Ethical AI and Big Data in Times of Pandemic

Abstract

In times of public emergencies or security threats, governments put in place practices to gain information, hence control and authority, under the premise of responding to crisis. These programs incur longer term unintended consequences. We review the surveillance and tracking put into effect during COVID-19 pandemic and overlay it with ethical Big Data and AI principles of Purpose & Value, Accountability & Trust, Respect for Data Rights & Privacy, and Prevention of Harm and Bias. Exigent circumstances must not lead us down the road of trading ethics for techniques and technologies that impact democracy under the guise of ‘public health’.