During a session on data ethics at South by Southwest, panelists discussed how regulation is struggling to keep up with technology, generating the need for a code of data ethics, Computerworld reports. “The landscape is rapidly changing,” said former White House policy adviser Nicole Wong, “we don’t know what to regulate, we don’t know how to regulate it, regulation may not be the best tool, we don’t know our end goals and we have no mandate.” Freelance security researcher Ashkan Soltani, most recently chief technologist at the FTC, noted that big data is based on inferences. “They can ask you a benign question about your favorite ice cream and derive sensitive data,” he said. Microsoft Research’s Kate Crawford said, “Technology now has such power that it might be time to think about a code of practice.” ProPublica’s Julia Angwin added, “A Hippocratic Oath for programmers might be good.” Editor’s Note: The IAPP Global Privacy Summit features a pre-conference workshop on big data ethics and project vetting.
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