Data Ethics

Abstract

The panopticon is a design that originated with the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the eighteenth century. The device would allow prisoners to be observed by a single security guard, without the prisoners knowing they were being watched. Today, the panopticon is used as a metaphor to highlight the threat to privacy and personal autonomy that comes with the collection, processing, and analysis of big data and shows the need to protect personal information in the face of increasing technological advancement. For example, multinational businesses face increasing scrutiny over how to store, process, and transfer private user data across geographic boundaries.