Dark Data: making dark data FAIR

Conference Year

January 2021

Abstract

Because the FAIR principles emphasize usability and accessibility of data, applying those principles to data that shouldn't exist or shouldn't persist increase the potential for harm. The goal of reducing how much data remains dark is a valuable one, but only if the data have appropriate safeguards against inappropriate use. We thus argue in this paper that the goals of the Making Dark Data Fair project are important goals, but only if they include explicit considerations of the necessary safeguards to ensure that the use of the data comply with all legal and moral obligations. In this paper we will discuss ethical considerations of dark data and evaluate computing and procedural solutions for a fair and ethical data stewardship pipeline.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Christopher M. Danforth

Faculty/Staff Collaborators

Christopher M. Danforth, Peter Sheridan Dodds, Randall Harp, Carter Ward

Status

Graduate

Student College

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

Program/Major

Complex Systems

Primary Research Category

Engineering & Physical Sciences

Secondary Research Category

Arts & Humanities

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Dark Data: making dark data FAIR

Because the FAIR principles emphasize usability and accessibility of data, applying those principles to data that shouldn't exist or shouldn't persist increase the potential for harm. The goal of reducing how much data remains dark is a valuable one, but only if the data have appropriate safeguards against inappropriate use. We thus argue in this paper that the goals of the Making Dark Data Fair project are important goals, but only if they include explicit considerations of the necessary safeguards to ensure that the use of the data comply with all legal and moral obligations. In this paper we will discuss ethical considerations of dark data and evaluate computing and procedural solutions for a fair and ethical data stewardship pipeline.