Overview

In recent years, ever more industries are embracing the utilization of a large amount of digital data, including personal data, to create innovations. However, as the use of data expands, ethical and social issues related to the use of data are becoming more and more apparent. In the midst of rapid data expansion, it is time to consider how the users can utilize data in an ethical and socially responsible manner, which goes beyond mere legal compliance.

In his speech at the Davos Forum in January 2019, then Japanese Prime Minist er Shinzo Abe advocated the realization of Date Free Flow with Trust (DFFT). There is a growing awareness of the necessity and importance of addressing the ethical and social issues associated with the use of data. However, specific methods and standards for addressing these issues have not yet been established.

We believe that in order to realize free and trustworthy data distribution, it is essential to first ensure responsible data use by establishing data ethics, or more specifically,the ethical norms for data use and governance based on these norms.

In this project, we will

• establish an academic foundation for data ethics.
• propose a framework for data ethics (basic principles and governance).

This project has been adopted by the Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society’s R&D program, “Science for Science and Technology Innovation Policy” in 2019. The research is based at Waseda University and is being conducted in collaboration with Kyoto University and others. The research period is from October 1, 2019 to March 31, 2023.