reasons why such standards are currently missing or inadequate, and how they might best be introduced, or refined. Some Codes of Ethics, such as the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, the ACM and IFIP Codes of Ethics, and the Web Analyst’s Code of Ethics are discussed, compared, and contrasted. The paper offers a comparative study, to help inform the process of the drawing up of guidelines where it is best undertaken, within the profession itself.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.References
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. ISBN 978-1-4503-6626–7 https://doi.org/10.1145/3274591 Copyright © 2018 by the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. (ACM) https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/about/acm-code-of-ethics-booklet.pdf
ACM Data Science Task Force (2019) Computing Competencies for Undergraduate Data Science Curricula. ACM. http://dstf.acm.org/DSReportDraft2Full.pdf
Al-A‟ali, M.: Computer ethics for the computer professional from an Islamic point of view. J. Inf. Commun. Ethics Soc. 6(1), 28–45 (2008)
Bazerman, M., Tenbrunsel, A.: Blind Spots: Why We Fail to DO What’s Right and What to Do about IT. Princeton University Press, ISBN 9780691156224 (2011)
Butler, A.: The Gender Gap in Data Analytics https://www.harnham.com/us/the-gender-gap-in-data-analytics (2020)
Cadwalladr, C.: Tech Is Disrupting All before It: Even Democracy Is in Its Sights: The Information Revolution Is Threatening Our Political System. The Observer. www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/06/technology-disruption-infects-political-system (2016)
Cadwalladr, C: Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control. The Observer https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/04/cambridge-analytica-data-leak-global-election-manipulation (2020)
Clarke, R.: Big data, big risks. Inf. Syst. J. 26(1), 77–90 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12088
Coeckelbergh, M.: AI ethics. MIT Press, Cambridge (2020)
Conger, K.: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract. https://gizmodo.com/google-employees-resign-in-protest-against-pentagon-con-1825729300 (2018)
Cyphers, B.: Behind the One-Way Mirror: A Deep Dive Into the Technology of Corporate Surveillance. https://www.eff.org/wp/behind-the-one-way-mirror (2019)
DAA Digital Analytics Association https://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/ (2020)
Daniel, E.: What is Project Dragonfly, Google’s controversial venture? Verdict. https://www.verdict.co.uk/project-dragonfly-google-china/ (2018)
DeMarco, T.: (2012) The Responsible Software Engineer: Selected Readings in IT Professionalism. In: Colin, M., Tracy, H., Dave, P. (eds.) Springer Science & Business Media, p. 4
Dignum, V.: Responsible artificial intelligence. Springer, Cham (2019)
Gotterbarn, D., Miller, K., Rogerson, S.: Software Engineering Code of Ethics is approved, vol. 42, No. 10. Communications of the ACM (1999)
Gotterbarn, D.: Informatics and professional responsibility. Sci. Eng. Ethics 7(2), 221–230 (2001)
Helmore, E.: Wayfair employees walk out in protest over sales to migrant detention camps https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/26/wayfair-employees-rally-to-protest-furniture-sales-to-migrant-facilities (2019)
Henley, J., Booth, R.: Welfare surveillance system violates human rights, Dutch court rules. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/05/welfare-surveillance-system-violates-human-rights-dutch-court-rules (2020). Accessed 9 Feb 2020
Hill, K.: The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/technology/clearview-privacy-facial-recognition.html (2020)
ICRAC. Open Letter in Support of Google Employees and Tech Workers https://www.icrac.net/open-letter-in-support-of-google-employees-and-tech-workers/ (2018)
IFIP Code of Ethics. Adoption announcement https://www.ifipnews.org/ifip-adopts-new-code-ethics-professional-conduct/
IP3: IP Three Declaration, World Computer Congress 2008. https://ipthree.org/wp-content/uploads/WCC-08-ICT-P-C-Declaration-Final1.pdf (2008)
Kreps, D.: Corporations and professionalism: awkward bed-fellows? J. Inf. Commun. Ethics Soc. (2017). https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-01-2017-0005
Kreps, D., Rowe, F., Muirhead, J.: Understanding Digital Events: process philosophy and causal autonomy. In: Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2020). 7–11 Jan 2020
