Do we value our privacy more than new medical discoveries?

Data driven technology developments are transforming our medical knowledge and giving medical professionals new insights into patients’ wellbeing. Data gathering technology such as fitbits help monitor heart rates, blood sugar levels and sleep cycles, whereas IBM’s A.I. system, Watson, gives scientists insight into how genes affect our health.

In the 21st century, medical developments are relying on data more than ever before. How can we balance the potential benefits of using personal data for healthcare research, with the ethical dilemmas they provoke? Should we allow companies to use medical data for technological developments and interventions that may improve our lifestyles, or does this contravene our privacy rights? Data analysis could help predict epidemics and optimise clinical trials, but offers an ethical difficulty for medical professionals.

Speakers include:

• Luciano Floridi, Turing Faculty Fellow and Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at the Oxford Internet Institute. His research areas are the philosophy of Information, information and computer ethics, and the philosophy of technology.

• Sabina Leonelli, Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences (Egenis), where she leads the Data Studies research strand. Currently, Sabina focuses on the philosophy, history and sociology of data-intensive science, especially the research processes, scientific outputs and social embedding of Open Science, Open Data and Big Data.

• Natalie Banner, Policy Adviser at Wellcome Trust. Her focus is on how to get the best use and value from health and genetic data while ensuring it is well protected, responsibly managed and ethically used, both in the UK and internationally.

The panel will be chaired by writer and broadcaster Timandra Harkness.

Timandra presents BBC Radio 4 series, FutureProofing and has presented the documentaries, Data, Data Everywhere, Personality Politics & The Singularity.

Enjoy food and drink purchased from the Knowledge Centre Bar from 18.00 and after the event until the Bar closes at 22.00.

In collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute

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