Five Ethical Issues in the Big Data Analytics Age

Changes in technology that have allowed organizations to capture, transmit, store, and analyze data at unprecedented levels have created numerous opportunities for both the organizations themselves and society. However, in conjunction with the opportunities that big data analytics promises, some have expressed concerns about the ethics involved in using and applying big data. In this debate, we develop questions that researchers and practitioners should consider regarding privacy, accuracy, property, accessibility, and society via identifying big data analytics’ inputs, processes, and outputs. We do so to begin a dialogue in the information systems discipline related to the ethical issues associated with big data analytics and how we as IS researchers, teachers, and practitioners can ensure we use, analyze, interpret, and apply data in a responsible and appropriate manner.