OWP liVe REPORT

66

Should companies evaluate the societal implications of their digital initiatives?

If we had been talking about this a few years ago, it would have been all about IT, privacy and compliance. Today, data privacy, confidentiality requirements and cybersecurity are more important than ever before, and all businesses need to be vigilant with their data policies and procedures.

How can we determine if data usage is ethical or not?

Increasingly, people know the value of their data and they want control over it. While privacy will always be a major concern, there is a legitimate debate over what constitutes the fair use of data. Is it for the good of society? Will it do any harm? Has consent been given? Will it be used in a biased way? These are some of the questions that must be reflected on. Regardless, if the explanation behind any data usage is not clear and comprehensive – and this was the case for many of the tech giant scandals - it will be regarded with suspicion. It is all about pushing individuals to ask the right questions so that, if there is a bias, we can be aware of it as much as we can. It is about taking a proactive approach in assessing the potential implications.

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