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Data Privacy and Ethics In the Age of Big Data Analytics
You won’t find that many people in your organization that know what data ethics entails. Ethics in general is considered a dry topic so you won’t be finding people in organizations lining up to find out if their actions in the workplace fall in the “Good ethics” category.
This is something that falls on organizations to take responsibility for learning what data ethics means and explaining to their employees if they want a good culture and avoid accidentally breaking any laws like the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL).
Data privacy too falls into the ethics discussions specifically concerning the reason it is collected for. You need to decide beforehand that the data you are collecting will be used for a good purpose and who has access to it. If the well-being of the person’s data you’re collecting and processing isn’t your top concern then you need an ethics 101 on data privacy.
Then there’s the big (because big data) elephant in the room. How do you maintain data privacy and uphold ethics in big data analytics? You are dealing with large datasets, bias tends to creep in that favors certain outputs over others.
Wateen Digital Solutions is a leading professional services provider in the UAE. One of the professional services we provide is big data analytics.
Not only do we provide data privacy security in UAE so your data remains protected but we also provide big data analytics solutions in line with key data ethics principles.
Some Key Data Ethics

Always remember that you don’t have ownership over someone else’s data. The PDPL gives an individual so many rights over their own data that it’s in your best interest to ask for clear consent to collect their data and exactly what you intend to do with this information. You have to be upfront about it.
You should always process data in a lawful and transparent manner. Don’t say one thing about processing data in your terms and conditions for processing data and then process it another way. This is unethical and can invoke fines from regulatory bodies.
It is your job to make sure that any information you collect that can be linked to an individual’s identity stays safe and encrypted. You don’t want that information coming out as it will cause monetary and other damages to an individual for which you are liable by the PDPL.
With these key data ethics stated, how many organizations do you expect will adhere to them without any governing body breathing down their necks? The UAE realized this problem and made significant progress in this regard by introducing PDPL in line with the federal decree by law.
We’ll touch on the federal decree briefly to understand which entities are answerable to the UAE Data Office and which aren’t.
If your organization is obligated to adhere to PDPL then make ethical decisions going forward to maintain data privacy or just reach out to Wateen Digital Solutions for a quick consultation regarding data ethics.
Extent of Applicability of the Decree by Law
Here is the complete federal decree by law No. (45) of 2021 concerning the protection of personal data in English and here is the Arabic version for our UAE readers.
As mentioned before, we will briefly go over everyone that this law applies to. Wateen Digital Solutions offers compliance assessment and implementation services in relation to this decree.
The following is everyone to whom this law applies:
- Anyone residing in UAE or having a place of business in it.
- Any individual, company, or establishment inside the UAE that has access to personal data.
- Any individual, company, or establishment outside the UAE that can process personal data at the behest of a controller.
The following is everyone to whom this law does not apply:
- Governmental entities that control or process personal data
- Security and judicial authorities that hold personal data.
- Companies and establishments located in free zones in the country and have special legislations regarding personal data protection.
There is more to these provisions but this is the gist that companies offering big data analytics services need to keep in mind when writing, training, and fine-tuning their algorithms as there are large datasets at play here.
Wateen Digital Solutions: A Class Apart in Big Data Ethics

Having already paved the way for data protection and privacy in the UAE by practicing great data ethics and goodwill, it was time for us to shift our focus to presenting ethical big data analytics solutions.
What exactly do we offer? Do machine learning (ML) and AI algorithms with minimum bias to reduce inaccuracies do the trick for you? Our ML algorithms analyze large datasets to identify patterns and insights otherwise difficult to find or extract by normal means.
Our big data analytics solutions offer a number of applications such as predictive analytics, fraud detection, anomaly detection, healthcare analytics, and more, regardless of your industry. We provide tailored solutions for each industry.
If you’re interested in extracting actionable insights to make informed decisions for your company, then follow this link. Maximize your chances of success. We will be expecting you.