Category Archives: social data ethics
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
Is Twitter Obligated to Preserve Politicians’ Deleted Tweets?
Politicians everywhere are probably celebrating like crazy this week. The Sunlight Foundation, an organization dedicated to making politics accountable and transparent, was just told by Twitter that it would no longer have access to its developer API, which enabled the site’s … 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
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
This week in #digitalethics: the useful versus creepy problem
Remember when we were twelve, and we thought the funniest thing ever was to play the game where you add the phrase “in bed” to every sentence? As the mom to a middle-schooler, I’m rapidly being re-introduced to this delightful … Continue reading
Big Boulder Initiative: What’s on the Social Data Ethics Agenda for 2015?
Today, #snowpocalypse2015 permitting, the board of directors of the Big Boulder Initiative is meeting up in San Francisco to plan 2015 in more granular detail. As a member, I’m really proud of what we accomplished during the past year, but recognize that … Continue reading
New Research: What Do We Do with All This Big Data?
In September, I had the opportunity to speak at TED@IBM in San Francisco about the implications of a data-rich world, and what we can do, as businesspeople, citizens, and consumers, to use it to our best advantage. Since then, I’ve … Continue reading
Thought Experiments 