Ladd, J.: The Quest for a Code of Professional Ethics: An Intellectual and Moral Confusion Ethical issues in the use of computers, pp. 8–13. Deborah G. Johnson, John W Snapper (1985)
Markoff, J.: Apple’s Engineers, If Defiant, Would Be in Sync With Ethics Code. The New York Times Bits Blog. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/technology/apples-engineers-if-defiant-would-be-insync-with-ethics-code.html (2016)
Markus, L., Rowe, F.: Is IT changing the world? Conceptions of causality for information systems theorizing. MIS Q. 42(4), 1255–1280 (2018)
Martin, K.E.: Ethical issues in the big data industry. MIS Q. Exec. 14(2), 67–85 (2015)
Metcalf, J.: Facebook may stop the data leaks, but it’s too late: Cambridge Analytica’s models live on. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/04/09/104516/facebook-may-stop-the-data-leaks-but-its-too-late-cambridge-analyticas-models-live-on/ (2018)
Mullin, J.: Google Puts Its Expert on the Stand to Combat Oracle, Wraps up Its Case. Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/05/google-puts-its-expert-on-the-stand-to-combat-oracle-wraps-upits-case/ (2016)
OII: Governance of Emerging Technologies Research Programme https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/governance-of-emerging-technologies/ (2020)
Paul, K.: Hundreds of workers defy Amazon rules to protest company's climate failures https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/27/amazon-workers-climate-protest (2020)
Peterson, E.: The Web Analyst’s Code of Ethics. https://analyticsdemystified.com/analytics-strategy/the-web-analysts-code-of-ethics/ (2011)
Peterson, E., Lovett, J.: The Web Analyst's Code of Ethics. https://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/codeofethics (2011)
Priceonomics (2017) The Data Science Diversity Gap https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceonomics/2017/09/28/the-data-science-diversity-gap/#20ebfb825f58
Quinn, T. M. J.: ‘Professional ethics’, in Ethics for the Information Age, Pearson/Addison-Wesley, Boston, Chapter 9, pp. 428-429 (2017)
Quintanilla, P., Allison‐Hope, D., Darnton, H., Hunter, A.: Responsible Use of Technology World Economic Forum http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Responsible_Use_of_Technology.pdf (2019)
Raymond N.A.: Beyond “Do No Harm” and Individual Consent: Reckoning with the Emerging Ethical Challenges of Civil Society’s Use of Data. In: Taylor L., Floridi L., van der Sloot B.: (eds.) Group Privacy. Philosophical Studies Series, vol 126. Springer, Cham (2017) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46608-8_4
Schaper, D.: Boeing Safety Engineer Filed Ethics Complaint Last Year Over 737 Max Safety Upgrades https://www.npr.org/2019/10/02/766568896/boeing-safety-engineer-filed-ethics-complaint-last-year-over-737-max-safety-upgr?t=1581853852219 (2019)
SECEPP IEEE-CS/ACM Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices, Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. Science and Engineering Ethics. 7(2), 231–238 (2001)
Simonite, T.: The Best Algorithms Struggle to Recognize Black Faces. Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/best-algorithms-struggle-recognize-black-faces-equally/ (2019)
Smith, H.: Algorithmic bias: should students pay the price? AI Soc. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-01054-3
Theodorou, A., Dignum, V.: Towards ethical and socio-legal governance in AI. Nat. Mach. Intell 2 10–12 (2020) www.nature.com/natmachintell
Toh, A.: Welfare surveillance on trial in the Netherlands. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/welfare-surveillance-trial-netherlands/ (2019)
Tractenberg, R.E., Russell, A.J., Morgan, G.J., Fitz Gerald, K.T., Collmann, J., Vinsel, L., Steinmann, M., Dolling, L.M.: Using ethical reasoning to amplify the reach and resonance of professional codes of conduct in training big data scientists. Sci. Eng. Ethics (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-014-9613-1
Tucker, A.B.: Computing Curriculum 1991. Communications of the ACM, 34, 6
Zuboff, S.: The age of surveillance capitalism. Profile Books, London (2019)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gotterbarn, D., Kreps, D. Being a data professional: give voice to value in a data driven society. AI Ethics 1, 195–203 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-020-00027-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-020-00027-y