Transparency in Data Mining: From Theory to Practice

A broad variety of governmental initiatives are striving to use advanced computerized processes to predict human behavior. This is especially true when the behavioral trends sought generate substantial risks or are difficult to enforce. Data mining applications are the technological tools which make governmental prediction possible. The growing use of predictive practices premised upon the analysis of personal information and powered by data mining, has generated a flurry of negative reactions and responses. A central concern often voiced in this context is the lack of transparency these processes entail. Although echoed across the policy, legal and academic debate, the nature of transparency in this context is unclear and calls for a rigorous analysis. Transparency might pertain to different segments of the data mining and prediction process. This chapter makes initial steps in illuminating the true meaning of transparency in this specific context and provides tools for further examining this issue.