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---
title: "ethics-essay"
aliases:
tags:
- cosc203
- assignment
---
# Intro # Intro
As members of society we must consider the ethical implications of our actions and inactions. This extends to our private lives, and our work. As members of the IT profession we have an obligation to adhere to certain standards. These have been collated and formalised into the ACM Code of Ethics. This Code "expresses the conscience of the profession", putting human well-being as the main focus. Although it provides a guidline for us to follow, it is not specific to everyone and should merely act as a foundation for individuals, businesses, and governments to build upon. As members of society, we must consider the ethical implications of our actions and inactions. This extends to our private lives, and our work. As members of the IT profession, we have an obligation to adhere to certain standards. These have been collated and formalised into the ACM Code of Ethics [^0]. This Code "expresses the conscience of the profession", putting human well-being as the main focus. Although it provides a guideline for us to follow, it is not specific to everyone and should merely act as a foundation for individuals, businesses, and governments to build upon.
The recent outbreak of misinformation and censorship, culminating in Aotearoa with the convoy and the Wellington protest in February and March this year, provides an interesting avenue through which we can analyse the spread of information through online channels, and the impact of the computing profession. Many business in the computing sector were key components of the event. For example, Facebook, Gab and Telegram, as well as stuff.co.nz and other news outlets. These organisations have an inherent obligation to consider how their platforms are being used to encourage or discourage the spread of information, regardless of its source and credibility. The recent outbreak of misinformation and censorship, culminating in Aotearoa with the convoy and the Wellington protest in February and March this year, provides an interesting avenue through which we can analyse the spread of information through online channels, and the impact of the computing profession. Many businesses in the computing sector were key components of the event. For example, Facebook, Gab and Telegram, as well as stuff.co.nz and other news outlets. These organisations have an inherent obligation to consider how their platforms are being used to encourage or discourage the spread of information, regardless of its source and credibility.
I do not have the knowledge or experience to make informed decision about what should be allowed on large platforms such as spotify, facebook, and youtube. However, I am able to give my opinion about how misinformation, censorship, and freedom of expression should be balanced. This essay will examine the point of view of the protesters at wellington and contrast it with Stuff's Fire and Fury in an attempt to learn more about how to balance censorship and freedom of expression in an online world. I do not have the knowledge or experience to make an informed decision about what should be allowed on large platforms such as spotify, facebook, and youtube. However, I am able to give my opinion about how misinformation, censorship, and freedom of expression should be balanced. This essay will examine the point of view of the protesters at wellington and contrast it with Stuff's Fire and Fury in an attempt to learn more about how to balance censorship and freedom of expression in an online world.
# 1 - River of Filth # 1 - River of Filth
Throughout history we can observe countless instances of delayed acceptance of medical discoveries. Even the process of resuscitation through mouth to mouth breathing and chest compressions was initally rejected by the public and discouraged [^1]. Anti-Vaccination movements existed long before the Covid-19 pandemic. Ever since the first vaccinations REF people have felt uncomfortable. Shorty before Covid-19 struck, Anti Vaccination supporters protested against the MMR and Measles vaccines. However, following the announcement of the Covid-19 vaccine, these groups gained more followers and started to spread their views, which eventually led to the convoy and the Wellington protests [^2]. They documented their journey in the video titled River of Filth. The video starts with news and articles where the NZ government stated that the vaccine would not be mandatory. Next, they depict the governments betrayl of this promise, forcing 40% of the NZ workforce to be vaccinated. They then showed footage of the convoy, various protests along the way, and the camp out at Wellington parliament CAPS?. The video then finishes with a message condemning the government and mainstream media, and praising the protesters and their efforts. After 23 days the protesters were forcefully and violently removed more than 100 police, 87 protesters were arrested and 50 vehicles towed [^3][^4]. The protesters were mostly protesting the NZ government Covid-19 response, including mask mandates, vaccine mandates and lockdowns[^2]. However, various anti-establishment and/or anti-mainstream media groups were also present, many of which were calling for trials and executions. Throughout history we can observe countless instances of delayed acceptance of medical discoveries. Even the process of resuscitation through mouth to mouth breathing and chest compressions was initally rejected by the public and discouraged [^1]. Anti-Vaccination movements existed long before the Covid-19 pandemic. Ever since the first vaccinations REF people have felt uncomfortable. Shorty before Covid-19 struck, Anti Vaccination supporters protested against the MMR and Measles vaccines. However, following the announcement of the Covid-19 vaccine, these groups gained more followers and started to spread their views, which eventually led to the convoy and the Wellington protests [^2]. They documented their journey in the video titled River of Filth. The video starts with news and articles where the NZ government stated that the vaccine would not be mandatory. Next, they depict the governments betrayl of this promise, forcing 40% of the NZ workforce to be vaccinated. They then showed footage of the convoy, various protests along the way, and the camp out at Wellington parliament CAPS?. The video then finishes with a message condemning the government and mainstream media, and praising the protesters and their efforts. After 23 days the protesters were forcefully and violently removed more than 100 police, 87 protesters were arrested and 50 vehicles towed [^3][^4]. The protesters were mostly protesting the NZ government Covid-19 response, including mask mandates, vaccine mandates and lockdowns[^2]. However, various anti-establishment and/or anti-mainstream media groups were also present, many of which were calling for trials and executions.
