To manage a crisis, emergency first responders must have effective and efficient
communication strategies in place as speed of information exchange is one of the main
determinants of incident recovery. Failures in communication can have severe
repercussions.
Similarly, the use of big data1 and machine learning2 raises the possibility of misuse and
unintended repercussions. Consequently, it becomes critical to address the societal, legal,
ethical, and data protection challenges that may arise as a result of their implementation.
There are a few crucial considerations that must be taken into account, in particular:
- How will data be collected and used?
- What measures will be taken to mitigate risks and stay compliant?
- What are the implications of using machine learning algorithms?
That is where Eticas comes in as the project’s ethics partner. Eticas Research and
Innovation is a non-profit dedicated to research, education, and dissemination at the nexus
of technology, data, society, and responsibility. Our goal is to promote public awareness
about the dangers of digital technology, while also empowering individuals and communities
to preserve their personal information.
Eticas assists policymakers in developing policies that maximize technological advantages
while avoiding potential negative consequences. Moreover, it helps technology developers
detect ethical, legal, and social concerns early in the development process and incorporate
alternatives into the technology design. The Eticas Foundation is leading cutting-edge, highly
competitive projects in a variety of fields, such as building responsible data exchange
systems, ethical solutions, and analyzing GDPR compliance for sensitive projects.
Key ethical issues for TeamAware
During crisis and emergency management, the TeamAware toolkit and processes will be
largely aimed toward building and improving first responder awareness, communication and
knowledge management systems. These toolkits are specifically created to meet the
interests and needs of first responders such as law enforcement officers, medical workers,
and emergency responders. The data transfers that communication between these groups
entails, however, must be especially respectful of fundamental rights to privacy and personal
data protection, as stipulated in frameworks such as the European Convention on Human
Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2016/C 202/02).
TeamAware toolkit users must be able to safeguard these rights in regards to the data they
share with the system under these coordinates.
Furthermore, the Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR), the European Convention on
Human Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights all underline the importance
of the right to non-discrimination. As a result of their characteristics, many of the potential
collectives using TeamAware toolkits, including those with disabilities, may encounter
discrimination. The CFR is a document that sets out the basic rights and freedoms of
everyone in the European Union. These rights include the right to integrity, the right to
privacy, and the right to protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, sex,
religion, or national origin. One of the most important rights enshrined in the charter is the
right to integrity. This right protects people from being subjected to violence or intimidation,
and ensures that their personal data is protected.
The Teamaware project has thoroughly examined all of the potential effects of sensitive data
processing for members of the aforementioned collectives. When it comes to the protection
of personal data of study participants who belong to vulnerable groups of the population, the
consortium has identified non-discrimination as a major objective of TeamAware. One of the
project's key goals is to provide practitioners with relevant information on how to deal with
vulnerable individuals during an emergency. These recommendations will aid in avoiding any
potential discriminatory treatment during the research.
Due to the general characteristics of TeamAware’s live-action field exercises, the right to
integrity is important when considering that the research participants will be exposed to
conditions that may jeopardize their physical and mental well-being. Further, the right to
privacy is a conditional right, meaning it can be broken for good reason and in a
proportionate way. This is alluded to in the second paragraph of the European Convention
on Human Rights. As a result, TeamAware will handle research participants' personal data
proportionally and in compliance with data protection rules.
Key data protection issues for TeamAware
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation specific to the European
Union in the area of data protection. It replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC,
which was introduced in 1995. The GDPR was adopted on April 14, 2018, and came into
force on May 25, 2018. The GDPR regulates the handling of personal data by controllers
and processors within the European Union. It also establishes the right of data subjects to
access their personal data, and to exercise certain other rights, such as the right to
rectification and erasure.
All TeamAware partners must comply with the GDPR because the personal data they may
process as part of TeamAware belongs to data subjects whose data is being monitored for
research purposes within the Union (Article 3.2). TeamAware is made up of organizations
mainly headquartered in countries that are members of the European Union (EU) or
European Economic Area (EEA). Activities undertaken in non-EU countries are required bythe joint controller's agreement to meet the minimum requirements set forth in it, assuring a
minimum level of compliance.
The TeamAware consortium will be processing mainly data coming from:
- Representatives and contact points from members of the Advisory Boards.
- Research participants involved in the field exercises carried out within the project,
some of them belonging to vulnerable categories of the population.
- Publicly available databases.
- Data generated during testing such as environmental and structural shapes, colors,
decorations, etc.
And in order to remain compliant the project will follow the 7 key principles of GDPR,
outlined below:
- Lawfulness, fairness and transparency
- Purpose limitation
- Data minimisation
- Accuracy
- Storage limitation
- Integrity and confidentiality (security)
- Accountability
Key societal considerations for TeamAware and their consequences
First responders and crisis management personnel are frequently required to work in chaotic
environments. This entails making judgment calls on the optimal course of action based on
little information and under significant emotional and time pressure. When a first responder
arrives at the scene of a car accident, for example, they must make split-second decisions
about whether to provide medical help or use force if necessary. If they refuse to provide
medical assistance or if they do provide medical assistance, but inadvertently damage the
sufferer in the process they may face personal consequences in the form of administrative
reviews with career repercussions, disciplinary hearings with potential financial implication or
even prosecution posing a risk to their own freedom. All the above notwithstanding the
danger to their own lives, already inherent to the profession.
As an answer to these unfortunately common challenges, the TeamAware solution aims to
use Augmented Reality and Mobile Human Machine Interfaces to provide users with access
to real-time, improved, accurate and manageable information, allowing them to make better
decisions and avoid costly mistakes. Furthermore, these technologies have the potential to
increase industry safety, efficiency, and communication.
AI raises three major ethical concerns for society: privacy and surveillance, bias and
discrimination, and one of the most important implications of new technologies, the role of
human judgment. Since the TeamAware systems will aid first responders in decision making,these are concerns that will be closely monitored by Eticas throughout the development of
each system that makes part of the whole solution.
An important part of the monitoring process also includes the development of a Privacy
Impact Assessment and active contributions to desirability and acceptability assessments,
which, when combined with the sensible application of ethics requirements, results in an
appropriate legal and ethical foundation to assist consortium partners in the development of
knowledge and TeamAware systems, not only in compliance with GDPR, but also, and more
importantly, in accordance with the ethical principles to reinforce the systems' design.
