Microsoft Celeb (MS-Celeb-1M)

Transparency and accountability 🙈

Transparency limitations associated with the Microsoft Celeb (MS-Celeb-1M) dataset include: 

• Unclear consent processes for individuals included in the dataset

• Lack of transparency about data collection methods and sources

• Limited information on how "celebrity" status was determined

• Insufficient disclosure of potential biases in the dataset

• Inadequate documentation of data quality and accuracy

• Lack of clear policies on data usage, sharing, and restrictions

• Limited transparency on the dataset's impact on privacy and civil liberties

• Insufficient information on data retention and deletion processes

• Unclear mechanisms for individuals to request removal from the dataset

• Limited public reporting on how the dataset has been used by researchers and companies.

Risks and harms 🛑

Microsoft Celeb is seen to have posed significant privacy and ethical concerns due to its large-scale collection of celebrity images without explicit consent, potentially enabling unauthorised surveillance, identity theft, and the misuse of personal data. 

Research, advocacy 🧮

• Peng K., Mathur A., Narayanan A. (2021). Mitigating Dataset Harms Requires Stewardship: Lessons from 1000 Papers

• Harvey, A., LaPlace, J. (2019). Exposing.ai

Investigations, assessments, audits 👁️

• Murgia M., Financial Times (2019). Who’s using your face? The ugly truth about facial recognition