GBA Ethics Office Series-Hot Topics: Conflicting Ethics of Blockchain & IoT Ecosystems

The Ethical Limits of Blockchain-Enabled Markets for Private IoT Data

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-019-00361-y

Interesting article highlighting the ethical challenges and apparent data privacy conflicts in blockchain & IoT ecosystems.

There are several important ethical issues and limitations raised by the authors that are related to a large scale deployment of these technologies. The article cautions that a proactive approach is indicated to prevent unintended negative or even opposing effects.

A few key highlights from the article:

  • differences in defining data privacy from a moral philosophy versus a property law perspective
  • inherent risks of IoT systems which have a centralized architecture vs blockchain decentralized systems
  • the concepts of “diffusion of technology in everyday life” and “privacy-aware” technologies
  • data propertization and data markets

One key take-home message from the authors is an emphasis on clarity and transparency in deployment of these technologies, as well as appropriate data governance to avoide creating a false or misleading sense of privacy.

 

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