Should big data be accompanied by an ethics board?

Dr Kevin Macnish, a Teaching Fellow at Leeds University, has suggested that big data should be accompanied by an ethics review board to avoid improper use.

He is concerned with data being utilised for purposes that were not its original intention. For example, chemical research data becoming chemical weapons data: “[The] data protection act [should] be extended to include not just the collection of data on citizens, but also the processing of that data, such that citizens can, at any time, request and be told clearly the ends to which their data is being put.”

He continues to say that, without consent, suspicions will always remain that: “The data is being used or will be used for ends to which the individual would not consent were they given the chance … This would feed into fears by (some of) the public regarding the Big Brother state.”

Concerns about the security of big data were also raised. Citing Edward Snowden (and more recently, Ashley Madison), it says that a “technically secure system” is only as safe as the people who have access to it: “If data is kept in insecure facilities or subject to breaches at the hands of individuals with their own agendas, public trust in the institution holding the data will diminish.  Maintaining security of the data both technically and in terms of human access is essential for public trust.