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Round-up on ethics of design in technology

One of the most interesting and challenging inquiries in the evolving ethical code of technology has to do with design choices. Ethical decision-making and process design has direct impact on the fluid, complex process of creating the devices, interfaces, and systems that are brought to market and used by consumers on a constant basis. In such a disruptive and innovative industry, there are moral costs for every design decision: every new creation replaces or changes an existing one, and for everyone who has new access or benefits, others experience the costs of these decisions. Therefore the ethics of design as applied to technology and, of particular interest, social media, have concrete importance for everyone living in a world increasingly dominated by user experiences, communities’ terms of service, and smart devices.

Former Google product manager Tristan Harris has gone viral with his commentary on the ethics of design in smart phones and platforms creating apps for them. There is a balance in online design where the internet platforms go from being useful or intuitive to encouraging interruption and even obsession. Many people worry about the effect “screen time” may have on their attention span, quality of sleep, and offline interactions with people. Design techniques may actually keep people attached to their devices in a constant loop of advertisements, notifications, and links, as content providers and platforms compete to grab viewers’ attention. Alerting people to the control their devices have over their attention and time is one step, but urging more ethical choices in the design process is the next frontier for innovation reform: Our Minds Have Been Hijacked By Our Phones. Tristan Harris Wants To Rescue Them.
The above phenomenon of addictive design has become so imbedded in the creation of app features that even the most subtle changes can have a huge impact on the consumption practices of users. But when do features go from entertaining and user-friendly to compulsive, even addictive? Refreshing an app can be like pulling the lever on a slot machine, giving the brain rewards in the form of new content to keep the loop going at the expense of other activities and priorities. These design improvements, then, may actually affect users more as manipulations: Designers are using “dark UX” to turn you into a sleep-deprived internet addict
These small, ongoing redesigns are intended to make apps more readable and consumable. These periodic improvements are intended to make content more captivating and enable longer browsing – again prompting the question, what is the ethical code for the control designers wield over users with these choices? From a design ethics perspective, these small changes can be viewed as more alarming than major ones, as they are so incremental that many users do not consciously notice them and therefore “optimization” tips into “over-optimization,” meaningful interaction becoming possibly destructive: Facebook and Instagram get redesigns for readability
Artificial intelligence always captures the public’s imagination – thrills and fears about the possible developing capabilities of robots and predictive algorithms that could direct and define – and perhaps threaten – human existence in the future. AI has been developing in recent years at a breakneck pace, and all indications are that this innovation will continue or multiply in the coming period. The science fiction-esque impact of AI on society will grow and bring with it all kinds of ethical concerns about the abilities of humans to define and control it in a timely and effective way: Ethics — the next frontier for artificial intelligence
Social media platforms have developed into social systems, with all the dilemmas and dynamics that come along with that. These networks may face the choice between engagement and all of the thorny dialogs that come with it, and a simpler, more remote model that can be enjoyable but is less interactive and therefore, perhaps, less provocative: ‘Link in Bio’ Keeps Instagram Nice

Queries into design ethics and choice theory in technology, especially social media, ask the questions of what human experience will evolve into in a world which is increasingly digitized and networked. The design decisions made in the creation of these devices and systems require an ethical code and a sense of social responsibility in order to define the boundaries of what are the best collective choices.

Round-up on the ethics of the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things refers to physical devices which are inter-networked and can share and store data between themselves. This includes things such as televisions, cars, buildings, and other objects that have network-connected technology inside that allow these objects to be accessed and controlled remotely via computer-based networks. This also includes systems that operate in this way, such as smart homes, grids, and cities. These things can be identified and operated individually but also are part of the interconnected system and can have co-dependencies.

There are obvious ethical issues with a highly connected and complex system such as the Internet of Things, where tremendous amounts of data are stored and shared and ultimately used in often mysterious or unclear ways – certainly to improve the intelligence of the Internet of Things and make it operate more efficiently, but also potentially for malicious or dishonest purposes. Security vulnerabilities in a system which is remotely accessible are also an alarming risk, as unauthorized intrusions or destructive attacks could render everyday items such as cars or door locks inoperable or turn items such as smart houses or transportation networks against their users.

The technology that drives the Internet of Things has grown explosively, and legal and compliance frameworks have not been able to keep pace. Questions of liability that arise from cyberattacks on the Internet of Things and rules of responsibility governing companies working within this space are largely undefined. The Internet of Things may bring change to society similar to that of the Industrial Revolution. A thoughtful view on regulations and ethical guidance to protect privacy and security from the earliest design point in the industry is crucial: The Internet of Things Needs a Code of Ethics
Among all the fears of artificial intelligence and sentient, unfriendly robots with autonomous weapons, the real risk of the Internet of Things will still lie in the hands of humans. Hackers are a big threat to the system’s security and this risk must be taken seriously, with organizations investing in controls to prevent and mitigate attacks, intrusions, and disruptions that could damage devices, harm people, and interrupt business operations: Why Hackers Will Become a Significant Threat to the Internet of Things
The data produced in the Internet of Things is a major security and privacy consideration. Users of these interconnected devices may not realize how much information the devices have about them and their activities. The Roomba, a small robot home vacuum, was an early-comer to this market. The company that makes it, iRobot, has said it hopes to make money from selling maps of users’ living rooms to other companies. Using customer data for profit from a third-party is nothing new in the internet company world, but there are many questions of privacy, notice, and consent which remain to be answered: The Internet of Things is a data farm, Roomba won’t be its only profiteer
Cybersecurity fears about the Internet of Things extend to the U.S. government as well, where legislators have proposed to make sure that smart devices can receive security updates like traditional computers. Lawmakers also seek to prevent manufacturers from hard-coding passwords into their system tools that can be manipulated by hackers to take control of the related devices. The U.S. government is just as interested in the objects of the Internet of Things as consumers are, and safeguarding against present and future risks from them is top of mind: Two U.S. lawmakers think the government has a new cybersecurity problem: The Internet of Things
So what does all this mean for the future of the Internet of Things? Will the risks of it slow its growth or it will it continue to advance in both complexity and connectivity, its risks unchecked or outpacing the frameworks created to control against them? It appears likely that the value and appeal of connection, and the fear of not being able to function and communicate, will outweigh the desire to want to withdraw from it for safety and privacy purposes: The Internet of Things Connectivity Binge: What Are the Implications?

The intelligence and complexity of the Internet of Things will continue to grow as consumer applications become more in demand and commonplace. The need for strong security standards and clear customer protections will expand in kind. Privacy, safety, and control are all ethical concerns which compliance programs at the companies working on the Internet of Things will have to consider prominently in future risk assessments and strategic plans.