If you aren’t careful, making decisions based on data can replicate the biases and discrimination that can exist in the real world, undermining user trust. This is especially true for decisions that impact employment, health, education, lending, or even policing and public safety for users, especially those in vulnerable communities. You can avoid this by carefully scrutinizing the ways in which your data-driven decisions affect your users and taking proactive steps to prevent or counteract these potential harms. Such steps protect the users you have and help attract new ones seeking a fair and equitable service.
RESPECT YOUR DATA
Limit and protect the data you collect and retain.
Protecting your users’ privacy requires you to be thoughtful about the data you collect and hold. By carefully considering the costs and benefits of collecting data and by properly safeguarding the information that you do collect, you may prevent privacy harms and increase consumer trust in your product.
ENSURE YOU DO NOT USE DATA IN WAYS THAT HARM USERS.
Case Study
MINIMIZE THE LINKS BETWEEN YOUR DATA AND INDIVIDUAL USERS.
Tying identifiable data, including IP addresses or account information, to other records can increase the risk of harm to your users if a breach occurs and, as a result, may make your company more vulnerable to expensive lawsuits and government fines. Explore approaches that effectively mask user identity while preserving the business value of collected information and be particularly careful not to accidentally disclose identifiable data along with other potentially sensitive records