In this week’s readings I found the “Ethical Challenges of Edtech….” article by Regan and Jesse to be most agreeable and an interesting area for further learning that I read. With the advent of new technologies, reflecting on the ethical considerations that likewise accompany this change is important as we continue to involve and evolve these learning adjacent tools. One particular concern I have with is that of ‘Big Data’ when our information is collected and personalized when using online services, but especially with learning management systems, tools, and data aggregators or assessors. From my personal experience and background in Health Information, where services often handle confidential patient data, privacy and ethical use of data is a paramount priority. Consequently necessary policies or ethical guidelines are important to guide how systems are designed, use practices developed, and accountability assigned.
The example case to discuss the use of data collection brought up by Regan and Jesse (2019) article is that of InBloom, the data middleman for school systems that collected information perceived by concerned parents to be bordering surveillance. I agree with the perception and decision that the collection of student information being overly intrusive, as well as unethical for the inability for students to opt-out (Regan and Jesse, 2019). Assessing and measuring the various systems, companies, and institutions that use data collection is something I believe should be a constant process. As with the InBloom incident and common news controversies related to greater giants like Facebook, constant discussion helps lead to awareness and legislation that enables users to learn more about what information is being collected of themselves.
Majority of privacy and data collection discussions I have had in the past have been centered around the context of Health Information, where privacy and disclosure is a high priority due to the confidential nature of patient data. However, even in this context uncertainties from patients and professionals about data privacy, security, and use are common. In contexts where data use and privacy may be more lax, unconsidered, or undisclosed such as social media, education, and other fields, I expect that these uncertainties (once considered or asked about) would be even greater. Asking ourselves questions, as developers, maintainers, or users of platforms that use collected data, it’s important to consider if we our others are aware of the extent of data collection and what it is being used for.
References:
Regan, P.M., Jesse, J. Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics Inf Technol 21, 167–179 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2
August 9, 2021 at 9:53 pm
Thanks, Allen. I appreciate your health context in this post. Based on your reading of FIPPA and other relevant policies in BC, are you concerned about privacy when using institution-supported tools like Brightspace? Or do your concerns crop up as you leave those systems?
August 11, 2021 at 10:48 pm
Hi Ryan, personally I do generally feel unconcerned with my privacy on institution-supported tools such as Brightspace during and after my use within these systems. Mainly I think this stems from the type of information or content I share being typically… typical. However, I do believe that the principle of privacy is very important, just as how all else matters private should remain as such. So while a breach of privacy on such as platform such as Brightspace may somewhat less important to be me in terms of the content exposed (say relative to my banking info), the action of breaching ones privacy is considerable concern to me. It’s important to set precedent and understandings of what is private, and having our institutions have policies, safeguards, and rules to ensure such is necessary. In an increasingly online world which has constantly growing user bases, corporate and political interests, and other interest-groups, drawing the lines of personal privacy is essential. So while the relatively privacy unimportant (as I perceive) Brightspace content of mine on trusted (also, as I perceive) institutions is less important to me, I still do expect the same minimal attention to privacy as I would with other online systems due to the precedent it would otherwise set. Privacy safeguards and policies, as well as technologies that ensure such should be an area of importance, and I expect all trustworthy institutions to implement and maintain such.