Digital Ethics

Smart speakers. Chat bots. Voice-operated gadgets. Gender infuses our artificially intelligent technologies. Is that problematic?

A tricky dark pattern on @PushDoctor If you’re given a prescription you’re taken to a checkout. One of the steps is an upsell that has no visible opt out. You have to swipe right - it’s a carousel). Not cool. Taking advantage of vulnerable, unwell people. pic.twitter.com/80r4817G2X— Harry Brignull (@harrybr) May 19, 2019

Chinese phone cradle for boosting your phone's daily step count. Some insurance companies in China allow people who consistently reach a certain daily step count to get discounted health insurance premiums. pic.twitter.com/pJFBSYqdlb— Matthew Brennan (@mbrennanchina) May 14, 2019

Technology has grown so phone-centric that two-factor authentication is beginning to further marginalize folks.A community member of mine lost access to their @Microsoft account due to a SMS-only verification challenge. They, like others, don’t own a mobile phone. #design— Cheryl Platz (@muppetaphrodite) May 11, 2019

The company’s new “spaceship” headquarters shows how its beauty has always been skin deep.

Design decisions across our projects can mean the difference between affirmation and invalidation—and sometimes safety and danger. Erin White explores the repercussions for trans, non-binary, and g…

Today in “Manipulated by Brands,” the loading state of Facebook memories has a fake screen crack to steal your attention just long enough to keep you from tapping out before the memories load. pic.twitter.com/hDmNSQtAWb— john (@H4N4W4LT) May 10, 2019

The number of people 60 and over is growing. So airports and hotels are beginning to look at design changes to help them.

Sometimes it takes a village to raise a child - or in the case of these students - a school. When Akbar Cook – a vice principal for the West Side High School in Newark, New Jersey - started at his job he knew he was finally in a position to make a real change in his students’ lives, and he did. But probably no one, including Mr.

Maybe I should add the obvious: I think the cookie popup solution is an anti-pattern to begin with. I instinctively agree to everything, which makes it easier for services collect more data now than before. It's a failed attempt at solving the problem.— Josef Engelfrost (@engelfrost) May 8, 2019

S.H.E. is helping take the bias out of search. Add S.H.E. to your browser to give women’s transformations the visibility the deserve.

Because you have watched Jurassic Park, you should now watch these other movies that have nothing in common with it. I mean Jurassic Park Green Lantern??!? pic.twitter.com/I7pRGGEF4V— Thomas Baekdal (@baekdal) May 2, 2019

Remember all those articles from December about how Google Translate had addressed gender bias? I tried it again today, and it's the same "He is a doctor; She is a nurse" results that have been given for years. pic.twitter.com/xXe9pkrutj— Rachel Thomas (@math_rachel) April 30, 2019

So YouTube's algorithm massively recommends Russia's take on the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.3/ pic.twitter.com/2GwE809tWx— Guillaume Chaslot (@gchaslot) April 26, 2019

You won't believe these five reasons why speculative design can't save the world I gave this talk back at the Speculative Futures meet-up ...

Okay, Google Maps has got to stop with the number of notification channels it has. This is downright absurd. Nobody will ever take the time required to actually configure this to work the way they want/need. Insanely bad UX. pic.twitter.com/7aYxojYYpl— Andrew Martonik (@andrewmartonik) April 19, 2019

News that the company had insecurely stored passwords came on the same day as the release of Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report

Med 50 miljarder uppkopplade saker är det viktigt att vi inte glömmer människorna. Alla måste utrustas med rätt kunskap för att kunna dra sitt strå till säkerhetsstacken. Det menar krominologen och säkerhetsexperten Giuseppe Mastromattei.

If I see you tap the orange or red face in my local lidl, just know that I triple tap smiley green to cancel you out pic.twitter.com/oNHVxxYzia— Mike Mc Loughlin (@zuroph) April 17, 2019

Associated PressFILE - In this April 11, 2018, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pauses while testifying before a House Energy and Commerce hearing

Not only is Alexa listening when you speak to an Echo smart speaker, an Amazon employee is potentially listening, too.

for more responsible technology

It's especially discomforting when I realize I am clicking the images more slowly to appear human. Honestly, I am changing my behavior to appear human to computers...— Per Axbom (@axbom) April 17, 2019

In an unmissable talk, journalist Carole Cadwalladr digs into one of the most perplexing events in recent times: the UK's super-close 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Tracking the result to a barrage of misleading Facebook ads targeted at vulnerable Brexit swing voters -- and linking the same players and tactics to the 2016 US presidential election -- Cadwalladr calls out the "gods of Silicon Valley" for being on the wrong side of history and asks: Are free and fair elections a thing of the past?

Designers have come under increasing pressure to consider the ethics and potential impact of their work. But what does this mean in practice - particularly if you're working for a large corporation?

If you're in #SiliconValley & you're NOT thinking about the risk of weaponization, you're out of touch. On @ShouldThisExist a riveting story from @chr1sa on building DIY drones ultimately used by ISIS. Great debate w/@caterina Listen on @ApplePodcasts: https://t.co/wiIikCvS75 pic.twitter.com/iszjX4F72e— Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman) April 12, 2019

You might not have heard of a “dark pattern,” but chances are you’ve seen these annoying, manipulative designs trying to trick you into clicking, buying, or signing up for something you don’t want. Today I introduced the DETOUR Act with @SenatorFischer to do something about them. pic.twitter.com/fGL5K6fYRL— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) April 9, 2019

Trustworthy AI should respect all applicable laws and regulations, as well as a series of requirements; specific assessment lists aim to help verify the application of each of the key requirements:

Apps and websites that do not protect their users may be fined or blocked under new proposals.