Skip to main content ITU
ITU
  • Dk
  • Vacancies
  • Press
  • ITU Alumni
  • News
  • Events
  • Contact
  • About ITU
  • Dansk
  • About ITU
x
  • Programmes
    • BSc Programmes
      • BSc in Global Business Informatics
      • BSc in Digital Design and Interactive Technologies
      • BSc in Software Development
      • BSc in Data Science
      • Applying for a BSc Programme
      MSc Programmes
      • MSc in Data Science
      • MSc in Digital Innovation & Management
      • MSc in Digital Design and Interactive Technologies
      • MSc in Computer Science
      • MSc in Software Design
      • MSc in Games
      • Applying for an MSc Programme
      Student Life
      • Meet some of our international students
      • Women in tech
      • Student Organisations at ITU
      • Labs for students
      • Practical Information for International Students
      • Study Start
      • Study and Career Guidance
      Guest Students
      • Who can be a Guest Student
      • ITU Summer University
      • Exchange Student
        • Become an exchange student at ITU
  • Professional Education
    • Master in IT
      • Master in IT Management
      Single Subjects
      • About single subjects
      Contact
      • Contact us here
  • Research
    • Departments
      • Business IT Department
      • Computer Science Department
      • Digital Design Department
      • Research Groups and Labs
        • Research Groups
        • Labs
      Research Centres
      • Centre for Computer Games Research
      • Center for Computing Education Research
      • Centre for Digital Welfare
      • Centre for Information Security and Trust
      • European Blockchain Centre
      • Research Centre for Government IT
      • Research Ethics and Integrity
        • Good Scientific Practice
      Selected Research Themes
      • Artificial intelligence
      • Big Data
      • Computer games
      • Blockchain
      • Digitalization
      • IT security
      • Find a Researcher
        • Faculty Search
      PhD Programme
      • About the PhD Programme
      • Available PhD Positions
      • PhD Courses
      • PhD Defences
      • Technical Reports
        • Technical Reports
  • Collaboration
    • Collaboration with students
      • Project collaboration
      • Project Market
      • Student worker
      • Project postings
      • Job and Project bank
      • Portraits of ITU graduates
      Employer Branding
      • IT Match Making
      • Hiring an ITU student or graduate
      • Make a post in the job bank
      Research collaboration
      • Licensing Opportunities
      • Open Entrepreneurship
      • Research collaboration
      • Industrial PhD
        • Hire an Industrial PhD
      Innovation and entrepreneurship
      • ITU Business Development
      • ITU Startup programme
      • Startup stories
  • Programmes
    • Homepage: Programmes
    • BSc Programmes
    • MSc Programmes
    • Student Life
    • Guest Students
    • Exchange students
  • Professional Education
    • Homepage: Professional Education
    • Master in IT
    • Single subjects
    • Contact
  • Research
    • Homepage: Research
    • Research Departments
    • Research Ethics and Integrity
    • Good Scientific Practice
    • Research Groups and Centers
    • Labs
    • Technical Reports
    • PhD Programme
    • Center for Digital Welfare
  • Collaboration
    • Homepage: Collaboration
    • Employer Branding
    • Collaboration with students
    • Research collaboration
    • Industrial PhD
    • Innovation and entrepreneurship
    • ITU Business Development
  • Shortcuts
    • Vacancies
    • Press
    • ITU Alumni
    • News
    • Events
    • Contact
    • About ITU
  • Dansk
What can we learn from the Facebook data scandal?
ITU  /  Press  /  News from ITU  /  What can we learn from the Facebook data scandal?

What can we learn from the Facebook data scandal?

The Cambridge Analytica scandal where data from 87 million Facebook users was abused has raised concerns and debate about the implications of sharing personal data with global tech companies. Here, three ITU researchers reflect on what we can learn from the scandal.

Business IT DepartmentDigital Design Departmentsocial mediaprivacyAske KammerBrit Ross WinthereikIrina Shklovski

Written May 7, 2018 9:36 AM by Vibeke Arildsen

Advertising is powerful

"For all intents and purposes what Cambridge Analytica was selling was targeted advertising, albeit for political campaigns. In many ways though, the technology is the same targeted advertising machine available for selling shoes and vacation packages. Perhaps the most common response to concerns about data disclosure to advertisers is “it’s just advertising and it is nicer when advertising is relevant, so what’s the problem?”

According to Irina Shklovski, the Cambridge Analytica scandal shows the consequences of letting algorithms predict and accomodate our desires.
In my courses on critical data studies, I have often asked students to conduct some experiments with limiting how much data they disclose. Increasingly, my students react unfavorably to such assignments, arguing that they would rather have good, relevant and potentially interesting advertising. They do not see a reason for why they should mislead advertisers about their needs, wants or preferences.

Cambridge Analytica has amply demonstrated the power of advertising and its implications for far more than merely the purchase of shoes. Advertising, it turns out, can break democracies. This offers an opportunity to really consider what targeting really means and some broader implications of the rush to algorithmically predict and accommodate our desires." 

