Big Data2

Case%studies%on%Data%Collection%in%the%Public%and%Nonprofit%Sectors%

By%Katlyn%Porter%and%Jeff%Raderstrong% Graduate(Students(at(GW’s(Trachtenberg(School(for(Public(Policy(and(Public(Administration(( ( The(following(case(studies(were(developed(for(a(class(discussion(on(the(ethics(of(“big(data.”(( Questions?(Email([email protected].(( ( Case%Study:%Educational%Data%Collection%%

You$are$a$school$superintendent$in$a$medium$sized$school$district$in$the$United$States.$Your$State$ Department$of$Education$is$piloting$a$new$online$program$that$will$easily$allow$teachers$in$schools$K=12$ to$collect$and$locally$store$student$data.$The$system$also$automatically$reports$the$data$to$the$state.$The$

student$data$that$is$to$be$collected$ranges$from$contact$information$to$standardized$test$scores$to$ social=emotional$development$to$“at=risk”$indicators$(like$absences$and$suspensions).$As$the$ superintendent,$you$see$the$tremendous$value$in$opting=in$to$the$program.$It$allows$your$schools$and$

teachers$to$easily$track$students’$progress$in$school$and$identify$students$who$are$at=risk$for$falling$ behind$or$dropping$out.$Even$better,$the$state$will$install$and$maintain$the$system$for$you,$at$no$cost$to$ the$school.$But$recently,$you$have$been$contacted$by$numerous$parents$in$the$community.$They$are$

outraged$that$the$state$is$collecting$and$storing$and$analyzing$information$about$their$children.$They$are$ extremely$concerned$about$the$potential$for$data$breaches$and$don’t$want$their$children’s$information$ being$used$for$any$purpose.$$They$don’t$want$their$children$“pigeonholed”,$“labeled”$or$“tracked$for$life$

by$Big$Brother”.$These$parents$are$aware$that$the$state$is$federally$required$to$collect$some$basic$ information$on$their$children$but$are$vehemently$opposed$to$any$additional$data$collection,$no$matter$ the$purpose.$In$contrast,$your$school$district’s$attorney$informs$you$that$the$system$is$Family$

Educational$Rights$and$Privacy$Act$(FERPA)$compliant$and$doesn’t$violate$other$privacy$laws.$$Teachers,$ principals$and$state$officials$are$overall$supportive$of$the$system$because$they$see$tremendous$benefit$ in$having$access$to$tons$of$student$data$that$can$be$used$to$improve$schools,$teaching,$etc.$$

As$superintendent,$it$is$at$your$discretion$whether$or$not$to$opt=in$to$the$new$state=wide$system.$You$

realize$this$decision$raises$ethical$questions.$Do$you$prioritize$the$collective$benefits$to$the$schools$over$ the$concerns$of$some$individual$parents…Or$do$you$prioritize$the$rights$of$individual$parents$over$the$ preferences$of$the$state?$$

Articles%for%Context:%

“Withered$inBloom”,$The(Economist,(April$30th,$2014.$

http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2014/04/big=data=and=education$

Stephanie$Simon,$“Big$Brother:$Meet$the$Parents”,$Politico,$June$5th,$2014.$$ http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/internet=data=mining=children=107461.html?hp=t1$

%“Ethics,$Big$Data$and$Analytics:$A$Model$for$Application”,$Educause(Review(Online,(May$6th,$2013.$! http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/ethics=big=data=and=analytics=model=application$

$

Case%Study:%Selling%Client%Data%

You$are$the$director$of$a$nonprofit$health$center$located$in$DC.$Your$health$center$serves$a$variety$of$ patients$with$varying$needs,$yet$one$of$the$largest$services$offered$is$substance$abuse$treatment.$Your$

clinic$offers$patients$a$wide$variety$of$services$to$deal$with$substance$abuse,$and$your$clinic$is$known$for$ high=quality$services$that$are$offered$in$a$way$that$is$not$judgmental$of$client$behavior.$Many$of$your$ clients$are$low=income$and$could$not$afford$to$receive$services$elsewhere.$$

