Bad Data

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Data whose originator had good intentions:


Eugenics:


Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices aimed at improving the genetic quality of a human population, often through selective breeding or sterilization. The concept has its origins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drawing on advancements in genetics and evolutionary theory.

Okay labeling this as "good intentions" is a stretch but for the sake of the argument given by the leaders of the eugenics movement, let us take their word for it and assume this was an attempt at a scientific breakthrough



Reflection:


  • Eugenics is an immoral and pseudoscientific theory that claims it is possible to perfect people and groups through genetics and the scientific laws of inheritance. Eugenicists used an incorrect and prejudiced understanding of the work of Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel to support the idea of “racial improvement.”
    In their quest for a perfect society, eugenicists labelled many people as “unfit,” including ethnic and religious minorities, people with disabilities, the urban poor and LGBTQ individuals. Discussions of eugenics began in the late 19th century in England, then spread to other countries, including the United States. Most industrialized countries had organizations devoted to promoting eugenics by the end of World War I

  • I have a very negative connection to the use of genetic data being used for evil. As a person of color from Africa. These strategies of collecting identities and equating them to standards of scientific standards has brought scientific racism and operation. This has also been used as a weapon in apartheid south africa and many other post colonial states while also being practiced in Europe and America.

  • My correction would be complete abolition of such menial and insensitive leaps in science and any other human advancement.


 Data whose originator had bad intentions:

 

The Rwandan Genocide and the Use of Identity Cards:


The Rwandan Genocide occurred in 1994 (8 years before I was born) it lasted over approximately 100 days, during which extremist members of the Hutu ethnic majority (ethnic group in Rwanda) systematically killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsi minority members, as well as moderate Hutus. The violence also labeled as one of the most horrifying acts of genocide was triggered by longstanding ethnic tensions in Rwanda. The impact and implications of this event has impacted other African countries and the international community. I was very young but to this day I remember the aftermath the genocide had on the continent.


In the lead-up to the genocide, data in the form of identity cards in Rwanda were collected and classified individuals by ethnicity (Hutu or Tutsi). These classifications, originally there to limit the minority in different spaces, were used during the genocide to target and kill members of the Tutsi ethnic group.


Hutu extremists used these colonially rooted ID cards for their own purposes: to distinguish between Hutu and Tutsi. During the years of 1964-81, an identity card law mandated ID cards for everyone sixteen and above. These ID cards were used to restrict Tutsi from certain careers. It kept Tutsi inhabitants from entering the military and governmental positions. 







  • Fig 1: Image of what a Tutsi ID card looks like



    Reflection:

  • The context of this is that data is much more than mere identification. This is not about identifying with a certain group; it is an intentional, systematic way of operating that was also utilized for the mass wipeout of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than a way to determine where people are from, but in the context of an ethnically charged, post-colonial Africa, it serves as a means to segregate and harm minorities.

  • I grew up in an ethnic federalism in Ethiopia, and although we never experienced a sudden ethnic wipeout, we had various tensions, conflicts, and wars, with one ethnic group trying to gain more power than another. Until around 2017, we were required to have ID cards with our ethnic identity written on them. The government made this mandatory, claiming it was beneficial for national security, but it was widely known that the system was designed to identify where people came from and limit most of them.

    In 2020, even though the ID system had been eradicated, cards issued before 2017 still had the ethnic identifier. When the war broke out between the Tigrayan ethnic group and the central government, there were mass arrests in the city targeting those with ID cards identifying them as Tigrayan. As someone who protested this system, I never had an ID, and I almost got arrested once.

    In the 1970s, before ethnic democracy became as prominent as it is now, my grandpa, who was a parliament member, recommended to the house that this identifier be removed. Even before the Rwandan Genocide, African countries recognized the harmful intentions behind this data.

  • My pushback is to never use this system again. There are many ways to identify a person's identity without the need of asking their ethnic identity especially in contexts where ethnic tensions are prevalent.

  • The originator of this data ofcourse would not appreciate the push back. This is clearly designed by a majority with the intention to keep dominion.


 



 Data which is bad for being incorrect:

The Mars Climate Orbiter (1999): 

  • The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost in 1999 due to a critical unit conversion error between imperial and metric systems. A contractor provided thrust data in imperial units (pound-seconds), but NASA's navigation system expected the data in metric units (newton-seconds). This mismatch resulted in incorrect trajectory calculations, causing the spacecraft to enter Mars' atmosphere at a dangerously low altitude, where it was destroyed. The incident highlighted the importance of consistent units in engineering and mission planning.

  • This incident sent out false and misleading data about the Mars atmosphere to NASA before being discover. 
Reflection: 
  • Yes, the context of this data is important. In the past, and in the couple of years after that, NASA sent spacecraft that failed to land, but this was one of the most unique situations where we can pinpoint the error in terms of data transmission to a basic, menial human error. It also sent very wrong data that was misunderstood because the data was incorrect.

  • I am giving it a bad classification because, based on a simple cost-benefit analysis, the USFG spent around 125 million dollars to get this mission on the road, only for it to produce incorrect results and for the spacecraft to be destroyed in the process.

  •  I would probably work harder on preparation beforehand and cross check every single little detail about the mission. It is simple mistakes like this that can cost us everything. 

  • I would probably think NASA would agree with my classification




 Data which is bad for being misleading:

SharpieGate:

  • Sharpiegate was a 2019 controversy involving President Donald Trump, who showed a modified weather map with a Sharpie marker to falsely claim that Hurricane Dorian's path included Alabama. Despite official forecasts excluding Alabama, Trump’s altered map led to accusations of misleading the public, and the incident sparked debates about political interference with government science and weather forecasting. 




Fig 2: Donald Trump's SharpieGate 




Reflection: 
  • This is a fun one. There is no reason or intent (that one can explain) that this had any intention of evil behind it. It is President Donald Trump refusing to be wrong. This was misleading to those who live in Alabama and to those who take the words of Donald Trump at a higher regard than other authorities.

  • I am giving it a bad classification because it blatantly mislead those who were directly affected by the hurricane.

  • This is not the first time nor will it be the last time that Donald Trump has been accused of giving out misleading information. I honestly don't know any form of pushback that would be feasible or a form of pushback that can provide change. 

  • They would call it "fake news."


Data which is bad for the outcome:

The London Riots of 2011:

  • The London riots were sparked by the shooting of an individual called Mark Duggan by police. A misleading report on social media suggested that Duggan was unarmed, which fueled anger and led to widespread riots. False or incomplete information about the event spread quickly, intensifying the unrest and violence.

  • This specific representation of data on top of it being misrepresented also had a negative impact or reaction from those who were on the receiving end of the data. that led more than 200 people to be injured
Reflection: 
  • The context of this data was heartbreaking. In my opinion the fact that the death of the individual was dishonored and expressed wrongly, while also leading to more destruction is horrifying.

  • I am giving it a bad solely upon the impact it had on london and everyone that was involved. If this data/information was transmitted accurately things would not have turned as bad as they would have.

  • My push back is that news and information as sensitive as this should be treated with grace and lots of fact checks should be in place.

  • Those who made the data would probably not identify this as "bad" data when passion and strong opinions are formed 


References: 


 



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