Data Ethics & Legislation Notes (1)

Data misuse and user privacy have become a big topic since a few years ago. The famous case of the Cambridge Analytica scandal that happened in 2014 raised more concerns than ever since we stepped into the Web 2.0 era. To incorporate the challenges that come along with the unstoppable development, scientists and legislators start discussions of helping cope with such issues and always looking for a better result. Many practices are testing, and businesses and individuals seeking the balance between data use and ethics more actively. 

Due to my interest in ESG's concepts, developments, and applications in business and society, last week, I started the Data Ethics, AI and Responsible Innovation course provided by @Edinburgh Futures Institute online to keep developing my understanding and self-growth. The course highlights the connections between ethics and laws.

In that case, to help myself reflect on the knowledge, and also possibly receive more thoughts and perspectives from those who are also interested, I want to share some keys and thoughts I have each week here.

The first week's contents focus on the theories and definitions of ethics and legal. 

Deontological Ethics, Teleological Ethics, and Virtue Ethics are key theories that Ethics focus on that reflect the major thoughts that influence people to make judgements and ethical questions. A very classic example is the Trolley Problem which is always used in philosophical and psychological discussions. Based on the way of thinking and variations of the objects, the answers will vary as well. The most important result drawn from the assumptions is that there is no absolute right or wrong to moral questions. This brings difficulties when people start making laws in responding to ethical problems in life.

This then leads to the discussion of how and what kind of laws people should make to cope with what happened or may happen. Considerations cause extra challenges in getting a law to be legalised by authorities. So, a lot of companies promote in-house ethics principles as a way to respond to an existing issue or to prevent risks from happening. ESG and relative jobs start to be offered more for specialists to evaluate a company's sustainability and potential. The analysis may benefit the inner development of the companies or help the potential investors make decisions.

However, the controversy that appears for in-house 'ethics principles' is the possibility of a misuse that can be seen as an 'ethics washing' (the word is really interesting to me, I also feel like it can be called 'laudrying' in a way). The term identifies the actions that some companies use such method to mislead their employees and the public to believe in a false sense of security of their products.

How to monitor and prevent the actions are some focuses that professionals are figuring out, but we also fortunately see more are caring for ethics and keep developing new technologies that can be more morally accepted by people, e.g.: Instead of AI draws public data as the references when giving solutions, it can figure out independently.

In my past education, I had a lot of classes that related to ethics. It's always interesting that, throughout the years, I get more reflections and a deeper understanding of this knowledge, even the same example. Looking forward to the following week's studies and what I will learn in more detail.