30 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2023
    1. You aren’t likely to end up in a situation as dramatic as this. If you find yourself making a stand for ethical tech work, it would probably look more like arguing about what restrictions to put on a name field (e.g., minimum length), prioritizing accessibility, or arguing that a small piece of data about users is not really needed and shouldn’t be tracked. But regardless, if you end up in a position to have an influence in tech, we want you to be able to think through the ethical implications of what you are asked to do and how you choose to respond.

      Technology has revolutionized the way we do things. Unfortunately, modern technology is also a double-edged sword. While it makes our lives easier and adds convenience to our daily routine, it also presents some ethical issues we need to address. You aren’t likely to end up in a situation as dramatic as this.

    1. As a member of society, we hope you are informed about the role social media plays in shaping society, such as how design decisions and bots can influence social movements (polarizing, spreading, or stifling different them), and the different economic, social, and governmental pressures that social media platforms operate under.

      Social media has become an essential part of our daily lives, shaping the way we communicate and interact with each other. However, its influence goes far beyond that, as it plays a key role in shaping our society as a whole. From the design decisions that determine how content is presented to the algorithms that determine what we see, social media has a significant impact on our perceptions and beliefs. Moreover, the role of bots in disseminating information and propaganda on social media has come to light as a major concern, with instances of them being used to polarize and stifle dissenting opinions.

    1. The term “cancel culture” can be used for public shaming and criticism, but is used in a variety of ways, and it doesn’t refer to just one thing. The offense that someone is being canceled for can range from sexual assault of minors (e.g., R. Kelly, Woody Allen, Kevin Spacey), to minor offenses or even misinterpretations. The consequences for being “canceled” can range from simply the experience of being criticized, to loss of job or criminal charges.

      Cancel culture has become a popular buzzword in recent years, with everyone from politicians to celebrities weighing in on its meaning and consequences. Generally, the term refers to the practice of publicly calling out and shaming individuals for their problematic behavior or statements. However, the types of offenses that result in cancellation can vary widely, from serious crimes like assault and harassment to relatively minor missteps or controversial opinions. Despite its many interpretations, cancel culture remains a contentious topic, with some praising it as a necessary form of accountability and others condemning it as a form of censorship.

    1. Professor Kate Starbird regularly called for Twitter to introduce a retract button. This would help with misinformation, as a user who realized they posted false information could leave a tweet up, but put a retraction over it. It also would solve a dilemma where people who tweeted something they regretted felt caught between the choice of deleting a tweet (making it look like they were hiding their history), or leaving it up (looking like they stood by their bad tweet). Therefore a retraction feature could be used by someone who was being publicly shamed as a means of apologizing.

      Twitter has been a platform for misinformation and fake news for a long time. Professor Kate Starbird has been advocating for Twitter to implement a retract button to help combat this issue. The idea behind the button is that a user can leave the false information up, but add a retraction over it. This would not only help with misinformation, but also solve the dilemma of people who tweeted something they regretted.

    1. Harassment in social media contexts can be difficult to define, especially when the harassment pattern is created by a collective of seemingly unconnected people. Maybe each individual action can be read as unpleasant but technically okay. But taken together, all the instances of the pattern lead up to a level of harm done to the victim which can do real damage.

      The issue of harassment in social media contexts has become increasingly prevalent with the rise of online platforms. However, identifying and defining what constitutes as harassment can be difficult, especially in cases where the harassment is perpetrated by a collective of seemingly unconnected individuals. Each individual action may seem harmless or unpleasant, but collectively they can lead to a pattern that is harmful. This makes it even more challenging to address and combat this form of harassment.

    1. As we look at the above examples we can see examples of intersectionality, which means that not only are people treated differently based on their identities (e.g., race, gender, class, disability, weight, height, etc.), but combinations of those identities can compound unfair treatment in complicated ways.

      Intersectionality is an important concept to understand in today's society. It refers to the ways in which different aspects of a person's identity can intersect and lead to unique experiences and forms of oppression. For example, a Black woman might face both racism and sexism in ways that a white woman or a Black man might not. This can lead to a compounding effect that creates an even more difficult situation.

    1. Letting individuals moderate their own spaces is expecting individuals to put in their own time and labor. You can do the same thing with larger groups and have volunteers moderate them. Reddit does something similar where subreddits are moderated by volunteers, and Wikipedia moderators (and editors) are also volunteers.

      The importance of moderation in online spaces and presents different approaches to achieving it. While individual moderation may be feasible in some cases, the use of volunteer moderators in larger groups may be a more sustainable solution.

    1. Governments might also have rules about content moderation and censorship, such as laws in the US against Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). China additionally censors various news stories in their country, like stories about protests. In addition to banning news on their platforms, in late 2022 China took advantage of Elon Musk having fired almost all Twitter content moderators to hide news of protests by flooding Twitter with spam and porn.

