Cook, Jack. “Ethics of Data Mining.” Rochester Institute of Technology, R.I.T. Scholar Works, 2005, scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://search.yahoo.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1443&context=article.
In this article, Jack Cook explores the ethical and legal implications of data mining. According to the author, companies can make important decisions based off of information gathered from data mining. When certain conclusions are made from this mined data, this is when ethical and moral problems can arise. One issue for people that are being mined is that laws do not frequently or directly pertain to data mining. The concept of privacy is being redefined as data mining continues to be used by public and private companies and organizations. The author identifies that law enforcement agencies and business are relying on data mining to increase their accuracy and productivity. Cook recognizes that although there are dangers with improper data mining, it can be a useful practice overall.
Martis, Michael. “Ethical Issues in the Field of Data Mining.” Professional Computing, The University of Western Australia, 30 Aug. 2013, http://teaching.csse.uwa.edu.au/units/CITS3200/essay/Michael_Martis.pdf.
Although this inquiry mainly focused on Internet data mining in America, this source serves as an interesting guide for how Australia and European countries regulate data mining. The author of this article, Michael Martis, explains that Australia has a specific code of conduct that they follow in order to ethically use data mining. He also cites a quote by the United Nations, which further explains and supports the stance that some organizations are taking on the issue of data mining (Martis 3). The author goes on to identify the key policies that numerous other Australian organizations have on data mining. In this age of controversy concerning data mining in America, knowing how other countries are handling this data issue is quite a valuable part of the conversation.
Okur, Mehmet. “On Ethical and Legal Aspects of Data Mining.” Journal of Yasar University, 2008, journal.yasar.edu.tr/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/No11_Vol3_02_m_cudi_okur.pdf.
The author of this article, Mehmet Okur, acknowledges the numerous legal and ethical factors are inherently linked with the practice of data mining. Okur points out that it is extremely difficult to institute laws that specifically limit data mining because there are no clear boundaries for this type of technology. Prevention of ethical issues, such as breaches in privacy, are also hard to carry out because the very foundation of data mining rests on the idea that personal information partially exists to be analyzed. The author identifies some methods that are presently used to protect the users being mined, but he claims that companies use simple workarounds that render these protections ineffective. This source paints an effective picture of the weaknesses and dangers that are associated with data mining.
Payne, Dinah et al. “A Composite Strategy for the Legal and Ethical Use of Data Mining.” International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, 2012, http://www.issbs.si/press/ISSN/2232-5697/1_27-43.pdf.
The authors Dinah Payne and Brett Landry focus on the ways that data mining companies can limit their legal and ethical activities. The authors note that data mining is presently a great resource for organizations that seek useful information. In this article, the writers identify numerous groups that benefit from data mining. Economic patterns and information about security are pros of data mining. However, there are many problems with data mining. When companies are using private data to draw conclusions about people, incorrect assumptions can be made. It is suggested in this article that, in order to avoid legal and ethical issues, companies that use data mining should avoid using inappropriate data, clearly state that data mining is being used, and make a privacy policy. Although the authors recognize the importance and usefulness of data mining, they also identify numerous problems and subsequent solutions.
Vedder, Anton. “KDD: The Challenge to Individualism.” Ethics and Information Technology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.568.4274&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
This article by Anton Vedder explains that Knowledge Discovery in Databases poses a threat to individualism. The author voices his opinion that only the data that is imperative should be collected, and that this should not be done in excessive amounts. He also explains that, without the explicit consent of the user, mined data cannot be considered legitimate. Along these lines, Vedder writes that users being mined for data should have specific rights. These rights include knowing how and why their data is being used. The author claims that individualization is threatened when data is used to build profiles. The conclusions that are made based on this data can easily be misleading and harmful. This source takes an interesting and insightful viewpoint when identifying the cons of data mining.
Internet Data Mining 