“I Am Datafied Because We Are Datafied”: an Ubuntu Perspective on (Relational) Privacy

Reviglio, Urbano; Alunge, Rogers

doi:10.1007/s13347-020-00407-6

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Various scholars have pointed out that Western conceptions of privacy tend to focus on individual autonomy and do not always consider the social context and relational aspect of privacy (Bannerman, 2019; Ma, 2019; Reviglio & Alunge, 2020). Privacy has been conceptualized by Crabtree et al (2017) to be fundamentally about relationship management practices: “It is a concern with people and the impact the networked world might have on their interpersonal affairs” (p. 484).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Someone Else Is Behind The Screen”: Visibility, Privacy, and Trust on Geosocial Networking Apps in India

Pinch

Birnholtz

Rawat

et al. 2022

Social Media + Society

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Queer people increasingly use geosocial networking apps (GSNAs), such as Grindr and Blued, to find connections. These apps play a particularly important role in countries such as India, where being visibly queer can carry social stigma, and same-sex intercourse was criminalized until 2018. A key challenge on these apps is self-disclosing enough information to appear authentic and build trust with other users, without drawing unwanted attention, stigma, and safety threats. Careful consideration of when to share information and what to share is critical, but we have a limited understanding of how users make these decisions. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 36 queer men in 4 smaller urban environments in and near the state of Maharashtra, India, we sought to understand how queer men think about their visibility while using GSNAs. We find that they are primarily concerned with the visibility of the actual GSNA on their phone, especially given many users in this context live with their families and assumptions common in the West, such as one person per device, may not hold. They also worry about the information they disclose on the app itself given this visibility can lead to dangerous situations. We detail how participants try to resolve the tensions around visibility and discuss our findings in relation to conceptualizations of privacy and signaling theory. We conclude with practical guidelines related to the use of these apps in the Indian context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Someone Else Is Behind The Screen”: Visibility, Privacy, and Trust on Geosocial Networking Apps in India

Pinch

Birnholtz

Rawat

et al. 2022

Social Media + Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Scores of other related approaches, such as confidentiality, anonymity and even intellectual property, could have been considered since they can all shape what we consider to be ‘ours’ or what should be ‘out-of-bounds’ when it comes to use and circulation of data. Additionally, while we strive for the presentation of a wide geographic spectrum, approaches of indigenous communities to data sovereignty (Carroll et al, 2019 ), as well as the perspective of non-Western philosophical traditions such as the African Ubuntu, could have been considered in more depth (Reviglio & Alunge, 2020 ). Finally, novel conceptualisations of privacy in the context of datafication emerge continuously (see e.g.…”

Section: Living In the Digital Agementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whether or not this seems acceptable and desirable also depends on cultural expectations and traditions. For instance, in settings where the African philosophy of Ubuntu applies, CI in and for groups might be more important than individual concerns around the use of PII and high levels of protection from an individual perspective (Reviglio & Alunge, 2020 , pp. 8–15).…”

Section: Approaches To the Protection Of Privacymentioning

confidence: 99%

How to protect privacy in a datafied society? A presentation of multiple legal and conceptual approaches

Gstrein

Beaulieu

2022

Philos. Technol.

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The United Nations confirmed that privacy remains a human right in the digital age, but our daily digital experiences and seemingly ever-increasing amounts of data suggest that privacy is a mundane, distributed and technologically mediated concept. This article explores privacy by mapping out different legal and conceptual approaches to privacy protection in the context of datafication. It provides an essential starting point to explore the entwinement of technological, ethical and regulatory dynamics. It clarifies why each of the presented approaches emphasises particular aspects and analyses the tensions that arise. The resulting overview provides insight into the main strengths and limitations of the different approaches arising from specific traditions. This analytic overview therefore serves as a key resource to analyse the usefulness of the approaches in the context of the increasing datafication of both private and public spheres.Specifically, we contrast the approach focusing on data subjects whose data are being ‘protected’ with others, including Fair Information Practice Principles, the German right to ‘informational self-determination’, and the South American ‘habeas data’ doctrine. We also present and contrast emerging approaches to privacy (differential privacy, contextual integrity, group privacy) and discuss their intersection with datafication. In conclusion, we put forth that rather than aiming for one single solution that works worldwide and across all situations, it is essential to identify synergies and stumbling blocks between the various regulatory settings and newly emerging approaches.

