Public Data, Free Data

Digital privacy is becoming a trend in recent years due to the rise of internet penetration. The number of people going online and publicly sharing their information and everyday life are at its highest. However, is it okay for journalists to use public data without consent?

Honestly, I think that it is a matter of ethics and morale. To justify, when you see a 50 ringgit note on the floor out in public, what will you do? Will you ask around if anyone lost it or will you just take it and spend it for your own benefit? The same goes for public data, it is there for everyone to see, but what you do with it is a question of personal values.

Of course, the “right” way is to ask for consent before using any data on the internet, but sometimes it can be a hassle. Although, it is a risk that one needs to take as it can be used against oneself especially in terms of legal issues. At the end of the day, I think that it is entirely up to you as a journalist on how you approach such things.

To summarise, it is important to know that the owner of the data has the right to deny any use of the data shared publicly and journalists have to respect that. Please don’t be justifying it like it’s not a big deal like the paparazzi in the video below. I believe Kanye explained it clearly.