To a company, analysing big data can help improve performance, but to an employee that can equal a breach of trust. This question is just one being tested over the coming years in a new research programme into the ethical, technical and scientific issues surrounding the use of big data. The Swiss National Science Foundation launched 36 projects on Tuesday focusing on big data, the large volume of data that can be analysed computationally to reveal patterns and trends, especially when it comes to human behaviour and interactions. A large-scale survey of big data methods in Swiss companies will be done in one project led by Antoinette Weibel of the University of St Gallen, entitled “Big Brother in Swiss companies? Trust, data and personal privacy of employees”. It points out that Swiss firms are increasingly introducing new technologies to monitor their employees’ performance, but unreasonable monitoring can destroy trust in the employer. Ultimately the CHF25 million ...
