Ethics and Data Science

Chapter 5. Case Studies

To help us think seriously about data ethics, we need case studies that we can discuss, argue about, and come to terms with as we engage with the real world. Good case studies give us the opportunity to think through problems before facing them in real life. And case studies show us that ethical problems aren’t simple. They are multifaceted, and frequently there’s no single right answer. And they help us to recognize there are few situations that don’t raise ethical questions.

Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy and Center for Human Values have created four anonymized case studies to promote the discussion of ethics. (More are in the pipeline, and may be available by the time you read this.) The first of these studies, Automated Healthcare App, discusses a smartphone app designed to help adult onset diabetes patients. It raises issues like paternalism, consent, and even language choices. Is it OK to “nudge” patients toward more healthy behaviors? What about automatically moderating the users’ discussion groups to emphasize scientifically accurate information? And how do you deal with minorities who don’t respond to treatment as well? Could the problem be the language itself that is used to discuss treatment?

The next case study, Dynamic Sound Identification, covers an application that can identify voices, raising issues about privacy, language, and even gender. How far should developers go in identifying potential harm that can be caused ...