Panel IV: Data Advocacy, Governance, and Ethics in an Age of Big Data

This session will explore the ethical issues regarding Big Data and the use of algorithms in biomedical and social and behavioral research. Speakers will review the evolution of Big Data and the use of algorithms in research and provide examples regarding the benefits and risks posed by this type of research. Speakers will consider how IRBs assess the potential risks and how these risk have changed over time and become more complex. Areas of discussion also will include data privacy, algorithmic bias, algorithmic auditing, risk of harm, and transparency and how the research community – beyond the IRB – can respond appropriately. We hope to explore how the research community can evaluate these types of studies to ensure we are promoting good research including generalizability, data sharing, and research that serves the public good and not perpetuating bias or ignoring other important ethical issues.