Digital Contact Tracing and Surveillance During COVID-19. General and child-specific ethical issues

Digital Contact Tracing and Surveillance During COVID-19. General and child-specific ethical issues

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; Karen Carter; Manuel Garcia Herranz; Vedran Sekara

Published: 2020 Innocenti Working Papers

Balancing the need to collect data to support good decision-making versus the need to protect children from harm created through the collection of the data has never been more challenging than in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The response to the pandemic has seen an unprecedented rapid scaling up of technologies to support digital contact tracing and surveillance. As the pandemic progresses, we are also likely to see the emergence of more applications that link datasets as we seek to better understand the secondary impacts of the pandemic on children and their families.

This working paper explores the implications for privacy as the linking of datasets increases the likelihood that children will be identifiable and consequently, the opportunities for (sensitive) data profiling. It also frequently involves making data available to a broader set of users or data managers.

While it is recognized that reuse of unidentifiable data could potentially serve future public health responses and research, the nature of, access to and use of the data now and in future necessitate accountability, transparency and clear governance processes. It requires that these be in place from the outset. These are needed to ensure that data privacy is protected to the greatest degree possible and that the limitations to the use of these data are clearly articulated.

Digital Contact Tracing and Surveillance During COVID-19: General and child-specific ethical issues

Digital Contact Tracing and Surveillance During COVID-19: General and child-specific ethical issues

AUTHOR(S)
Karen Carter; Gabrielle Berman; Manuel Garcia Herranz; Vedran Sekara

Published: 2020 Innocenti Research Briefs
The response to COVID-19 has seen an unprecedented rapid scaling up of technologies to support digital contact tracing and surveillance. The consequent collation and use of personally identifiable data may however pose significant risks to children’s rights. This is compounded by the greater number and more varied players making decisions about how data, including children’s data, are used and how related risks are assessed and handled. This means that we need to establish clear governance processes for these tools and the data collection process and engage with a broader set of government and industry partners to ensure that children’s rights are not overlooked.
Ethical Considerations for Evidence Generation Involving Children on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ethical Considerations for Evidence Generation Involving Children on the COVID-19 Pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman

Published: 2020 Innocenti Discussion Papers

This paper identifies key ethical considerations when undertaking evidence generation involving children during the mitigation stage of the pandemic (emergency phase), on subject matter relating to COVID-19 once the pandemic has been contained, and once containment policy measures, including lockdowns, have been lifted (post-emergency phase).

While the COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly a global crisis, with evidence generation activities raising critical ethical issues that have been captured in the literature and relevant guidelines, there are specificities relating to this emergency that must be considered when unpacking potential ethical issues.

Hence while ethical issues pertaining to evidence generation involving children in emergencies and humanitarian contexts are relevant and should be considered, there are factors that define this ‘special case’ that must be considered from the outset. These will inform the core ethical considerations that need to be addressed.
Cite this publication | No. of pages: 18 | Thematic area: Ethical research | Tags: COVID-19 response
Ethical Considerations When Using Social Media for Evidence Generation

Ethical Considerations When Using Social Media for Evidence Generation

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; James Powell; Manuel Garcia Herranz

Published: 2018 Innocenti Discussion Papers

There are significant ethical implications in the adoption of technologies and the production and use of the resulting data for evidence generation. The potential benefits and opportunities need to be understood in conjunction with the potential risks and challenges. When using social media to directly engage children and their communities, or when establishing partnerships with these organizations for data collection and analysis, adoption of these technologies and their resultant data should not be exclusively driven by short-term necessity but also by the long-term needs of our younger partners. When engaging with social media and indeed most technology, thoughtfulness, reflection and ongoing interrogation is required. This paper examines the benefits, risks and ethical considerations when undertaking evidence generation: (a) using social media platforms and (b) using third-party data collected and analysed by social media services. It is supplemented by practical tools to support reflection on the ethical use of social media platforms and social media data.

Ethical Considerations When Using Social Media for Evidence Generation

Ethical Considerations When Using Social Media for Evidence Generation

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; James Powell; Manuel Garcia Herranz

Published: 2018 Innocenti Research Briefs
As of January 2017, 2.78 billion people worldwide were classified as active social media users. Of these users, 1.87 billion use Facebook. Thirty-nine per cent of Facebook users are between the ages of 13 and 24 (approximately 729 million young people). Available data also show that in 2014, approximately 31 per cent of users of the top five social media platforms were aged between 16 and 24 years. With the enormity of this coverage as well as over 40 per cent growth in usage from the previous year in countries like India, UNICEF has and continues to look at ways to use these platforms and the data generated to connect with and understand the reality of children today and to ensure more child-centred/user-centred policies and services. This brief provides an overview of the critical ethical considerations when undertaking evidence generation using social media platforms and using third-party data collected and analysed by social media services. It is supplemented by checklists that may be used to support reflection on the ethical use of social media platforms and social media data. This brief is based on a more in-depth Innocenti Discussion Paper which provides further guidance and tools.
Ethical Considerations When Using Geospatial Technologies for Evidence Generation

Ethical Considerations When Using Geospatial Technologies for Evidence Generation

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; Sara de la Rosa; Tanya Accone

Published: 2018 Innocenti Discussion Papers

Geospatial technologies have transformed the way we visualize and understand social phenomena and physical environments. There are significant advantages in using these technologies and data however, their use also presents ethical dilemmas such as privacy and security concerns as well as the potential for stigma and discrimination resulting from being associated with particular locations. Therefore, the use of geospatial technologies and resulting data needs to be critically assessed through an ethical lens prior to implementation of programmes, analyses or partnerships. This paper examines the benefits, risks and ethical considerations when undertaking evidence generation using geospatial technologies. It is supplemented by a checklist that may be used as a practical tool to support reflection on the ethical use of geospatial technologies.

