Information technology and ethical international data sharing

The exchange of medical and biometric data across borders can present ethical concerns and dilemmas. This paper provides examples of existing national and international normative frameworks, including binding legislation and non-binding guidelines on international data sharing, to illustrate the status quo and cross-national inconsistencies. Ethical implications of these normative frameworks and of international data sharing in general are discussed. Ethical recommendations extracted from academic literature on transborder data flows are sampled. This analysis of current norms and ethical implications and recommendations is intended to promote international debate towards a consensus on ethical exchange of medical and biometric data between countries.