Predicting Human Behavior

The Social, Cultural & Ethical Dimensions of “Big Data,” March 2014

7 Pages Posted: 17 Dec 2014 Last revised: 30 Dec 2014

See all articles by Alex Rosenblat

Alex Rosenblat

Data & Society Research Institute

Tamara Kneese

University of San Francisco; Data & Society Research Institute

Danah Boyd

Microsoft Research; Georgetown University; Data & Society Research Institute

Date Written: March 17, 2014

Abstract

Countless highly accurate predictions can be made from trace data, with varying degrees of personal or societal consequence (e.g., search engines predict hospital admission, gaming companies can predict compulsive gambling problems, government agencies predict criminal activity). Predicting human behavior can be both hugely beneficial and deeply problematic depending on the context. What kinds of predictive privacy harms are emerging? And what are the implications for systems of oversight and due process protections? For example, what are the implications for employment, health care and policing when predictive models are involved? How should varied organizations address what they can predict?

Keywords: predictive analytics, privacy harms, big data

Suggested Citation

Rosenblat, Alex and Kneese, Tamara and Boyd, Danah, Predicting Human Behavior (March 17, 2014). The Social, Cultural & Ethical Dimensions of “Big Data,” March 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2538604 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2538604

Alex Rosenblat

Data & Society Research Institute ( email )

36 West 20th Street
New York,, NY
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.datasociety.net

Tamara Kneese

University of San Francisco ( email )

2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
United States

Data & Society Research Institute ( email )

36 West 20th Street
11th Floor
New York,, NY 10011
United States

Danah Boyd (Contact Author)

Microsoft Research ( email )

One Memorial Drive, 12th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States

HOME PAGE: http://research.microsoft.com/

Georgetown University ( email )

3520 Prospect St NW
Suite 311
Washington, DC 20057
United States

Data & Society Research Institute ( email )

36 West 20th Street
11th Floor
New York,, NY 10011
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.datasociety.net

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