Category Archives: Ethics
My Research Agenda for 2016
A few weeks ago, my Altimeter colleagues and I published our 2016 trends overview. In it, I called out three themes that I expect will become more predominant this year: Analytics for the visual web (images, video, etc.); Ethical data … Continue reading
Are we building a data “genome”?
Lately, I can’t stop collecting examples of how data and algorithms have infused our daily lives. But it’s not just the ads we click on or the items we place in shopping carts. Today, data carries intimate information about our bodies, finances, friends, interests, politics, family histories … Continue reading
Is your data cheating on you? Five life lessons from the Ashley Madison hack
If you’re not one of the 37 million people whose data was hacked in the Ashley Madison breach, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Sort of. The Ashley Madison story may be great for a few news cycles of schadenfreude, … Continue reading
What Brands Can Learn From Pinterest’s Privacy Updates
In the midst of all the complexity and fear about data usage and privacy, it’s nice to see an example of disclosure done well. A couple of weeks ago, Pinterest announced Buyable Pins, which will enable their users to buy products directly … Continue reading
The Trust Imperative: A Framework for Ethical Data Use
Consider this: Consumers don’t trust the way organizations use their data. CEOs are concerned that lack of trust will harm reputation and growth. People who don’t trust companies are less likely to buy from them. Yet the default option for businesses … Continue reading
Tim Cook Just Threw Down on Data Privacy, And It Was Awesome
Apple CEO Tim Cook gave what TechCrunch called a “blistering speech” on data privacy Monday night at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) “Champions of Freedom” event. “I’m speaking to you from Silicon Valley, where some of the most prominent and … Continue reading
Data Experience: You’ve Gotta Have Trust
A few years ago, I started thinking about how data informs the customer experience. The catalyst was simple; I was frustrated with my fitness tracker, and felt deluged by a stream of numbers that weren’t particularly helpful (the dashboards sure were pretty though). Part of … Continue reading
SXSW15 Redux: What happens at SX spreads everywhere
First, let’s get this out of the way: every year, SXSW regulars say the festival has jumped the shark. It’s too big, there are too many panels, and they’re poorly curated. It’s impossible to get anywhere. Too many lines, too … Continue reading
Three Implications of ‘POPI’: South Africa’s New Legislation on Data Hoarding
There probably won’t be a TLC reality show about it anytime soon, but the concept of “data hoarding” is real, and it’s about to be declared illegal in South Africa, according to an article last week by ITWeb SA. The … Continue reading
What’s the ROI of Trust? Results of the Edelman Trust Barometer 2015
Each year, Edelman conducts research that culminates in the publication of its Trust Barometer (disclosure: I worked at Edelman when the first report was published). It’s been long enough now–15 years and counting–that the study has seen meaningful shifts in patterns of trust: … Continue reading
Thought Experiments 