The ethical implications of using digital traces: studying explainability and trust during a pandemic

2021-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Natasha Dwyer, Hector Miller-Bakewell, Tessa Darbyshire, Anirban Basu and Steve Marsh

Abstract: Digital technologies give researchers new opportunities to access the most personal thoughts of those who use them. The ethics and implications of using data from peoples' everyday interactions have recently become a mainstream topic of concern (Lucivero, 2020). In some contexts, such as governance, it can be argued that algorithmically-generated decisions are valued over individuals' and communities' expertise (Danaher, 2016). As with other projects described in this book, our work is being carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has highlighted the ethical complications that occur when vulnerable individuals requiring information are surveilled in a rapidly changing environment. Currently, worldwide legislative changes are determining how data-intensive technologies, including forms of data collection and surveillance, are used. Recent history indicates that once the initial threat has passed, legislation remains and becomes the 'new normal' (Lodders and Paterson, 2020). Organisations, including universities, are establishing mechanisms for collecting and managing stakeholder data, which will remain in place after the pandemic. The collected data will become part of the hidden curriculum, the subtle messages students receive about what an institution values, and the nature of the power relations inherent in its interactions (Kayama et al, 2015). In this chapter we outline and engage with the ethical practices involved in performing such data collection, with a particular focus on the use of chatbot transcripts. We particularly highlight the impact of crisis scenarios on 'information anxiety' (Blundell et al, 2014) in undergraduate students and evaluate the potential of chatbots as a tool to improve information literacy. Chatbots can be used to enable individuals to seek information ranging from functional to personal, including information that may be sensitive or personal in nature.

address	Bristol, UK
booktitle	Qualitative and Digital Research in Times of Crisis: Methods, Reflexivity, and Ethics
day	29
doi	10.51952/9781447363828.ch008
keywords	social-research-methods, qualitative-methods, creative-methods, disaster-and-crisis-management, research-practices, research-ethics, research-reflexivity, researcher-positionality, digital-research-methods, digital-data, digital-traces, data-ethics, data-privacy, data-protection, data-security, data-sharing, data-reuse
month	11
pages	129-142
publisher	Policy Press
url	Link

Cite this publication, using BibTeX

@incollection{dwyer2021ethical,
  abstract = {Digital technologies give researchers new opportunities to access the most personal thoughts of those who use them. The ethics and implications of using data from peoples' everyday interactions have recently become a mainstream topic of concern (Lucivero, 2020). In some contexts, such as governance, it can be argued that algorithmically-generated decisions are valued over individuals' and communities' expertise (Danaher, 2016). As with other projects described in this book, our work is being carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has highlighted the ethical complications that occur when vulnerable individuals requiring information are surveilled in a rapidly changing environment. Currently, worldwide legislative changes are determining how data-intensive technologies, including forms of data collection and surveillance, are used. Recent history indicates that once the initial threat has passed, legislation remains and becomes the 'new normal' (Lodders and Paterson, 2020). Organisations, including universities, are establishing mechanisms for collecting and managing stakeholder data, which will remain in place after the pandemic. The collected data will become part of the hidden curriculum, the subtle messages students receive about what an institution values, and the nature of the power relations inherent in its interactions (Kayama et al, 2015). In this chapter we outline and engage with the ethical practices involved in performing such data collection, with a particular focus on the use of chatbot transcripts. We particularly highlight the impact of crisis scenarios on 'information anxiety' (Blundell et al, 2014) in undergraduate students and evaluate the potential of chatbots as a tool to improve information literacy. Chatbots can be used to enable individuals to seek information ranging from functional to personal, including information that may be sensitive or personal in nature.},
  address = {Bristol, UK},
  author = {Dwyer, Natasha and Miller-Bakewell, Hector and Darbyshire, Tessa and Basu, Anirban and Marsh, Steve},
  booktitle = {Qualitative and Digital Research in Times of Crisis: Methods, Reflexivity, and Ethics},
  day = {29},
  doi = {10.51952/9781447363828.ch008},
  keywords = {Social research methods; Qualitative methods; Creative methods; Disaster and crisis management; Research practices; Research ethics; Research reflexivity; Researcher positionality; Digital research methods; Digital data; Digital traces; Data ethics; Data privacy; Data protection; Data security; Data sharing; Data reuse},
  month = {November},
  pages = {129-142},
  publisher = {Policy Press},
  title = {The ethical implications of using digital traces: studying explainability and trust during a pandemic},
  url = {https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/book/9781447363828/ch008.xml},
  year = {2021},
}

anirban · basu - digital-data

The ethical implications of using digital traces: studying explainability and trust during a pandemic

Natasha Dwyer, Hector Miller-Bakewell, Tessa Darbyshire, Anirban Basu and Steve Marsh