AI Based Ethics Case Study on Data Anonymity

This document is an ethics case study titled 'AI Based Ethics – Rachel’s Dilemma.' It presents a scenario involving Rachel, an analyst at a big-data consultancy firm, who faces ethical challenges while conducting research on social media activity. Rachel gathers posts from 10,000 users over two years, utilizing a machine learning system to process the data while ensuring anonymity. However, she later discovers that usernames in reposts were not removed from a separate dataset of 100 million anonymised posts, compromising user anonymity. The case study outlines several options Rachel can take, including scrubbing the data, discarding identifiable data, and researching the supplying agency's data management policies. It emphasizes the importance of adhering to the ACS Code of Professional Ethics, particularly regarding honesty, accountability, and respect for privacy. The document concludes that Rachel should prioritize integrity by discarding the identifiable data or addressing the breach with the supplying agency.