Study Asks Big Questions About Big Data

The emerging field of big data analytics is developing techniques to rein in the chaos that fills the internet—from old social media posts to government records to stats from your latest run—but few ethical guidelines exist for researchers or companies that use the data.

The National Science Foundation has funded a four-year, $3 million project to tackle the issue in a project called “Pervasive Data Ethics for Computational Research.” Headed by Katie Shilton, associate professor of information studies, it will study issues including user consent, risk assessment and regulations.

“Whether mobile phone apps, website search engines, wearable technology or social platforms, consumer information has become highly trackable and available,” Shilton says. “This has resulted in an ethically questionable free-for-all in research and marketing.”