U.S. Government Accountability Office Report on AI Privacy Risks

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released a report concerning privacy risks associated with utilizing AI in the federal government.  The privacy risks raised by experts include:

 

Risks Associated with Protecting Privacy When Using AI

The experts identified 10 key risks related to privacy when using AI, including potential invasions of privacy from data aggregation and the use of data for purposes exceeding what was originally intended. Table 1 identifies the 10 risks and associated descriptions.

Table 1: Expert-Identified Risks Associated with Protecting Privacy When Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Risk name	Associated risk description
Data persistence	Data may continue to exist in AI systems and be difficult to extract/remove once collected.
Data re-identification	AI has the ability to cross-reference multiple data sets from seemingly independent and anonymous outputs to reidentify anonymized data.a
Generation of deceptive or inaccurate outputs	AI may be used to intentionally or unintentionally generate deceptive outputs (e.g., deepfakes) or inaccurate outputs (e.g., hallucinations)b that may result in harm towards individuals.
Improper disclosure	AI can reveal and cause improper sharing of individuals’ data when it infers additional sensitive information from raw data.
Increased accessibility to sensitive information	AI can make sensitive information more accessible to a wider audience (e.g., data brokers) than intended.
Invasion of privacy from data aggregation	AI may combine various pieces of data about a person to make inferences beyond what is explicitly captured in those data (e.g., social scoring),c which can invade an individuals’ personal space and solitude by revealing private information (e.g., health-related, financial, location).
Lack of security over data	Inadequate AI data requirements and storage practices can result in data breaches and improper access.
Lack of transparency related to data use	AI may be used without providing individuals with notice and control over how their data is being used.
Lack of transparency in AI model algorithmic decision-making	The workings of AI models could include decisions based on individual data that one is unaware of and that can lead to privacy risks.
Secondary use of data	The use of personal data for purposes other than originally intended can be exacerbated by AI’s ability to repurpose data.