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“…The Western concept of individual autonomy and control over information has largely determined the idea of privacy. Ubuntu would demand a collective protection rather than an individual one, in the common interest (Reviglio and Alunge, 2020). It also may question what “personal” data are, as opposed to group data, promoting group privacy: “I am because we are” or “I am datafied because we are datafied” (Reviglio and Alunge, 2020, p. 595).…”

Section: Ethics Of Artificial Intelligence and Ubuntumentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ubuntu would demand a collective protection rather than an individual one, in the common interest (Reviglio and Alunge, 2020). It also may question what “personal” data are, as opposed to group data, promoting group privacy: “I am because we are” or “I am datafied because we are datafied” (Reviglio and Alunge, 2020, p. 595). This may also serve Western societies, as the individual informed consent is often disregarded by users and then amounts to an empty shell.…”

Section: Ethics Of Artificial Intelligence and Ubuntumentioning

confidence: 99%

The ethics of artificial intelligence, UNESCO and the African Ubuntu perspective

Norren

2022

JICES

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Purpose This paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of worldviews of the global south to debates of artificial intelligence, enhancing the human rights debate on artificial intelligence (AI) and critically reviewing the paper of UNESCO Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) that preceded the drafting of the UNESCO guidelines on AI. Different value systems may lead to different choices in programming and application of AI. Programming languages may acerbate existing biases as a people’s worldview is captured in its language. What are the implications for AI when seen from a collective ontology? Ubuntu (I am a person through other persons) starts from collective morals rather than individual ethics. Design/methodology/approach Literature overview on the African philosophy of Ubuntu as applied to artificial intelligence. Application of it to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) debates on establishing guidelines to the ethics of artificial intelligence. Findings Metaphysically, Ubuntu and its conception of social personhood (attained during one’s life) largely rejects transhumanism. When confronted with economic choices, Ubuntu favors sharing above competition and thus an anticapitalist logic of equitable distribution of AI benefits, humaneness and nonexploitation. When confronted with issues of privacy, Ubuntu emphasizes transparency to group members, rather than individual privacy, yet it calls for stronger (group privacy) protection. In democratic terms, it promotes consensus decision-making over representative democracy. Certain applications of AI may be more controversial in Africa than in other parts of the world, like care for the elderly, that deserve the utmost respect and attention, and which builds moral personhood. At the same time, AI may be helpful, as care from the home and community is encouraged from an Ubuntu perspective. The report on AI and ethics of the UNESCO World COMEST formulated principles as input, which are analyzed from the African ontological point of view. COMEST departs from “universal” concepts of individual human rights, sustainability and good governance which are not necessarily fully compatible with relatedness, including future and past generations. Next to rules based approaches, which may hamper diversity, bottom-up approaches are needed with intercultural deep learning algorithms. Research limitations/implications There is very few existing literature on AI and Ubuntu. Therefore, this paper is of an explorative nature. Practical implications The ethics of Ubuntu offers unique vantage points in looking at the organization of society and economics today, which are also relevant for development of AI, especially in its tenet of relatedness rather than individuality (and practical use of AI for individuals), taking responsibility for society as a whole (such as analyzing the benefit of AI for all strata of society), and embodying true inclusiveness. Whether looking at top-down guidelines for the development and implementation of AI or the bottom-up ethical learning process of AI (deep learning), ethics of the Global South can have an important role to play to combat global individualist tendencies and inequity, likely reinforced by AI. This warrants far more research. Social implications Applications of AI in Africa are not contextualized, do not address the most pressing needs of the African continent, lead to cybersecurity issues and also do not incorporate African ethics. UNESCO’s work in this regard is important but expert inputs are largely centered around Western “universal” principles and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and EU precedence. African ethics have, so far, a small role to play in global ethics and philosophy and therefore risk to be overlooked in the discussion on AI and ethics. This is why the consultation process of UNESCO on ethics of AI was of paramount importance. However, it does not automatically lead to consultation of African philosophers or sages, as many are educated in Western (ized) education systems. See further details under practical implications. Originality/value This is a new area of research in which little work has been done so far. This paper offers the opportunity to widen the debate on AI and ethics beyond the conventional discourse, involving multiple worldviews, of which Ubuntu is just one.

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“I Am Datafied Because We Are Datafied”: an Ubuntu Perspective on (Relational) Privacy

Cited by 20 publications

References 39 publications

“Someone Else Is Behind The Screen”: Visibility, Privacy, and Trust on Geosocial Networking Apps in India

“Someone Else Is Behind The Screen”: Visibility, Privacy, and Trust on Geosocial Networking Apps in India

How to protect privacy in a datafied society? A presentation of multiple legal and conceptual approaches

The ethics of artificial intelligence, UNESCO and the African Ubuntu perspective

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