The Federal Trade Commission has scheduled the “Big Data: A Tool
for Inclusion or Exclusion?” workshop that will explore the use
of big data and its impact, including the impact on low-income and underserved
customers.
“Big Data” is a hot topic for the FTC and Chairwoman Edith
Ramirez voiced her concerns regarding the growing use of analytic techniques
that companies use to categorize customers and make behavioral predictions.
“As part of the FTC’s ongoing work to shed light on the full
scope of big data practices, our workshop will examine the potentially
positive and negative effects of big data on low income and underserved
populations,” she said in a statement.
Companies ranging from retailers to lead generators to financial institutions
may categorize consumers “in ways that may affect them unfairly,
or even unlawfully,” the FTC noted, perhaps by offering different
prices or discounts to certain consumers or tailoring advertising for
specific products.
To explore these issues in greater detail, the workshop will address how
big data affects various populations, including specific questions such as:
How are organizations using big data to categorize consumers?
What benefits do consumers gain from these practices?
Do these practices raise consumer protection concerns?
What benefits do organizations gain from these practices?
What are the social and economic impacts, both positive and negative, from
the use of big data to categorize consumers?
How do existing laws apply to such practices?
Are there gaps in the legal framework?
Are companies appropriately assessing the impact of big data practices
on low-income and underserved populations?
Should additional measures be considered?
In addition to the delineated questions, the FTC invited comments, reports,
and original research on the issue. Although pre-workshop comments are
due by August 15, the general comment period will last until October 15.