Privacy concerns in integrating big data in “e-Oman”
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-04-2016-0011 |
| Published date | 13 November 2017 |
| Pages | 385-396 |
| Date | 13 November 2017 |
| Author | Stuti Saxena |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information & communications technology |
Privacy concerns in integrating
big data in “e-Oman”
Stuti Saxena
College of Economics and Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University,
Muscat, Oman
Abstract
Purpose –Whereas integrationof big data in “e-Oman”–the e-government face of Oman –is a significant
prospect,this paper aims to underscore the challengesof privacy concerns in effecting such integration.
Design/methodology/approach –Providinga brief descriptionabout the concepts of e-government and
big data, the paper follows a discussion on “e-Oman”.While drawing a framework for integration of bigdata
in “e-Oman”, the paper throws light on the privacy concerns in effecting such an integration following a
qualitativeapproach.
Findings –Integration of big datain “e-Oman”is fraught with ethicalchallenges in terms of privacy issues
which havesocial implications.
Practical implications –While the pros of integration of big datain “e-Oman”are noteworthy,technical
and administrative constraints vis-à-vis the cons of such integration need to be taken care of. It may be
underlined that thereis a trade-off between the norms of transparency and privacyof individuals versus the
deploymentof big data in “e-Oman”for effective real-timeproblem-solving.
Social implications –Technical and administrative infrastructure needs to be robust for countering
challenges of cybercrimes. Furthermore, confidentiality and privacy of individuals may be at stake; the
governmentneeds to tackle these issues.
Originality/value –Integrationof big data in “e-Oman”needs to be probed, and this paper seeks to fill this
gap. Second, the paper underscores that it is important that ethical norms are being accounted for while
effectingthis integration.
Keywords e-Government, Data mining, Information
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Expansionary trends in internet have led to the generation of a lot of data. With the
emergence of information andcommunication technologies (ICTs), a large amount of data is
being processed at a global scale. At the same time, privacy concerns emerge wherein
personal data are being shared online (Wu, 2014).Personal information is very sensitive and
ensuring anonymity is difficult in publicdomain. Furthermore, such concerns become more
apparent when data are analyzed in aggregation. ICT has enabled the transition of
governments to e-governments for ensuringeconomy, effectiveness and efficiency in public
services (Cegarra-Navarro et al., 2012;Cordella and Tempini, 2015). On account of several
transactions and interactionsbetween the government and the citizens via the e-government
modes, voluminous and real-time data are created every now and then. Big data relates to
the voluminous data which are generated from diverse sources and need to be processed
(McAfee and Brynjolfsson, 2012). It is anticipated that with the integration of big data in
“e-Oman”, novel policies and programs may be initiated with enhanced prediction and
sentiment analysis (Desouzaand Jacob, 2014). The deployment of big data in government is
being well-attested in diverse areas like astronomy, chemistry, education, commerce,
medicine, crime (Bertot and Choi, 2013). This paper seeks to underline the information
Privacy
concerns in
integrating big
data
385
Received14 April 2016
Revised22 May 2016
Accepted26 May 2016
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.15 No. 4, 2017
pp. 385-396
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-04-2016-0011
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