The Ethicality of the Use of Data Mining Techniques by Large Technology Companies
(An ethical analysis research paper for my computer ethics class)
Over the past decade, companies such as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have been hiding behind legal statements in their terms of services to collect user data. Facebook has been under criticism that in many cases such data mining techniques are giving away too much of an individual’s rights. A large part of Google is also based upon data collection, Google utilizes data collection to aid in search indexing and the displaying of targeted advertisements. Microsoft with the release of Windows 10 has come under criticism for not making it explicit the amount of user data it is collecting, and it has had many users of the operating system worried that their privacy is being violated. From an ethical standpoint, collecting private data regarding an individual without their knowledge is wrong because from a deontological perspective it is in violation of a basic right to privacy and from a utilitarian perspective it only benefits the companies that are aggregating the data.
Today a large part of many peoples’ lives is Facebook. A statistical model shows that “as of the fourth quarter of 2015, Facebook had 1.59 billion active users,” and that number is only growing as more people become increasing reliant on the social media platform’s features (Statista.com). What a multitude of these users do not know is that Facebook owns your data, and that the policies regarding what it does with the data are in constant flux. Facebook’s data policy states that user data is shared in five ways with: 1) “People you share and communicate with” 2) “People that see content others share about you” 3) “Apps, websites, and third party integrations using our service” 4) “Sharing within Facebook companies” 5) “New owner” (Facebook Data Policy). With the inclusion of third party integrations, Facebook is allowing any app that utilizes Facebook as an integration to have access of your data. Most users do not think twice when signing into an application with their Facebook account, but little do they know they are giving their information to a third party. Facebook’s data owner policy states that if ownership of Facebook is handed to another company, that new company now has access to all user data. Facebook’s data policy states that, “We collect the content and other information you provide when you use our Services, including when you sign up for an account, create or share, and message or communicate with others.” (Facebook Data Policy). The data that Facebook is giving to other companies in many cases has contributed to crimes such as identity theft and there is little these companies can do to stop it.
Analogous to Facebook, Google has also become a significant part of the daily lives of millions of people. Google has many products each collecting different types of data regarding an individual. Google’s popular mobile platform Android is used by a large part of the world’s population of smartphones. The code for this operating system is open source and is freely available for anyone to modify. Many applications utilize Android’s permission system to gather data – when a user downloads an app from the Google Play Store, a popup window appear asking the user which permissions it would like to give the application such as access to webcam, microphone, location, and sometimes even private information. Anyone can put an application on Google’s Play Store with just a $25 one time developer fee, many applications ask for permissions that are not even related to the application content. Google’s application verification process is automated therefore quite often malicious applications that siphon user data guised as games and productivity software are often leaked onto the Google Play Store. The Facebook mobile application, for example is always aware of a user’s location and is automatically sending this data to Facebook’s servers. Google also stores data about user searches, and often sends targeted advertisements to users browsing YouTube or any of the other Google products. Google additionally offers Google Analytics a way for websites to track the number of users and their country of origin by simply adding JavaScript code to the bottom of their webpage. This code allows Google to track websites easily and learn about the people that visit them. With new technologies such as Android Wear, Google Now, and Google Glass, the company is passively and constantly collecting user data which many would consider private. Google has become ever more pervasive in users’ lives and as people are becoming more reliant on its technologies, it is only contributing more to the problem of the breach of user data. Though many users may consider Google’s practices to be privacy invading, there have been some benefits to Google’s data collection as well that cannot go unnoticed. For example, Google’s collection of location data gives it a better idea of where users are going and this allows the company to accurately give users suggestions about places they would be interested in. Though there are benefits like these, Google’s collection of data is far more detrimental to the user in terms of a privacy standpoint. Criminals can easily search a person’s name on Google and figure out a lot about them. Google’s constant collection of data often puts people at risk, therefore from a deontological standpoint Google’s data collection is unethical as it is violating laws and rules regarding a user’s basic privacy. From a shareholder perspective Google’s data collection is unethical because the users are on the shorter end of the deal in Google’s, as they are being put at an unnecessary risk.
Microsoft is no better than Facebook and Google when it comes to data collection, and in many cases their policies are worst toward the user. With Microsoft’s recent release of Windows 10, user monitoring and data collection is built into the operating system. Microsoft is able to monitor exactly what software a user is loading on to their system and is able to send that user targeted advertisements based on the data collected about them. The company has also been recently under fire for allowing the inclusion of government backdoors to their operating system. Many users have been reluctant to move from Windows 7 and Windows 8 due to these reports regarding government data collection and privacy concerns. Through the use of their search engine Bing, Microsoft is taking on strategies that were previously attributed to Google. Through Bing, Microsoft is tracking user searches and is able to connect that data to users’ Microsoft accounts. With the introduction of Windows 10, users are highly persuaded to create a Microsoft account to log into their machines, “The problems start with Microsoft’s ominous privacy policy, which is now included in the Windows 10 end-user license agreement so that it applies to everything you do on a Windows PC, not just online” (Slate.com). Through this closed software ecosystem, Microsoft is able to track a user anywhere they use this account, and this has become quite a privacy concern for many users. Microsoft’s privacy policy is also very broad it states, “Microsoft uses the data we collect to provide you the services we offer, which includes using data to improve and personalize your experiences.” (Microsoft Privacy Policy). It is often not clear what Microsoft is doing with all of the data it is collecting, and in most cases it is collecting data that is often unneeded for the functionality of its software. Similar to the cases of Facebook and Google, Microsoft is unethically collecting user data because doing so is violating basic privacy rights.
The fourth amendment of the United States Constitution states that “the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,” Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are violating these basic privacy rights by freely distributing user data. From a deontological perspective since these companies are violating the basic privacy rights established in the Constitution it is ethically wrong for them to be collecting and distributing user data only for the gain of its service. One may also take the viewpoint that such data collection and distribution is warranted and that when a user agrees to the terms of services they are agreeing to this type of usage of their data. Though this may seem like a viable solution, albeit more often than not the users who are creating accounts for these companies do not read the terms of services. From a utilitarian perspective it also seems as though in this equation the only parties that are benefiting are the tech companies, the users who are giving away their data are losing a part of their privacy as these companies use such data for their own gain in efforts to make its products better and create an even larger user bases.
Ethically, it is not just for large technology companies to collect such a large amount of information without accurately informing the user. Until these companies notify the user of exactly what type of data they are collecting and in what ways they are collecting it, these companies will be crossing the boundaries of what is right and wrong in terms of privacy. The arguments that data collection is being utilized for user security that are so often used by government agencies do not hold up in the private sector. Oblivious to the amount of data that is being collected, users are being put at risk of identity theft, and many other dangers.
References
The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2016, from
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Facebook Data Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2016, from:
https://facebook.com/policy.php
Microsoft Privacy Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2016 from:
https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/
Slate.com: Windows 10 Privacy Problem. (n.d.) Retrieved March 08, 2016 from:
Statista.com Number of Facebook users worldwide 2008-2015 | Statistic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2016, from:
http://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-wordwide/