Data Ethics
The ethical questions raised by data collection, analysis, and use — from privacy and consent to fairness and power.
Data Is Never Neutral
Every dataset reflects choices: what to measure, what to exclude, how to categorize, and who gets to decide. These choices are not technical — they are ethical. The US Census's racial categories have changed significantly over time, reflecting evolving social constructions of race. Data about 'crime' measures policing patterns as much as criminal behavior. Data about 'achievement' in schools reflects socioeconomic conditions as much as teaching quality.
Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren Klein's 'Data Feminism' argues that data science must interrogate power: who collects the data, who benefits from it, who is harmed by it, and whose perspectives are missing. A dataset about healthcare outcomes that excludes undocumented immigrants renders their health needs invisible to policymakers.
