Navigating the Ethics of Big Data: Bias, Fairness, and Accountability in Decision-Making
Introduction Big data analytics has transformed decision-making across industries, from healthcare to finance, marketing to criminal justice. By leveraging vast datasets and advanced algorithms, organizations can uncover patterns, predict outcomes, and optimize processes with unprecedented precision. However, the power of big data comes with significant ethical challenges. The reliance on data-driven systems raises critical questions about bias, fairness, and accountability. This chapter explores these ethical implications, examining how biases in data and algorithms can perpetuate inequities, the importance of fairness in analytics, and the mechanisms needed to ensure accountability in data-driven decision-making. Understanding Big Data Analytics Big data analytics involves collecting, processing, and analyzing large volumes of data to extract actionable insights. It relies on technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and statistical modeling to identi...