Irina Shklovski, Associate Professor, Business IT Department

Unclear how to categorize Facebook

"'Senator, we run ads,' Mark Zuckerberg responded during Facebook hearings at the US Congress to a question from Senator Orrin Hatch about how Facebook makes a revenue without user payment. The question and answer illustrate a central issue around Facebook, namely that many (also in academia) have a hard time understanding what it really is and how it works.

Is Facebook a tech company or a media company? It has become clear that the platform is difficult to categotize, says Aske Kammer.
Is Facebook a tech company that just develops software and along the way became a very central channel for human communication? Or is it a media company because it selects and distributes massive amounts of content? Should we think of Facebook as infrastructure for communication and social organization? Or is it first and foremost an advertising platform where companies are connected with potential customers? Or something quite different?

It is hardly possible to give one correct and comprehensive answer to this question, but it is nevertheless important to consider. It is through categorizing phenomena that we understand them – and thereby define how we can and should address them (for instance through regulation). The Facebook ordeal a good reminder of this."

Aske Kammer, Assistant Professor, Digital Design Department

Data ethics debate is needed

"One of the things we can learn from the Facebook scandal is that both authorities and individuals are responsible for protecting our privacy. Upgrading citizen knowledge information security is a must. For instance, it is important that the conditions for using social media are written in a language that ordinary people understand.

Creating debate about the significance of data in our society - for instance through a data ethics council - is vital, says Brit Ross Winthereik.
In a wider sense, the scandal has taught us how important it is to create good conditions for critical reflection and debate about what it means to live in a society that is infected with data and with dreams about the potential of data. One aspect of this is that data is used and re-used far from the context in which it was produced.

Conditions for such a debate could be created by establishing a data ethics council. In a data infected society, it is vital to have an independent unit that can initiate debates on information security, privacy protection and issues related to our digital world that we cannot yet imagine because we don’t know what is technically possible in 5 years."

Brit Ross Winthereik, Professor, Business IT Department

Further information

Vibeke Arildsen, Press Officer, phone 2555 0447, email viar@itu.dk

News

New research project at ITU: How can we make digitalization of the public sector a citizen driven project?

New research project at ITU: How can we make digitalization of the public sector a citizen driven project?

April 16, 2021

The lack of user participation in the digitalization of the public sector in the Nordic countries blocks a truly successful digital transformation. The aim of the new research project CAPE is to investigate how to increase user involvement in the development of public e-services.

New IT University cofounded pioneer centre to bolster Danish artificial intelligence research

New IT University cofounded pioneer centre to bolster Danish artificial intelligence research

April 9, 2021

The pioneer centre, established by the IT University and four other Danish universities, has received DKK 352,4 million in funding to conduct artificial intelligence research focussed on social issues, design, and ethics.

Christina Hvid has been appointed new member of the Board of ITU

Christina Hvid has been appointed new member of the Board of ITU

March 19, 2021

The IT University appointment committee has appointed Christina Hvid, CEO of Molio, as new member of the Board of Directors from April 1, 2021.

Profile of professor Dag Svanæs: ”We’re technological by nature”

Profile of professor Dag Svanæs: ”We’re technological by nature”

March 17, 2021

In his homeland Norway, the professor at the Digital Design Department, Dag Svanæs, is known for wearing a tail. On Thursday March 25 he will hold his inaugural lecture about the integration of people and technology.

Public digitalisation: Citizens' need for informal IT support will be studied in new research project

Public digitalisation: Citizens' need for informal IT support will be studied in new research project

March 8, 2021

As a part of the digitalisation of the public sector, citizens are required to handle more tasks themselves in the contact with governmental institutions and authorities. This is not equally easy for everybody and many people need help. But where can they find that support? A new research project at the IT University of Copenhagen’s Center for Digital Welfare is going to investigate informal welfare work in the digitized state.

Profile of new professor: bridge-builder who serves the climate

Profile of new professor: bridge-builder who serves the climate

March 3, 2021

Steffen Dalsgaard has been appointed a professor at the Department for Business IT at the IT University of Copenhagen and has, among other things, the ambition to generate and disseminate knowledge of how technological climate initiatives work.

ITU to coordinate research project on the use of digital police tools

ITU to coordinate research project on the use of digital police tools

February 9, 2021

Five European universities, a research centre and a trade union for IT professionals have launched a three-year research project on the consequences of the police's increasing use of big data, face recognition, mass surveillance and predictive analytics.

ITU researcher granted to investigate how to verify that our private data really is private

ITU researcher granted to investigate how to verify that our private data really is private

February 5, 2021

When our data are successfully kept private, it becomes a challenge to investigate data misuse. Independent Research Fund Denmark has awarded Associate Professor at the IT University of Copenhagen, Bernardo David, a Sapere Aude grant to find out how to verify that our sensitive data is not misused while keeping them private.

