From 5eb2d9ce9401f3d2706abf342f016be3c37df1fe Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jet Hughes Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2022 18:01:23 +1300 Subject: [PATCH] vault backup: 2022-10-02 18:01:23 --- content/notes/ethics-essay.md | 6 +++--- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/content/notes/ethics-essay.md b/content/notes/ethics-essay.md index 4b256ff9b..842a6d602 100644 --- a/content/notes/ethics-essay.md +++ b/content/notes/ethics-essay.md @@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ tags: - https://www.makeuseof.com/social-media-platforms-dislike-buttons/ # 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 document "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. 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. 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. @@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ This protest is part of a worldwide trend, an "epidemic of misinformation" REF. The role of the IT sector in the wellington protests is clearly a significant one. Without the platforms mentioned the protest would have likely never happened REF?. However, the eradication of these platforms is not a solution REF?. What we can do however, is try to balance and regulate the spread of misinformation on these platforms. But we must be carful 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? # 2 - Fire and Fury -The documentay Fire and Fury created by a team of journalists from Stuff.co.nz, investigating the wellington protests, what caused them, and some of the key people behind the protests. It showed the progess of the movement leading up to the occupation. The documentary recieved mixed reviews. An in-house review by stuff praised it as "journalism at the peak of its powers" REF, while others have said it "veers into the absurd" REF. Of course each of these third parties, have biases of their own which must be taken into account. Everyone online is able to present themselves however they like, and masquerade as something they are not. It is incredibly difficult to separate the good from the bad. +The documentary Fire and Fury created by a team of journalists from Stuff.co.nz, investigating the wellington protests, what caused them, and some of the key people behind the protests. It showed the progess of the movement leading up to the occupation. The documentary recieved mixed reviews. An in-house review by stuff praised it as "journalism at the peak of its powers" REF, while others have said it "veers into the absurd" REF. Of course each of these third parties, have biases of their own which must be taken into account. Everyone online is able to present themselves however they like, and masquerade as something they are not. It is incredibly difficult to separate the good from the bad. The stuff article praising the documentary says the team behind it "interviewed the right people", "spoke to a vast audience", and "told us 'what lies behind the cloud'". However, those critical of it suggest it fails to consider the viewpoint of those it depicts, and that is itself state-funded propaganda and "is part of the very problem the makers purport to deplore". These critics also assert that "the makers set out with a preconieved objective" REF, and that there was no attempt to understand what drove the protesters and consider both sides of the story. They say the documentary failed to ask an important question: "why so many people no longer trust the media". They say the mainstream media "have lost sight of what was previously their primary objective which, was to reflect society back to itself and report, as neutrally as possible, on matters of interest and concern to the communities they purported to serve". @@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ Although other platforms like Facebook and Twitter # 4 - Our responsibility -So what can we do - as IT professionals, to improve the situation of widespread information. The ACM code of ethics outlines a set of principles that should act as a baseline for our actions. It outlines +So what can we do - as IT professionals, to improve the situation of widespread information. 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 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