With escalating technological sophistication and ramification rates, data security has become a concerning issue in the information age we live in. Some of the pressing ethical dilemmas in monitoring, tracking, and big data, especially by governments and big corporations, include infringement of individuals’ privacy, the risk of data manipulation and pilferage, social engineering to institute gender and political biases, etc.
Big Data lacks crystal clear transparency. While technology is an essential tool in boosting healthcare professionals’ efficiency, it exposes patient data to manipulation. Thus, there are fears that corporations (and governments) entrusted with huge volumes of users’ information could commercialize the data. But it isn’t easy to address the dilemma because of the importance of technology. Facebook’s ad philosophy, which sells consumer data (against their will), is also an example of the dilemma.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Similarly, modern technologies that track the user’s location, such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), face the ethical problem of the privacy breach on some occasions. Some of the apps collect the data and monetize it by selling it to marketers. Other apps sell GPS data to election campaigners, which leads to social and psychological manipulation during times of politics. When done contrary to their knowledge and will, that is unethical. As well, big data compromise identity by allowing institutional surveillance to influence our self-perception. For instance, big data analytics are linked to algorithms responsible for newsfeed suggestions that interfere with our choices, perceptions, and free will. However, it is difficult to address the problem because of the technology’s positive impacts on life.
Device-assisted monitoring and tracking have the unethical aspect of enabling unreasonable seizures and searches. That explains the strong opposition to a series of amendments on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), citing its potency to allow the FBI to breach people’s privacy, on top of its mandated role of fighting crime. That is echoed in the Washington legislator Pramilla Jayapal’s comment, “We cannot in good conscience vote for legislation that violates Americans’ fundamental right to privacy” in response to FISA (AP, 2020). That is a dilemma because, on the other hand, FISA would give the FBI more power to track down hard-core criminals. With that in mind, Big Data, surveillance, monitoring, and tracking can come clean of ethical violations by explicitly seeking user’s consent with what they intend to do with the data. The government also needs to set up clearly defined rules and regulations on electronic surveillance.
References
The Associated Press. (2020, May 28). “Bipartisan Opposition Leaves Surveillance Bill in Doubt.” Los Angeles Times. Retrieved https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-05-28/bipartisan-opposition-leaves-surveillance-bill-in-doubt
