Identifying and discovering the major privacy issues in data mining
Data mining is a common practice and a part of business intelligence, whereas large databases are re-examined, and new information is generated from it. Usually, patterns and correlations that exist in large sets of data are found. The purpose of data mining is to increase relationships with customers and manage finances by cutting down costs. This, in turn, reduces risks as well. However, the process is not as smooth as it seems, and issues are likely to occur. For instance, individual privacy-related issues are common, and issues with user interaction as well as performance are common as well.
Outlining the issues
Privacy is regarded as an individual’s right to safeguard his/her personal information. However, due to KDDM or “Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining,” concerns are rising. There is a lack of protection, and pressure posed by KDDM is harming the data mining process. The common privacy-related issues are secondary usage of private information, access to private or personal information, and mismanagement of information. The laws and regulations are not appropriate enough to ensure protection to users.
Secondary usage of private information- Confidential or personal information might get exposed due to the exploratory nature of the KDDM tools. The tools are capable of directly exposing an individual’s sensitive information. Nevertheless, personal details might not get exposed; however, the risk of exposing behavior patterns or banking and contact details might be present. Usage of this information for conducting a secondary analysis can be considered a threat to privacy; Individuals have the right to claim that their privacy has been invaded. It is not acceptable to let someone know about the personal belongings of one person or what he or she keeps at home.
Access to private or personal information- Personal information is the only relevant information about an individual, and access to such information can surely be regarded as a privacy violation. For instance, employees should be hired based on their skills and capabilities and not on lifestyle or diet, even if the employer has access to such personal information.
Mismanagement of information- Misinformation is likely to result in long-term damage. It implies that data of individuals are incorrect, and they should make efforts to challenge this situation. For instance, a person might not be carrying cocaine or any such harmful drug. However, he or she might be blamed and sued by the court if the court receives this misinformation based on the wrong evidence.
Discussion about the issues
The open access to information and secondary usage of information are often debated issues. Some scholars believe that it is necessary to know detailed data in order to conduct research and make a future analysis of any behavioral trend in the market. While others oppose entirely the fact and claim that laws and regulations in the U.S must be strict enough to prohibit this practice before it results in a significant issue. They regard all three types of issues as complete exploitation of customer’s trust.