Big data for the common good

Most of what we read about under the heading of ‘big data’ has been written in a business context. No surprise there — big data analytics has transformed and empowered businesses in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago. And the technological advances that have made it possible to harness the value of information in real time have also given rise to completely new fields of business.

Commerce is not the only winner, of course. Governments, research institutions and not-for-profit organisations are analysing big data for the improvement of living standards. Around the world and in countries at varying levels of development, big data analytics are being deployed in the drive to overcome poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease, and generally advance the human condition.

But just as in business, in the public sector it is vital that big data is protected and used wisely. Concern about the misuse of data — both maliciously or through poor oversight — is widespread and justified by incidents of welfare rorts, cyber attacks and medical records going astray.

So how do we ensure that the big data that governments and others are working with is what I like to think of as ‘data for the common good’? This is so important because as data is used to develop policies designed to address society’s needs, there must be processes and standards in place to promote good usage and guard against the bad.

The answer to this question should be considered under three headings: governance, legislation and technology.

Governance

As data volumes continue growing at truly bewildering rates, and the flows of information encounter increasingly complex connectivity — the Internet of Things, new international rules will be needed to ensure consistent standards of data quality and the transparent monitoring of data delivery and usage.

Setting up these regimes won’t be easy. Until now, standards governing computing in the broadest sense have mainly been the outcome of cooperation among technology vendors, and design, coaxing and oversight by industry bodies — with governments often accepting the evolved fait accompli.

But the need now is for accountability mechanisms that will work effectively with the broader data ecosystems.

There must be linked interoperability standards, data sharing protocols and disciplines for data use at multiple levels of government and other public institutions. All of us need to know that we can have complete trust in data governance at the global level.

Legislation

In addition to the governance of big data in the computational sense, common ethical standards must be established to control how and where data may be shared, and with what intentions. Society must be assured that data will not be politically influenced, and individuals must be satisfied that their personal data won’t be open to exploitation. People will want to be assured that information about them is available to others only with their explicit approval.

A factor here is the extent to which individuals’ data have been rendered anonymous without their consent or knowledge. This is fine if the purpose is for non-commercial research, for example, but safeguards must be in place to ensure that such anonymity is preserved only in a non-traceable state or that the data is subsequently destroyed.

Here again, this will take effort, but legislators must consider common standards to assure privacy and ownership guarantees of personal data — together with identity protection, non-discrimination, equality and consent principles.

Technology

Technology should be the easy part. While the Internet of Things is fast becoming the Internet of Pretty Well Everything, the technologies already exist to cope with the millions of sensors that are coming online and collecting data every day. Taking advantage of this growth is a matter of scale, cost and good processes — we already have all the necessary pieces.

As businesses and governments look at the Internet of Things, they will find the real advantage comes in the Analytics of Things. Analytics is the key to make the Internet of Things useful. As big data is analysed, governments and others charged with managing it for the common good must invest in their technology with safety, security and privacy top of mind.

The Analytics of Things approach to benefiting people at the population level mustn’t mean sacrificing the privacy and security of the individual.

However, with the right attention to governance, legislative and technology issues, the right balance can be struck for widespread economic development and enhance the wellbeing of people everywhere.

Image courtesy r2hos under CC