 

Ethical Considerations When Using Geospatial Technologies for Evidence Generation

Ethical Considerations When Using Geospatial Technologies for Evidence Generation

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; Sara de la Rosa; Tanya Accone

Published: 2018 Innocenti Research Briefs
Geospatial technologies have transformed the way we visualize and understand situations. They are used to acquire, manipulate, store and visualize geographical information, including information on where individuals, groups and infrastructure are located in time and space. For development and humanitarian based organizations like UNICEF, the value of these technologies includes the ability to collect and process real-time information from places that are hard to reach or navigate such as dense forest, conflict zones, or where environmental disasters are occurring or have occurred. This brief provides an overview of the critical considerations when undertaking evidence generation using geospatial technologies. It is supplemented by a checklist that may be used to support reflection on the ethical use of geospatial technologies. This brief is based on a more in-depth Innocenti Discussion Paper which provides further guidance and tools.
Children and the Data Cycle:Rights and Ethics in a Big Data World

Children and the Data Cycle:Rights and Ethics in a Big Data World

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; Kerry Albright

Published: 2017 Innocenti Working Papers

In an era of increasing dependence on data science and big data, the voices of one set of major stakeholders – the world’s children and those who advocate on their behalf – have been largely absent. A recent paper estimates one in three global internet users is a child, yet there has been little rigorous debate or understanding of how to adapt traditional, offline ethical standards for research involving data collection from children, to a big data, online environment (Livingstone et al., 2015). This paper argues that due to the potential for severe, long-lasting and differential impacts on children, child rights need to be firmly integrated onto the agendas of global debates about ethics and data science. The authors outline their rationale for a greater focus on child rights and ethics in data science and suggest steps to move forward, focusing on the various actors within the data chain including data generators, collectors, analysts and end-users. It concludes by calling for a much stronger appreciation of the links between child rights, ethics and data science disciplines and for enhanced discourse between stakeholders in the data chain, and those responsible for upholding the rights of children, globally.

What We Know about Ethical Research Involving Children in Humanitarian Settings: An overview of principles, the literature and case studies

What We Know about Ethical Research Involving Children in Humanitarian Settings: An overview of principles, the literature and case studies

AUTHOR(S)
Gabrielle Berman; Jason Hart; Dónal O'Mathúna; Erica Mattellone; Alina Potts; Clare O'Kane; Jeremy Shusterman; Thomas Tanner

Published: 2016 Innocenti Working Papers
This working paper identifies and explores the issues that should be considered when undertaking ethical research involving children in humanitarian settings. Both the universal (i.e. relevant to all research involving children) and specific ethical issues that may arise when involving children in research in humanitarian settings are examined. This is undertaken through a review of the literature, relevant case studies, and a reflection on the ethical issues highlighted in UNICEF’s Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and Analysis (the Ethics Procedure). The key findings of this overview highlight that many of the ethical issues that are present in other settings remain relevant and applicable in the context of humanitarian settings. These include: an institution’s capacity to appropriately and respectfully engage children in research, understanding power relations, securing informed consent and assent, ascertaining harms and benefits, maintaining privacy and confidentiality, and ensuring appropriate communication of findings.
Recherche éthique impliquant des enfants

Recherche éthique impliquant des enfants

AUTHOR(S)
Mary Ann Powell; Nicola Taylor; Robyn Fitzgerald

Published: 2015 Innocenti Publications
Le recueil d’ERIC sert d’outil pour générer la pensée critique, le dialogue introspectif et la prise de décision éthique ainsi que pour contribuer à l’amélioration de la pratique de recherche impliquant des enfants à travers les différentes disciplines, les points de vue théoriques et méthodologiques et les contextes internationaux. L’accent est mis sur la nécessité d’une approche introspective de l’éthique de la recherche qui favorise les relations dynamiques et respectueuses entre chercheurs, enfants, familles, collectivités, organismes de recherche et autres intervenants.
Investigación ética con niños

Investigación ética con niños

AUTHOR(S)
Nicola Taylor; Robyn Fitzgerald

Published: 2015 Innocenti Publications
El compendio de ERIC ha de servir como herramienta para generar una reflexión crítica, un diálogo introspectivo y decisiones éticas, así como contribuir a mejorar la práctica de la investigación con niños a través de diferentes disciplinas, puntos de vista teóricos y metodológicos y contextos internacionales. Concede especial importancia a la necesidad de contar con un enfoque reflexivo de la ética de la investigación capaz de fomentar relaciones dinámicas y respetuosas entre los investigadores, los niños, las familias, las comunidades, las organizaciones de investigación y otras partes interesadas.
Overview of Impact Evaluation: Methodological Briefs - Impact Evaluation No. 1

Overview of Impact Evaluation: Methodological Briefs - Impact Evaluation No. 1

AUTHOR(S)
Patricia Rogers

Published: 2014 Methodological Briefs
Impact evaluation provides information about the impacts produced by an intervention. It can be undertaken of a programme or a policy, or upstream work – such as capacity building, policy advocacy and support for an enabling environment. This goes beyond looking only at goals and objectives to also examine unintended impacts. This brief provides an overview of the different elements of impact evaluation and options for planning and managing its various stages.
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