What data is available?

  • google searches
  • facebook likes
  • grades
  • arrest records
  • ad tracking
  • purchases (loyalty cards, Amazon etc)
  • plane tickets / prices
  • medical information / family history / genetics
  • where you go (eg tolls, gps tracking)
  • what you watch / listen to
  • words that you use (autocorrect)
  • crime records

What are you thinking about data after the first class / readings / video?

  • personalization based on your data
  • criminal records can be used for policing

Where would you find information on someone or something?

  • social media
  • white pages
  • google
  • websites
  • youtube / videos
  • public records

Information that other people have on you

  • sports played / stats
  • grades
  • community involvement / news
  • relatives (obituaries)
  • jobs
  • address / phone number
  • background check
  • photos
  • personal interests
  • hometown
  • birth date
  • voter id / party affiliation
  • family background and their info
  • accomplishments
  • school and major
  • interests / clubs / hobbies
  • criminal history
  • places you’re going / events
  • salaries
  • credit history (for someone who can hack SS#)

Does what we “know” affect our decisions?

What do we (as a society) need to know to make decisions about what happens with data?

  • how do we balance harm and good on different sides
  • what is the source of the data
  • how is data protected (government and companies)
  • reliability of the data (how do you know / how is unreliable data handled)
  • who can see it
  • what data do we have to share to get what we want
  • what happens to data that you get rid of (how much control do you have)

What are the arguments for keeping data private and public?

Benefits for public data

  • it’s your choice to make your information public so you must want it public
  • makes it possible to find people and reconnect
  • makes it possible to connect for jobs you might not get otherwise
  • jobs can look you up and you’ve made choices to post good things that could benefit you
  • you can look people up - prepare / feel safe / make hiring decisions
  • you’ve consented (sort of)
  • provides safety information
  • more good than harm
  • target particular groups

Benefits for private data

  • more harm than good from available data
    • not necessary to find someone’s address publically
  • can prejudge people in a negative way
  • past history may not be useful information and may be harmful
  • hard to read enough to know what you’re consenting to
  • prevent targeting particular groups
  • maybe some data could be public but how do we set limits to keep people safe