In an op-ed for TechCrunch, Sean Owen warns companies must be aware of "fuzzy data breaches” via machine learning. Owen considers Netflix’s $1 million prize offered to those who could create a new algorithm with its anonymous data, in which researchers were able to de-anonymize the information, and the company was sued. How do organizations avoid such a fate? “First: Keep priorities straight,” Owen said. “Second: Greater awareness of the problem and potential solutions amongst data scientists should help.” He also emphasizes transparency. “We may simply have to expect that releasing some personal information makes it theoretically possible that we’re releasing more, and adjust our behavior accordingly.”
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