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Data Is the New What? Popular Metaphors & Professional Ethics in Emerging Data Culture « CA: Journal of Cultural Analytics

While I was reading something about  big data ethics I came across a fascinating comparison between the National Funeral Directors Association code of ethics and what might appear in a code of ethics for data scientists: specifically, a prohibition against "withholding services (like delaying the embalming process) or the body of a loved one (from release to a family or other legally recognised party) until payment for services has been received". The comparison suggests that a code of ethics for data scientists might be careful to not make certain kinds of data or informational transparency "contingent on an ability to pay or by coercing users to give up more personal data in the process".

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