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It is a failure of imagination and methodology to claim that it is necessary to experiment on millions of people without their consent in order to produce good data science.
Kate Crawford
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote asserts that conducting experiments on individuals without their consent is both unethical and unnecessary for good data science.

Kate Crawford highlights the moral implications of data science practices, emphasizing that a lack of creativity and proper methodology should not justify the infringement of individual rights. The quote advocates for ethical standards in research, suggesting that valuable data can be obtained without resorting to unethical practices that exploit people’s autonomy and consent.

Themes

Data ScienceEthicsConsentImaginationMethodology

In practice

Example use cases

During a panel discussion on ethical research practices, this quote can emphasize the importance of consent.

More from Kate Crawford

If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be propagated through the criminal justice system or predictive policing, then it's very likely that, if you're designing a system based on historical data, you're going to be perpetuating those biases.
Kate CrawfordRead
We need to be vigilant about how we design and train these machine-learning systems, or we will see ingrained forms of bias built into the artificial intelligence of the future.
Kate CrawfordRead
As we move into an era in which personal devices are seen as proxies for public needs, we run the risk that already-existing inequities will be further entrenched. Thus, with every big data set, we need to ask which people are excluded. Which places are less visible? What happens if you live in the shadow of big data sets?
Kate CrawfordRead
Only by developing a deeper understanding of AI systems as they act in the world can we ensure that this new infrastructure never turns toxic.
Kate CrawfordRead
The fear isn't that big data discriminates. We already know that it does. It's that you don't know if you've been discriminated against.
Kate CrawfordRead
If you have rooms that are very homogeneous, that have all had the same life experiences and educational backgrounds, and they're all relatively wealthy, their perspective on the world is going to mirror what they already know. That can be dangerous when we're making systems that will affect so many diverse populations.
Kate CrawfordRead

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To be sure I must; and therefore I may assume that your silence gives consent.
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