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The Network Effect on Ethics in the Big Data Age

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Abstract

This chapter emphasises the radical departure that the Big Data age signifies for researchers, corporates, and public bodies alike. It argues that the nature of Big Data and the means of analysis raise their own specific ethical problems that nowadays go beyond the privacy consideration of the individual. Instead, these changes raise questions about the privacy of communities against the collecting and tracking of group and network data, the security from manipulation, and education for appropriate internet use. The chapter reflects on whether our ethical frameworks still match the Big Data age. It concludes that we might need to redevelop individualistic ethical norms to match a network logic of power and responsibility.

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Zwitter, A. (2016). The Network Effect on Ethics in the Big Data Age. In: Bunnik, A., Cawley, A., Mulqueen, M., Zwitter, A. (eds) Big Data Challenges. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94885-7_3

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