Just as we have best practices for setting up a database or creating a machine learning model, Data Practitioners should be bound to a set of rules when it comes to ethical conduct.

Author:  Nicole Janeway  |  Post Date:  Nov 20, 2021  |  Last Update:  Nov 22, 2021  |  Related Posts

The consequences of working with data extend far beyond optimizing query speed, creating a streamlined data pipeline, or attaining a certain level of predictive performance. In this article, we explore a potential path towards creating an oath of ethics for Data Practitioners.

The objective of the Data Practitioner's Oath is to establish a standard for ethical practice across the profession. Our team at Data Strategy Professionals is hopeful this will reduce instances of questionable data usage and machine learning malpractice.

To inform the creation of the Data Practitioner's Oath, we looked into the history of professional oaths in other fields, such as medicine, engineering, and accounting. This write-up will also address the implementation details and potential impact of the oath.

In this article:

1. History of Professional Oaths
2. An Oath for Data Practitioners?
3. Implementation of the Data Practitioner's Oath

We invite your contributions to the Data Practitioner's and Data Scientist's Oaths. Please submit your edits and suggestions via GitHub or by emailing the Community Organizer.

History of Professional Oaths

Ethical commitments in the tradition of western medicine date back over 2000 years. The physicians' Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest and certainly the most famous:

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

Though aspects of the oath have diminished in relevance since it was created by Hippocrates of Kos around 370 BCE, the ancient pledge of medical ethics is used in modern graduation ceremonies across western medicine. It is also considered one of the most binding documents in history, as well as the most famous medical texts.

The text addresses knowledge sharing, data privacy, and empathy, urging each signatory to treat the sick to the best of his or her ability. However, the clause most commonly attributed to Hippocrate's oath - "first, do no harm" - does not actually appear anywhere in the text. This principle likely evolved from 19th century writings, such as Florence Nightingale's essay on hospital architecture, which states, "the very first requirement [is that] it should do the sick no harm."

In other fields, the commitment to an ethical standard is represented in a physical object. This object then serves as a constant reminder of the professional's pledge. For example, Canadian engineers wear an iron ring that they receive as part of their graduation ceremony, which is called the "Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer:"

In the presence of these my betters and my equals in my Calling, I bind myself upon my Honour and Cold Iron, that, to the best of my knowledge and power, I will not henceforward suffer or pass, of be privy to the passing of, Bad Workmanship or Faulty Material, in aught that concerns my work before mankind as an Engineer, or in my dealings with my own Soul before my Maker.

My Time I will not refuse; my Thought I will not grudge; my Care I will not deny, towards the honour, use, stability and perfection of any works to which I may be called to set my hand.

My Fair Wages for that work I will openly take. My Reputation in my Calling I will honorably guard; but I will in no way go about to compass or wrest judgment or gratification from anyone with whom I may deal. And further, I will early and warily strive my uttermost against professional jealousy and the belittling of my working-colleagues in any field of their labor.

For my assured Failures and Derelictions, I ask pardon beforehand of my betters and my equals in my Calling here assembled; praying that in the hour of my temptations, weakness and weariness, the memory of this my Obligation and the company before whom it was entered into, may return to me to aid, comfort and restrain.

H. E. T. Haultain, a mining engineering professor at the University of Toronto proposed the iron ring as a symbol to accompany the ceremony. The ring is to be worn on the pinky finger of the engineer's working hand, a visible manifestation of the ethical commitment.

Within the profession of accounting, new entrants have the option to pledge a ceremonial oath before beginning their work, but the tradition varies across educational institutions.

An Oath for Data Practitioners?

It's been almost a decade since HBR's 2012 pronouncement of Data Science as "the sexiest job of the 21st century." In the intervening years, breakthrough technologies and ever increasing data access have continued to foment the impact of data-related professions.

These trends necessitate the need for more robust data ethics in education and practice. While data-related professions may lack a 2,000+ year tradition, the field would still benefit from a standardized ethical commitment along the lines of the Hippocratic Oath.

The patchwork of laws and regulations related to data use and data privacy falls short of protecting the modern citizen. Legal frameworks tend to lag the actual capabilities of related technologies. Moreover, they're essentially useless unless the involved parties choose to follow and enforce them.

Implementation of the Data Practioner's Oath

Education of data practitioners is wildly decentralized compared to medicine, engineering, or accounting. In contrast to fields where only formal education can certify a student, data-related jobs are held by folks with a variety of educational backgrounds, which may include academics, vocational training, and/or self-learning.

Therefore, ensuring broad exposure to the Data Practitioner's Oath presents a challenge. Making sure that university students and vocational learners have the opportunity to attest to the oath seems like a good first step. But more options are needed in order to reach the broad swath of data practitioners.

Given that today' certifications revolve around recognition on social media, Data Strategy Professionals provides a straightforward way for data practitioners to proudly acknowledge their attestation to the ethical commitment on LinkedIn. The certificate indicating signature of the oath could be displayed alongside certifications related to data management, deep learning, cloud computing, and other accouterments of a full stack Data Scientist.

If you found this article thought-provoking, consider signing on to the Data Practitioner's Oath.