The Ethics of App Data Collection

Today, I had the opportunity to delve into a thought-provoking topic: whether mobile apps should be permitted to collect users' location data for transmission to data brokers. My views on this issue are grounded in ethical theories that illuminate the implications of privacy and consent.

It's worth noting that the permission of location data collection and transmission to data brokers also has ethical considerations on its own. The consequentialist just proponent also draws on rule utilitarian ideals, and argues that “there may be a chilling effect from this type of data collection at societal scales.” But if people are afraid that giving up their location data might come to the detriment of them being hacked, they could withhold information during a time when it is needed most.

From a social contract theory standpoint, we acknowledge that privacy should be preserved as a foundational right. Apps create an implicit understanding with users around what is and isn't acceptable behavior — but profiteering from their data without permission simply amounts to breaking that very basic social contract. Without trust, this can undermine individual autonomy and even promote bias.

As far as Kantianism is concerned, most of the time, devs who collect location data treat their users like wandering livestock, rather than respecting them as individual people. In a world where data is confiscated under the cloak of opacity, users essentially deviate from being the lord of their destiny.

At the end of the day, there just needs to be an overall tighter policy about collecting location-based data to protect that sensitive information and provide transparency for the user. This would put individuals in the position of understanding their data and being able to make informed decisions about how it should be used.