This protest is part of a worldwide trend, an "epidemic of misinformation" [^5]. The protests spawned from online campaigns and pre-existing fringe groups who found a common cause [^6]. Online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Gab and Telegram facilitated the formation and propagation of these groups and various other protests [^6]. They enabled the protesters to reach a large audience, spread their agenda and influence the public. One of the most prominent organisation, Voices for Freedom (VFF) were banned from Facebook, and were able to successfully migrate to other, more lenient platforms such as Gab and Telegram [^7]. They deployed techniques similar to fascist strategies such as "flooding the zone" and "swarm[ing] social media". They asked for assistance from long standing members of the anti-vax community who gave advice such as giving the people "an alternative narrative", a strategy used refute the Flu and MMR vaccines. This protest is part of a worldwide trend, an "epidemic of misinformation" [^5]. The protests spawned from online campaigns and pre-existing fringe groups who found a common cause [^6]. Online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Gab and Telegram facilitated the formation and propagation of these groups and various other protests [^6]. They enabled the protesters to reach a large audience, spread their agenda and influence the public. One of the most prominent organisation, Voices for Freedom (VFF) were banned from Facebook, and were able to successfully migrate to other, more lenient platforms such as Gab and Telegram [^7]. They deployed techniques similar to fascist strategies such as "flooding the zone" and trying to "swarm social media". They asked for assistance from long standing members of the anti-vax community who gave advice such as giving the people "an alternative narrative", a strategy used refute the Flu and MMR vaccines.
The role of the IT sector in the wellington protests is clearly a significant one. Without the platforms mentioned the protest could have likely never happened. However, the eradication of these platforms is not a solution. What we can do however, is try to balance and regulate the spread of misinformation on these platforms. But we must be careful in doing so, as people have a right to free speech. How can we balance censorship and freedom of expression on platform such as these? The role of the IT sector in the wellington protests is clearly a significant one. Without the platforms mentioned the protest could have likely never happened. However, the eradication of these platforms is not a solution. What we can do however, is try to balance and regulate the spread of misinformation on these platforms. But we must be careful in doing so, as people have a right to free speech. How can we balance censorship and freedom of expression on platform such as these?
@ -41,27 +33,18 @@ Although other platforms like Facebook and Twitter
# 4 - What can we do about it? # 4 - What can we do about it?
So what can we do as IT professionals, to improve the situation of widespread information IMPROVE? The ACM code of ethics outlines a set of principles that should act as a baseline for our actions. The ACM code of ethics was "designed to inspire and guide the ethical conduct of all computing professionals" and act as a "basis for remediation when violations occur". The Code is a set of principles with the public good as the primary consideration, each with a set of guidlines to help professionals put the principles into practice. The Code is an attempt to apply fundamental ethical principles to the computing profession. So what can we do as IT professionals, to improve the situation of widespread information IMPROVE? The ACM code of ethics outlines a set of principles that should act as a baseline for our actions. The ACM code of ethics was "designed to inspire and guide the ethical conduct of all computing professionals" and act as a "basis for remediation when violations occur". The Code is a set of principles with the public good as the primary consideration, each with a set of guidlines to help professionals put the principles into practice. The Code is an attempt to apply fundamental ethical principles to the computing profession.
