Introduction
Due to advancements in technology, companies can now collect and process large amounts of information about their users. This data can be used to improve and personalize their services in a variety of ways, improving the customer experience and the business’s performance. However, the notion also raises privacy concerns, as much of the person’s data is collected without their consent, and they do not know what is done with it.
There are many unethical applications for detailed information about someone, such as attempting to skew their preferences towards a specific target or spying on them. As such, there is an increasing pressure on companies to guarantee to their users that they or their employees do not misuse the data they collect. This essay will highlight the author’s position and suggest ways companies can implement data ethics.
Issues in Data Ethics
In the ideal scenario, the customer would be aware of the variety of information that is being collected on them and all how it is applied. Furthermore, they would be able to choose what to share and which uses of the data they approved while forbidding others. Most people will likely accept the majority of different data applications that make their lives more comfortable without presenting a significant privacy concern. However, those who do not want to do so should be able to protect their information from unwanted attention. Finally, companies will be able to demonstrate their commitment to satisfying the interests of their customers, which should improve their publicity. However, this approach is idealized, and in practice, numerous issues are likely to emerge if it is implemented.
Most user data applications are based on the concept of big data, which is collected from more than one source. As Bhattacharyya and Chatterjee (2016) note, this tendency culminates in the comprehensive tracking of one’s activity based on their social media behaviors, location data, purchasing practices, and other factors. The complicated network of relationships makes it challenging for a person to understand the activities that surround their data or control them. However, if they choose to turn the associated features off entirely, the businesses that provide them stand to lose large amounts of revenue.
Additionally, there is also the danger of unauthorized access to information by an employee who works with it, whether with malicious intent or otherwise. Regardless, companies have to try and adopt measures such as KPIs that will attempt to resolve the situation.
Potential Solutions
Companies have to shift to a model where the customer is the only person who can access and control their personal information. This change does not necessarily mean that the company cannot use that data any longer. It will become the business’s responsibility to anonymize the information and make the determination of one’s identity from the analysis as challenging as possible. To that end, companies should stop categorizing information based on the user and use broader categories such as preference group or social class. In doing so, they will reduce the accuracy of their advertising, but the approach will be significantly better for privacy protection.
It will also make it highly challenging for someone to access a specific person’s data or know whose information they are viewing. However, this approach is still imperfect, and businesses should work to find and implement improvements.
Overall, a comprehensive approach to data ethics that satisfies both businesses and their customers has not been found yet. As such, it is the responsibility of companies to continue experimenting and trying to improve their performance. A set of key performance indicators will be necessary to ensure that they are making progress in the task. First of all, it is essential to ensure that progress on projects occurs within the company through activity metrics. Second, the company should be aware of the current state of its privacy protection framework, measured by the amounts of various legal and ethical concerns that arise and the damage that they cause. Lastly, the company should set goals that it will follow when making the changes, such as improving consumer satisfaction without compromising the company’s revenues. As long as these basic goals are at the center of the initiatives conducted by the company, a satisfactory governance model should gradually emerge.
Conclusion
The ethics of data have changed recently due to the emergence of the concept of big data and the increased unintentional sharing of personal information that has been enabled by the Internet. As such, while many different issues have emerged and created public concern, there are no established solutions. Many companies are too reliant on data to abandon it, but the usage of many big data methods requires access to a person’s information.
Currently, companies’ biggest concern should be ensuring the privacy of its customers and limiting the number of people who can access personal information directly or indirectly. They should also begin working on ways to gradually enhance their ethical conduct to a standard that customers will accept. To start with, they should focus on transparency, but overall, continued experimentation should take place, supported by KPIs that determine the best practices.
References
Bhattacharyya, M. and Chatterjee, U. (2016) ‘A study on people’s concerns on social media analysis for online audience identification and its impact on new media advertising’, Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies, 6(1), pp. 124-130.