Varley-Winter Olivia, Shah Hetan
Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol Street, London EC1Y 8LX, UK
Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol Street, London EC1Y 8LX, UK.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Dec 28;374(2083). doi: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0116.
In order to generate the gains that can come from analysing and linking big datasets, data holders need to consider the ethical frameworks, principles and applications that help to maintain public trust. In the USA, the National Science Foundation helped to set up a Council for Big Data, Ethics and Society, of which there is no equivalent in the UK. In November 2015, the Royal Statistical Society convened a workshop of 28 participants from government, academia and the private sector, and discussed the practical priorities that might be assisted by a new Council of Data Ethics in the UK. This article draws together the views from that meeting. Priorities for policy-makers and others include seeking a public mandate and informing the terms of the social contract for use of data; building professional competence and due diligence on data protection; appointment of champions who are competent to address public concerns; and transparency, across all dimensions. For government data, further priorities include improvements to data access, and development of data infrastructure. In conclusion, we support the establishment of a national Data Ethics Council, alongside wider and deeper engagement of the public to address data ethics dilemmas.This article is part of the themed issue 'The ethical impact of data science'.
为了实现分析和关联大型数据集可能带来的收益，数据持有者需要考虑有助于维护公众信任的伦理框架、原则和应用。在美国，国家科学基金会协助成立了大数据、伦理与社会委员会，而英国没有类似机构。2015年11月，皇家统计学会召集了一次有来自政府、学术界和私营部门的28名参与者参加的研讨会，讨论了英国新的数据伦理委员会可能提供帮助的实际优先事项。本文汇总了那次会议的观点。政策制定者及其他人员的优先事项包括寻求公众授权并明确数据使用的社会契约条款；培养数据保护方面的专业能力并进行尽职调查；任命有能力解决公众关切问题的倡导者；以及在各个方面保持透明度。对于政府数据，进一步的优先事项包括改善数据获取以及发展数据基础设施。总之，我们支持成立一个国家数据伦理委员会，同时让公众更广泛、更深入地参与以解决数据伦理困境。本文是主题为“数据科学的伦理影响”的特刊的一部分。
