Mobile Big Data in the fight against COVID-19

In this editorial, Guest Editors Richard Benjamins (Telefónica), Jeanine Vos (GSMA), and Stefaan Verhulst (Data & Policy Editor-in-Chief) draw insights from a set of peer-reviewed, open access articles in a Data & Policy special collection dedicated to the use of Telco Big Data Analytics for COVID-19.

Reimagining data responsibility: 10 new approaches toward a culture of trust in re-using data to address critical public needs

Data and data science offer tremendous potential to address some of our most intractable public problems (including the Covid-19 pandemic). At the same time, recent years have shown some of the risks of existing and emerging technologies. An updated framework is required to balance potential and risk, and to ensure that data is used responsibly. Data responsibility is not itself a new concept. However, amid a rapidly changing technology landscape, it has become increasingly clear that the concept may need updating, in order to keep up with new trends such as big data, open data, the Internet of things, and artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This paper seeks to outline 10 approaches and innovations for data responsibility in the 21st century. The 10 emerging concepts we have identified include:End-to-end data responsibilityDecision provenanceProfessionalizing data stewardshipFrom data science to question scienceContextual consentResponsibility by designData asymmetries and data collaborativesPersonally identifiable inferenceGroup privacyData assembliesEach of these is described at greater length in the paper, and illustrated with examples from around the world. Put together, they add up to a framework or outline for policy makers, scholars, and activists who seek to harness the potential of data to solve complex social problems and advance the public good. Needless to say, the 10 approaches outlined here represent just a start. We envision this paper more as an exercise in agenda-setting than a comprehensive survey.