Handbook

Data analytics takes place within an information supply chain comprising upstream sources and downstream uses of data. Within this supply chain are multiple participants, interests and power relationships, yet firms that collect and analyse data are often invisible to users. The use of data by firms and other organisations has already given rise to a range of practices and outcomes that were clearly harmful to individuals or groups, leading to broad public concerns and legal ramifications.

It is therefore incumbent on data professionals to consider the ethical implications of their data generation and use. This includes questions such as: what questions should be asked about data and its sources?; how do downstream users of data protect or impact individuals and groups?; what are the rights of various stakeholders including consumers?; and who owns data, particularly within secondary markets?. Consideration of these implications gives rise to questions around the ethics of data  (how data is generated, recorded and shared); the ethics of algorithms (how data is interpreted); the ethics of practices (responsible data analytics).

This course will consider these issues and provide students with a set of thinking tools through which they can navigate ethical dilemmas and guide decisions and behaviours. The role of organisation and industry cultures in shaping ethical (or unethical) data analytics practices will also be considered.