OSUN's GeoHub project is inviting you to join a public lecture by Chrys Margaritidis on the topic of "Ethics of Big Data and GIS: The Taming of the Big Brother?".
Big Data seems to be constantly in the news: one day we hear about how Big Data methods and analytics are improving consumer experience and our ability to handle global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the next day we learn of allegations about the mistreatment of personal information by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica or reports about the effect of fake news on the electoral process.
After briefly explaining some of the changes that brought about the era of Big Data and their ethical import, the lecture will focus on Big Data’s potential “dark” side. Using examples like predictive policing, real-time surveillance, and pre-emptive punishment, it will be shown how otherwise beneficial uses of Big Data can become a danger to our society if we don’t develop a proper understanding of their importance and an ethical framework to handle their potential consequences. In the last part of the presentation, we will look at GIS and specifically at ways that geospatial data is gathered, stored, analysed, and used; we will attempt to provide a framework to address some of the ethical issues that arise in this area of research.
All students, faculty, and staff members are welcome to attend!
Please indicate your interest in participating through this registration form.
Details on how to join the event will be shared with registered participants separately.
Chrys Margaritidis received his BA in Economics from Bard College, US. After completing his studies at Brandeis University, US, with an MA in International Finance, in 2001 he joined CEU in Budapest, Hungary. He served CEU in various roles since, most recently as the Dean of Students. Chrys also holds an MA in Philosophy from Open University, UK, and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Reading, UK.
His main academic interests are in ethics and higher education. Some of the questions he is working on are the possibility of founding moral knowledge on moral intuitions, the concept of moral understanding, and moral expertise. In addition, Chrys is interested in applied ethics issues, such as AI/big data ethics and the ethics of higher education. He is also interested in the ability of the university to participate in social debates and bring about societal change.
The lecture is part of the GeoHub project. GeoHub is an open platform project aimed at developing the capacity of the OSUN members to use the latest geospatial methods and technologies in research and teaching disciplines. The project is conducted in partnership between CEU, AUCA, and Bard College.