The concept of the privacy impact assessment (PIA) has roots in the age of mainframe computers, an age when compliance was key to avoiding regulatory action or consumer backlash. But massive datasets, advanced algorithms and increased data collection points make these age-old PIAs a thing of the past and mean that organizations must go beyond mere compliance into governance. During the preconference workshop “Big Data Project Vetting To Assure Fair and Innovative Data Use,” Information Accountability Foundation Executive Director Martin Abrams—together with IAF Senior Scholar Lynn Goldstein, Acxiom Privacy Officer Sheila Colclasure, CIPP/US, and the Better Business Bureau’s Genie Barton—argued for the need for ethical big data assessments.
Read More