How can we apply this Code to the issue of misinformation, censorship, and freedom of expression. This is a very difficuly an nuanced topic. I personally think that freedom of speech is a very important part of our lives and that it should be held in the highest regard. However, it is not possible to grant entirely free speech to everyone while completely prohibiting misinformation. We must find a trade off between free speech and censorship of misinformation. As Mark Zuckerberg mention on episode 1863 on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, when identifying which channels should be censored, we have to choose between more false positives or more false negatives. It takes a substantial effort to fact check and verify articles. For this reason, sites such as Facebook, make us of AI algorithms to flag potentially unwanted content REF. This has some inherent issues: Namely, how do these algorithms decide what is harmful? What data is it trained on? Who chose what to train the algorithms on? Why should they be the ones to decide what is right and wrong? In the interview with Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg stated that for important and controversial cases, posts are reviewed by third parties which analyse and fact check these articles. This is still not a perfect solution. The decision about what is censored is still made by a select group of people. Maybe this is the best option, I cant say for sure that is not. How can we apply this Code to the issue of misinformation, censorship, and freedom of expression. This is a very difficuly an nuanced topic. I personally think that freedom of speech is a very important part of our lives and that it should be held in the highest regard. However, it is not possible to grant entirely free speech to everyone while completely prohibiting misinformation. We must find a trade off between free speech and censorship of misinformation. As Mark Zuckerberg mention on episode 1863 on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast [^13], when identifying which channels should be censored, we have to choose between more false positives or more false negatives. It takes a substantial effort to fact check and verify articles. For this reason, sites such as Facebook, make us of AI algorithms to flag potentially unwanted content REF. This has some inherent issues: Namely, how do these algorithms decide what is harmful? What data is it trained on? Who chose what to train the algorithms on? Why should they be the ones to decide what is right and wrong? In the interview with Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg stated that for important and controversial cases, posts are reviewed by third parties which analyse and fact check these articles. This is still not a perfect solution. The decision about what is censored is still made by a select group of people. Maybe this is the best option, I cannot say for sure that is not.
When the Voices for Freedom group grew sufficiently large, Facebook made the decision to ban them. Subsequently, they switched to using Telegram messenger and the Gab social network as their main platforms. These sites value free speech and individual liberty above all else. These sites have become a haven for the far-right and other fringe groups, many of which have been banned from mainstream sites such as Facebook and TwitterREF. This is concerning because It is concentrating all the misinformation spreaders, trolls, and conspiracy theorists in one large echochamber. When the Voices for Freedom group grew sufficiently large, Facebook made the decision to ban them. Subsequently, they switched to using Telegram [^20] messenger and the Gab [^19] social network as their main platforms. These sites value free speech and individual liberty above all else. These sites have become a haven for the far-right and other fringe groups, many of which have been banned from mainstream sites such as Facebook and Twitter [^21][^22]. This is concerning because It is concentrating all the misinformation spreaders, trolls, and conspiracy theorists in one large echo-chamber.
While it is not feasable to fully eliminate harmful media there are ways in which we can protect our society against it. Firstly, we should place greater priority on educating people about misinformation, disinformation, and other harmful media, and suggest ways in which individuals can protet themselves. We should encourage people to do proper research and come to their own conclusions about controversial subjects. Unfortunately, this is very difficult when media, both mainstream and social, is so saturated with bad information and malignant organisations. While it is not feasable to fully eliminate harmful media there are ways in which we can protect our society against it. Firstly, we should place greater priority on educating people about misinformation, disinformation, and other harmful media, and suggest ways in which individuals can protet themselves. We should encourage people to do proper research and come to their own conclusions about controversial subjects. Unfortunately, this is very difficult when media, both mainstream and social, is so saturated with bad information and malignant organisations.
