Big Data and Democracy (Paperback)

What's wrong with targeted advertising in political campaigns? Should we be worried about echo chambers? How does data collection impact on trust in society? As decision-making becomes increasingly automated, how can decision-makers be held to account? This collection consider potential solutions to these challenges. It brings together original research on the philosophy of big data and democracy from leading international authors, with recent examples – including the 2016 Brexit Referendum, the Leveson Inquiry and the Edward Snowden leaks. And it asks whether an ethical compass is available or even feasible in an ever more digitised and monitored world.

Kevin Macnish is Director in consulting for AI governance and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. His research is in the ethics of AI, privacy, surveillance and cybersecurity. He has published four books and over 50 articles and chapters on technology ethics. Recent works include The Ethics of Surveillance: an introduction, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2025), The Ethics of Surveillance in Times of Emergency (OUP, 2023), and Big Data and Democracy (Edinburgh University Press, 2020). Formerly an analyst and manager at GCHQ, Kevin has briefed the US National Security Advisor, been interviewed by BBC national television and radio and has spoken at both the House of Commons and the House of Lords in relation to his work.

Jai Galliott is Group Leader of Values in Defence & Security Technology at the Australian Defence Force Academy at the University of New South Wales; Non-Residential Fellow at the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy, West Point and Visiting Fellow in The Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at the University of Oxford. He is a defence analyst and expert on the ethical, legal and strategic issues associated with the employment of emerging technologies, including cyber systems, autonomous vehicles and soldier augmentation. His publications include: Ethics and the Future of Spying: Technology, National Security and Intelligence Collection (Routledge 2016); Military Robots: Mapping the Moral Landscape (Ashgate 2015); Super Soldiers: The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (Ashgate 2015); and Commercial Space Exploration: Ethics, Policy and Governance (Ashgate 2015).