The Danish Data Protection Agency: IT University of Copenhagen has acted correctly in relation to the use of ProctorExam

The Danish Data Protection Agency: IT University of Copenhagen has acted correctly in relation to the use of ProctorExam

February 4, 2021

In the spring 2020 the ITU made use of the programme ProctorExam, which is a monitoring tool used for monitoring written home exams. In connection with this, The Danish Data Protection Agency decided to examine whether the ITU had complied with the Data Protection Regulation rules when using ProctorExam. The Danish Data Protection Agency has now made its decision in this matter and has concluded that the ITU’s processing of personal data and the use of ProctorExam have taken place in accordance with the rules on data protection.

ITU recruits two international researcher profiles with Start Package from Novo Nordisk Foundation

ITU recruits two international researcher profiles with Start Package from Novo Nordisk Foundation

January 27, 2021

Two uniquely talented, international researchers will be moving to Denmark to continue their careers at the IT University of Copenhagen. The recruitments are supported by Novo Nordisk Foundation's new Start Package grant programme.

Roberta Sinatra awarded a Velux Foundation grant to fight discriminatory algorithms

Roberta Sinatra awarded a Velux Foundation grant to fight discriminatory algorithms

January 25, 2021

Algorithms used for ranking publications and evaluating researchers on the basis of their citations are far from fair. The Velux Foundation has awarded associate professor, Roberta Sinatra, the Young Investigator grant to pursue her ambition of creating the foundation for better algorithms and metrics.

ITU ESPRESSO: What lessons can the global tech hubs pass on to Danish businesses?

ITU ESPRESSO: What lessons can the global tech hubs pass on to Danish businesses?

January 21, 2021

Tune in for another insightful coffee break with ITU ESPRESSO: On Tuesday 26 January, we will be presenting another live streamed talk and welcome Associate Professor, Lars Rune Christensen as guest speaker. The talk will focus on the lessons that the global tech hubs can offer Danish companies.

ITU researcher granted twice to develop sustainable software

ITU researcher granted twice to develop sustainable software

January 18, 2021

Associate professor at the IT University of Copenhagen Pinar Tözün has been awarded with two grants for her research in solutions for sustainable growth in data science.

New report: Cybersecurity is underprioritized in Danish companies

New report: Cybersecurity is underprioritized in Danish companies

January 12, 2021

Danish companies consider cybersecurity important, but at the same time underprioritize it, shows a new report by researchers at the IT University of Copenhagen and University of Southern Denmark. Part of the explanation is that senior managers have little knowledge about the cybersecurity threats, say the researchers behind the report.

ITU's "Blockchain Professor" gets international top rankings

ITU's "Blockchain Professor" gets international top rankings

December 22, 2020

According to two international rankings, Professor Roman Beck is among the most important researchers in his field.

Notification of security breach

Notification of security breach

December 16, 2020

A file containing personal information about censors and a number of employees has been accessible on one of ITU's internal network drives. The security breach has been reported to the Danish Data Protection Agency, and the persons affected have been notified.

Study: Female researchers rival men in productivity – but have shorter careers

Study: Female researchers rival men in productivity – but have shorter careers

November 30, 2020

A comprehensive study of the careers of 1.5 million researchers shows that women and men on average produce the same number of scientific articles annually, but that women tend to leave their research careers earlier. According to ITU researcher Roberta Sinatra, co-author of the study, the study should inspire decision-makers to take a closer look at the reasons why women leave academia.

The IT University plays a vital role in the newly established National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies

The IT University plays a vital role in the newly established National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies

November 26, 2020

The Innovation Fund Denmark has granted DKK 100 million for the establishment of a national research centre in digital technologies, led by a consortium of seven Danish universities and the Alexandra Institute.

An insightful coffee break: ITU launches a line of talks on digital transformation

An insightful coffee break: ITU launches a line of talks on digital transformation

November 12, 2020

In a new series of live streamed talks, the IT University will present new perspectives on IT to professionals working with digitalisation and transformation. Under the headline ITU ESPRESSO, the series will go off as a line of concentrated coffee breaks. These talks will keep you abreast and expand your knowledge of what is on the future-facing agenda of digitalisation.

ITU launches action plan for gender diversity among employees

ITU launches action plan for gender diversity among employees

November 12, 2020

With a new action plan, the IT University of Copenhagen will work systematically and strategically to promote gender diversity by ensuring equal opportunities for all employees.

Contact us

Phone
+45 7218 5000
E-mail
itu@itu.dk

All contact information

Web Accessibility Statement

Find us

IT University of Copenhagen
Rued Langgaards Vej 7
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Denmark
How to get here

Follow us

ITU Student /
Privacy /
EAN-nr. 5798000417878/
CVR-nr. 29 05 77 53

This page is printed from http://itu.dedicated.cohaesio.net/