The Unethical Use of Data
Introduction
Each time an individual searches online for a good restaurant deal or when they choose to share some good news with their friends on social media sites, the audience is bigger than they think. Each online moves leaves traces known as cyber footprints and it becomes research data. In the same way, the use of social media sites for research is also raising concerns because the sites gather data and it informs various aspects of life today. For instance, just by gathering data from online platforms, Microsoft has identified women who are at the risk of depression. Online data also gave Facebook the opportunity to study the interaction between parents and their children. Entities trusted with online data have an opportunity to make the society better but most of the companies prefer to profit from the information gathered.
The possibility on the utilization of online data is only limited by the imagination of the researchers. Some of the scholars put it that the social media platforms have transformed from avenues of interaction to behavioral laboratories (O’Leary, 2016). For instance, research on Facebook revealed a trend that seventy one percent of the users have drafted a post but that they never posted. Another research conducted on 400,000 posts revealed that the communication between parent and children declines from the age of 13 but there is an improvement when the youngsters move out (White, Ariyachandra, & White, 2017). Therefore, the vast amount of data can achieve great things for the society if put to constructive use. However, today, the highest demand for big data is for corporate entities that seek to manipulate the preferences of the consumers and the political entities that want to convince voters.
Summary of the Article
Browne, R. (2020). UK urged to regulate how tech giants like Facebook and Google target you with content. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/uk-ai-advisor-regulate-social-media-firms-over-online-targeting.html.
Ryan Browne wrote an article for CNBC named UK Urged to Regulate How Tech Giants like Facebook and Google Target You with Content. In the article, the journalist begins by stating that the United Kingdom should regulate online platforms such as Google and Facebook (Browne, 2020). The article states that the sites target users using algorithms and they share the data with researchers. A report by the Center for Date Ethics and Innovation also urges the government to set up regulations for social media firms on the use of videos, ads and posts. Investigations by the Data Ethics center revealed the existing form of regulation is discordant with the immediate public concerns.
The content sharing applications such as Facebook and Twitter use learning algorithms to customize content for their users (Browne, 2020). The government tasked the Data Ethics Center to look into the practices of the social media sites and advice on the use of artificial intelligence to ensure that its deployment is above board (Chen & Quan-Haase, 2020). The results of the investigations revealed that internet users have a general distrust because of the targeting in the platforms. Only 29% of the population in the United Kingdom thinks that their data is safe in the social media platforms. To that extent, majority of the citizens believe that the government should enforce some form of regulation to ensure that the use of the data is ethical.
According to the article, the government is already planning to crack down on the big data companies over their unethical use of data (Browne, 2020). The British government plans to introduce an independent regulator to fine technology companies that fail to limit the distribution of user data (Mittelstadt & Floridi, 2016). The writer acknowledges that regulation of big data firms became a priority in the United Kingdom after the death of Molly Russel. The teenager committed suicide after watching harmful material online. The technology companies have the ability to decide the kind of content available for users and that provides them with a power that they should use responsibly. To that extent, experts are urging the social media companies and the government agencies to establish frameworks to ensure that the development of artificial intelligence is ethical.
Conclusion
The article reveals a serious concern that is affecting all parts of the world. The artificial intelligence technology used by social media companies for targeting customers can be more constructive to the society. Currently, the social media companies prefer to use the data for commercial purposes rather than the betterment of the society. For instance, the death of Molly Russel could have been preventable if the targeting algorithm worked for the good of the society. If it is possible for social media companies to decide the kind of content available for its users, then they should have limited the teenager from viewing harmful videos. The bible does not offer direct insights on privacy. During the biblical times, there were concerns on privacy. Individuals lived in close proximity to each other. Therefore, the presumption of the bible is that live is sharing and actions cannot be secret for long. Mark 1:35-39 informs the individuals needed to escape to the wilderness for privacy. I 1 Samuel 24:3 King Saul also handles his private business in the cave away from the soldiers.
References
Browne, R. (2020). UK urged to regulate how tech giants like Facebook and Google target you with content. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/uk-ai-advisor-regulate-social-media-firms-over-online-targeting.html.
Chen, W., & Quan-Haase, A. (2020). Big Data Ethics and Politics: Toward New Understandings. Social Science Computer Review, 38(1), 3-9.
Mittelstadt, B. D., & Floridi, L. (2016). The ethics of big data: current and foreseeable issues in biomedical contexts. Science and engineering ethics, 22(2), 303-341.
O’Leary, D. E. (2016). Ethics for big data and analytics. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 31(4), 81-84.
White, G., Ariyachandra, T., & White, D. (2017). Big Data, Ethics, and Social Impact Theory-A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Management & Engineering Integration, 10(1), 22-28.