To$better$support$your$clients,$the$caseworkers$at$your$clinic$collect$a$large$amount$of$data$on$client$

behavior—from$frequency$of$visits$to$demographic$information$to$number$of$relapses.$All$clients$sign$a$ disclosure$giving$permission$for$this$data$to$be$collected$and$shared$internally$and$externally$in$an$ anonymized$form.$A$pharmaceutical$company$contacts$you$to$see$if$you’d$be$interested$in$a$partnership$

where$the$company$obtains$access$to$your$client$data$to$better$develop$and$market$their$medication$ designed$to$decrease$addiction$among$substance$abusers.$The$company$only$needs$anonymized$data,$ so$no$identifying$client$data$will$be$passed$on$to$the$company.$This$partnership$will$not$force$your$

doctors$into$any$sort$of$agreement$to$purchase$or$prescribe$certain$products—they$are$free$to$make$ decisions$based$on$their$professional$judgment.$$

In$exchange$for$a$data$partnership,$the$company$would$be$willing$to$compensate$the$organization$for$its$ time$and$resources$expended.$Your$clinic$is$extremely$underfunded,$and$the$compensation$the$

company$is$offering$would$help$stabilize$your$budget.$$

Do$you$accept$the$company’s$offer$to$sell$your$clients’$data?$$

Would$your$answer$be$different$if$you$were$the$head$of$a$plastic$surgery$clinic$in$a$DC$suburb$that$ mostly$served$wealthy$clients,$and$the$company$produced$medication$used$within$plastic$surgery$

procedures?$

$

Articles%for%Context:%

Lucy$Bernholz,$“Ethics$and$the$Age$of$Digital$Assumption”,$Philanthropy(2173,(August$4th,$2014.$ http://philanthropy.blogspot.com/2014/08/ethics=and=age=of=digital=assumption.html$$

Andrew$K.$Woods,$“Do$Civil$Society’s$Data$Practices$Call$for$New$Ethical$Guidelines?”$Stanford( University,$2014.$$http://pacscenter.stanford.edu/sites/all/files/Woods.Provocation.Final_.pdf$$

%

$

$

$

Case%Study:%Surveillance,%Security%and%Privacy%

A$young$NSA$contractor,$let’s$call$him$Teddy$S.,$stumbles$upon$documents$that$outline$a$vast$ surveillance$program$which$collects$large$amounts$of$personal$communications$data$on$American$

citizens$and$other$individuals$around$the$world.$The$program$was$originally$designed$to$monitor$ terrorist$groups,$as$well$as$prevent$attacks$on$America$and$its$allies,$but$since$has$grown$in$size$and$ scope.$Teddy$S.$felt$that$the$program$was$too$invasive$and$it$was$his$moral$duty$to$expose$it$to$the$

American$public.$He$sends$the$documents$to$a$reporter,$and$promptly$moves$to$an$island$nation$where$ he$is$safe$from$arrest.$

After$the$surveillance$program$is$made$public,$the$NSA$is$forced$to$eliminate$its$tracking$programs$and$ devise$new$ways$to$monitor$terrorist$activity.$While$designing$new$tracking$methods,$a$terrorist$attack$

occurs$on$an$American$embassy$that$the$NSA$had$no$inclination$would$happen.$Two$Americans$die.$ While$this$failure$by$the$NSA$cannot$be$directly$linked$to$the$re=tooling$of$the$surveillance$program,$ critics$of$Teddy’s$actions$blame$him,$at$least$by$extension,$for$the$deaths.$

Is$Teddy$responsible$for$the$deaths$of$these$people?$Or$is$he$a$national$hero$fighting$against$

government$oversight?$

Articles%for%Context:%

Jeffrey$Toobin,$“Edward$Snowden$is$No$Hero”,$The(New(Yorker,(June$10th,$2013.$$ http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily=comment/edward=snowden=is=no=hero$

John$Cassidy,$“Why$Edward$Snowden$is$a$Hero”,$The(New(Yorker,(June$10th,$2013.$ http://www.newyorker.com/news/john=cassidy/why=edward=snowden=is=a=hero$

David$DeCosse,$“Edward$Snowden$and$the$Moral$Worth$of$Civil$Disobedience”,$Religion(and(Ethics(

Newsweekly,(PBS.org,$February$19th,$2014.$ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2014/02/19/david=decosse=edward=snowden=and=the=

moral=worth=of=civil=disobedience/22172/$

$

$