# Hazard: Lacks Informed Consent

```{image} ../images/hazards/lacks-informed-consent.png
:alt: A red diamond shaped outline (like a warning sign) containing a magnifying glass hovering over a cross on a piece of paper.
:width: 250px
```

## Description

This hazard applies to datasets or algorithms that use data which has not been provided with the explicit consent of the data owner/creator. This data often lacks
other contextual information which can also make it difficult to understand how the dataset may be biased.


## Examples

__Example 1:__ Large public social media datasets rarely collect informed consent from 'participants'. 

__Example 2:__ [Data linkage projects](https://bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12910-015-0070-4) tend not to involve informed consent. 


## Safety Precautions

- Being clear about the limitations of any ground truth inferences made from the data.
- Systems built solely with this type of data should not be applied in practice.