Administrative Information
| Title | Privacy |
| Duration | 60 |
| Module | A |
| Lesson Type | Lecture |
| Focus | Ethical - Ethics Fundamentals |
| Topic | Privacy |
Keywords
Privacy, surveillance, big tech companies,
Learning Goals
- Learner understands what the possible consequences of the large amounts of data that the large tech companies collect are for society.
- Learner understands what the difference between tech companies and governments that collect data is.
- Learner understands why the surveillance capitalism outlined by Zuboff is different from market capitalism as we knew it until recently.
- Learner understands ethical challenges regarding anonymization.
Expected Preparation
Learning Events to be Completed Before
None.
Obligatory for Students
- Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization. Journal of information technology, 30(1), 75-89. [1]
Optional for Students
- Possible questions for preparation:
- Do you agree with the concerns that Zuboff expresses in her paper? Why/why not?
- Find two practical examples where reality is translated into behavior that is traded (the fourth 'fictional commodity).
References and background for students
None.
Recommended for Teachers
None.
Lesson materials
Instructions for Teachers
There is a general discussion about privacy and surveillance in information technology, which mainly concerns the access to private data and data that is personally identifiable. Privacy has several well recognized aspects, e.g., “the right to be let alone”, information privacy, privacy as an aspect of personhood, control over information about oneself, and the right to secrecy.
Large companies such as Google and Facebook are collecting more and more data about us. Collecting, analyzing and using this data has now become the core of their revenue model. This has major consequences for the society in which we live. It is no longer just about individual privacy, however important that is, but also about autonomy, democracy, personal development and knowledge inequality. Soshana Zuboff talks about surveillance capitalism in that regard. In this lesson we look at the possible impact of digitization and in particular 'big data' on society.
After this lesson you will be able to answer the following questions: (not complete yet, needs more input on privacy)
What are the possible consequences of the large amounts of data that the large tech companies collect for society? What is the difference between tech companies and governments that collect data? Why is the surveillance capitalism outlined by Zuboff different from market capitalism as we knew it until recently?
Topics to cover
- Introduction (5 min)
- Definition of personal data (15 min)
- Processing of personal data and GDPR (10 min)
- Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) (15 min)
- Privacy by design (10 min)
- Assignment (5 min)
Acknowledgements
The Human-Centered AI Masters programme was Co-Financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union Under Grant №CEF-TC-2020-1 Digital Skills 2020-EU-IA-0068.