# Conclusion # Conclusion
In conclusion the anti-vax, anti-establishement protests in Wellington are a symptom of a larger problem within the online world. We live in an age where information is widely availble and consumed by a large proportion of the world. This information is not always truthful, and is often intentionally misleading and/or harmful. Groups such as Voices for Freedom and Counterspin Media at the forefront of the Wellington protests are able to utilise these platforms, to further their agenda and reach a larger audience, regardless of the accuracy and truthfullness of their information. As IT professionals, our work plays an important role in this environment, and we have an obligation to consider the ethical implication of our actions. As stated in the ACM Code of Ethics, the public good, and human lives should be the primary factor informing our decisions. However, despite our best efforts, it is not possible to fully eradicate harmful misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories without forfeiting our right to free speech. In conclusion the anti-vax, anti-establishement protests in Wellington are a symptom of a larger problem within the online world. We live in an age where information is widely availble and consumed by a large proportion of the world. This information is not always truthful, and is often intentionally misleading and/or harmful. Groups such as Voices for Freedom and Counterspin Media at the forefront of the Wellington protests are able to utilise these platforms, to further their agenda and reach a larger audience, regardless of the accuracy and truthfullness of their information. As IT professionals, our work plays an important role in this environment, and we have an obligation to consider the ethical implication of our actions. As stated in the ACM Code of Ethics, the public good, and human lives should be the primary factor informing our decisions. However, despite our best efforts, it is not possible to fully eradicate harmful misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories without forfeiting our right to free speech.
Ideas
- a social media platform that had a cap on the number of followers a person can have, and the number of people a person can follow
- keep mainstream media separated from social media
- keep the focus on close friends
- no "influencers"
- then you'd need reliable sources of new for mainstream media
- give warnning and spread awareness about misinformation
- educate people about how to come to their own conclusions and do reasearch
d
# References # References
[^0]:https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics
[^1]: https://www.alcor.org/library/persons-apparently-dead/ [^1]: https://www.alcor.org/library/persons-apparently-dead/
[^2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Wellington_protest [^2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Wellington_protest
[^3]: https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/127928119/protesters-disperse-after-major-police-operation-ends-parliament-occupation [^3]: https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/127928119/protesters-disperse-after-major-police-operation-ends-parliament-occupation
@ -80,6 +63,10 @@ d
[^16]:https://msafaksari.com/2022/02/28/fake-and-troll-accounts-on-social-media/ [^16]:https://msafaksari.com/2022/02/28/fake-and-troll-accounts-on-social-media/
[^17]: https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/204511829-What-is-karma- [^17]: https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/204511829-What-is-karma-
[^18]:https://www.makeuseof.com/the-real-reason-why-youtube-hid-dislikes/ [^18]:https://www.makeuseof.com/the-real-reason-why-youtube-hid-dislikes/
[^19]: https://gab.com
[^20]: https://telegram.org
[^21]: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/17/gab-alt-right-social-media-twitter
[^22]: https://web.archive.org/web/20181031003944/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-30/gab-an-online-haven-for-white-supremacists-plots-its-future
[^]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/so-many-rabbit-holes-even-in-trusting-new-zealand-protests-show-fringe-beliefs-can-flourish [^]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/so-many-rabbit-holes-even-in-trusting-new-zealand-protests-show-fringe-beliefs-can-flourish
[^]: https://time.com/5929252/edelman-trust-barometer-2021/ [^]: https://time.com/5929252/edelman-trust-barometer-2021/
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[^]: https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2022/08/circuit/why-we-made-fire-and-fury/ [^]: https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2022/08/circuit/why-we-made-fire-and-fury/
[^]: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/how-stop-disinformation [^]: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/how-stop-disinformation
[^]: https://www.makeuseof.com/social-media-platforms-dislike-buttons/ [^]: https://www.makeuseof.com/social-media-platforms-dislike-buttons/
[^]: https://gab.com
[^]: https://telegram.org
[^]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gab_(social_network) [^]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gab_(social_network)
[^]: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/17/gab-alt-right-social-media-twitter
[^]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1906.04261.pdf [^]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1906.04261.pdf
[^]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05287 [^]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05287
[^]: https://web.archive.org/web/20181031003944/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-30/gab-an-online-haven-for-white-supremacists-plots-its-future