Ethical Responsibilities for Companies That Process Personal Data
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2023
Abstract
It has become increasingly difficult for individuals to exercise meaningful control over the personal data they disclose to companies or to understand and track the ways in which that data is exchanged and used. These developments have led to an emerging consensus that existing privacy and data protection laws offer individuals insufficient protections against harms stemming from current data practices. However, an effective and ethically justified way forward remains elusive. To inform policy in this area, we propose the Ethical Data Practices framework. The framework outlines six principles relevant to the collection and use of personal data—minimizing harm, fairly distributing benefits and burdens, respecting autonomy, transparency, accountability, and inclusion—and translates these principles into action-guiding practical imperatives for companies that process personal data. In addition to informing policy, the practical imperatives can be voluntarily adopted by companies to promote ethical data practices.
Keywords
confidentiality & privacy, Health Policy, regulatory issues
Publication Title
American Journal of Bioethics
Repository Citation
Allen, Anita; McCoy, Matthew S.; Kopp, Katharina; Mello, Michelle M.; Patil, D.J.; Ossorio, Pilar; Joffe, Steven; and Emanuel, Ezekiel J., "Ethical Responsibilities for Companies That Process Personal Data" (2023). All Faculty Scholarship. 3217.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2023.2209535