Big Data and Democracy - by Kevin Macnish & Jai Galliott (Paperback)

About the Book

What's wrong with targeted advertising in political campaigns? Are echo chambers a matter of genuine concern? How does data collection impact on trust in society? As decision-making becomes increasingly automated, how can decision-makers be held to account? This collection consider potential solutions to these challenges.

Book Synopsis

What's wrong with targeted advertising in political campaigns? Should we be worried about echo chambers? How does data collection impact on trust in society? As decision-making becomes increasingly automated, how can decision-makers be held to account? This collection consider potential solutions to these challenges. It brings together original research on the philosophy of big data and democracy from leading international authors, with recent examples - including the 2016 Brexit Referendum, the Leveson Inquiry and the Edward Snowden leaks. And it asks whether an ethical compass is available or even feasible in an ever more digitised and monitored world.

From the Back Cover

Considering the morality of using big data in the political sphere This edited collection tackles subjects such as what is wrong with targeted advertising in political campaigns and are echo chambers really a matter of genuine concern? Also examined are the impact of data collection on questions of trust in society and the problem of opacity: as decision-making becomes increasingly automated so it will become harder to hold decision-makers accountable. The contributors consider potential solutions to these challenges and discuss whether an ethical compass is available or even feasible in an ever more digitised and monitored world. The editors bring together original research on the philosophy of big data and democracy from leading international authors, along with recent examples and case references (including the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Leveson Inquiry and the Edward Snowden leaks), and combine them in one authoritative volume at a time of great political turmoil. Kevin Macnish is Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Twente; and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. Jai Galliott is Director of The Values in Defence & Security Technology Group, the University of New South Wales at Australian Defence Force Academy; Non-Residential Fellow with the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy, West Point; and Visiting Fellow in The Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at the University of Oxford. Cover image: (c) Klaus Meinhardt / Ikon Images / akg-images Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-6352-2 Barcode

Review Quotes

This text will age well as a model application of philosophy, behavioral psychology, and social theory to current events, treating big data as an evolving phenomenon ... An excellent text for a social science ethics or philosophy course focused on technology. It would also work well in a course designed around a big data or social media analysis project. Summing Up: Highly recommended.--J. Forrest, Georgia Institute of Technology "CHOICE"

About the Author

Kevin Macnish is Assistant Professor in Ethics and IT at the University of Twente.

Jai Galliott is Group Leader of Values in Defence & Security Technology at the Australian Defence Force Academy at the University of New South Wales; Non-Residential Fellow at the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy, West Point and Visiting Fellow in The Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at the University of Oxford. He is a defence analyst and expert on the ethical, legal and strategic issues associated with the employment of emerging technologies, including cyber systems, autonomous vehicles and soldier augmentation. His publications include: Ethics and the Future of Spying: Technology, National Security and Intelligence Collection (Routledge 2016); Military Robots: Mapping the Moral Landscape (Ashgate 2015); Super Soldiers: The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (Ashgate 2015); and Commercial Space Exploration: Ethics, Policy and Governance (Ashgate 2015).