      Governments play an important role in regulating the internet, especially when it comes to moderating content and addressing issues like hate speech and cyberbullying. However, there are some concerns about government censorship and how this can impact free speech and access to information online. For example, countries like China have been known to censor news stories and limit access to certain websites, which can limit the ability of citizens to get accurate information and express their opinions. Despite these challenges, it is important to find a balance between regulation and freedom on the internet.

    1. One form of digital self-harm is self-bullying, where people set up fake alternate accounts which they then use to post bullying messages at themselves.

      Digital self-harm is a concerning phenomenon that is receiving more attention lately. It involves individuals setting up fake accounts and using them to bully themselves online. This form of self-bullying can be difficult to detect since it appears to come from an external source. Taking a break from social media may not be enough to address the problem since it is an internal issue.

    1. Some people view internet-based social media (and other online activities) as inherently toxic and therefore encourage a digital detox, where people take some form of a break from social media platforms and digital devices.

      Internet-based social media has revolutionized the way people interact with each other. However, there have been concerns voiced about the negative impact of these platforms on mental health and well-being. To address this issue, some experts recommend a digital detox, which involves taking a break from social media platforms and digital devices. While this may help reduce the negative impacts of social media on mental health, it raises questions about the benefits of social media and how to use these platforms in a productive and meaningful way.

    1. When content is replicated on social media, it may be modified. The Social media system might have built-in ways to do this, like a quote tweet or reply adding some sort of comment to the original post, effectively making a new version of the post that can spread around.

      Modifying content on social media platforms has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it enables more complex discussions and debates because users can add their own opinions to a post that has already been made. As a result, users may become more involved and social, and ideas may be explored more thoroughly.

    1. When physical mail was dominant in the 1900s, one type of mail that spread around the US was a chain letter. Chain letters were letters that instructed the recipient to make their own copies of the letter and send them to people they knew.

      In the 21st century, with the advent of email and other forms of digital communication, chain letters have mostly become a thing of the past. However, their legacy lives on in the form of viral social media posts and emails. Like their physical counterparts, these messages often urge the recipient to forward the message to others. The main difference is the speed at which these messages can be disseminated, allowing them to reach a much wider audience in a far shorter amount of time.

    1. Elon Musk’s view expressed in that tweet is different than some of the ideas of the previous owners, who at least tried to figure out how to make Twitter’s algorithm support healthier conversation.

      In the age of social media, platforms have become not just tools for sharing and spreading information, but also battlegrounds where various groups fight for dominance. Recently, Elon Musk expressed his view on Twitter's algorithm, which differed from those of the platform's previous owners. Musk's opinion was that Twitter's algorithm should not be used to support healthy conversations. This perspective is particularly relevant given the current debates about the responsibility of social media platforms in shaping online discourse.

    2. Individual analysis focuses on the behavior, bias, and responsibility an individual has, while systemic analysis focuses on the how organizations and rules may have their own behaviors, biases, and responsibility that aren’t necessarily connected to what any individual inside intends.

      Individual and systemic analysis are two important ways of examining human behavior. When we conduct an individual analysis, we tend to focus on the choices that a person makes and the responsibility that they bear. However, systemic analysis requires us to look beyond the individual and consider the larger context in which they operate. By doing so, we can gain a better understanding of how broader structures, rules, and systems can influence behavior, bias, and responsibility in ways that are often invisible at the individual level.

  2. Apr 2023
    1. We could look at inventions of new accessible technologies and think the world is getting better for disabled people. But in reality, it is much more complicated. Some new technologies make improvements for some people with some disabilities, but other new technologies are continually being made in ways that are not accessible

      I completely agree that the development of new accessible technologies is not a straightforward process, and that it is important to consider the broader societal context in which these technologies are being created and used. We must place a priority on accessibility and inclusion from the outset of the design process if we are to make real strides towards a more accessible and inclusive society. This entails taking a wide range of disabilities and accessibility requirements into account and involving people with disabilities in the design and development of new technologies.

    2. Another way of managing disabilities is assistive technology, which is something that helps a disabled person act as though they were not disabled. In other words, it is something that helps a disabled person become more “normal” (according to whatever a society’s assumptions are).

      The use of assistive technology can help people with disabilities perform tasks that would otherwise be challenging or impossible for them, potentially improving their quality of life significantly. In order to overcome obstacles and take part more fully in society, it can aid those with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities.

    1. Deanonymizing Data: Sometimes companies or researchers release datasets that have been “anonymized,” meaning that things like names have been removed, so you can’t directly see who the data is about. But sometimes people can still deduce who the anonymized data is about. This happened when Netflix released anonymized movie ratings data sets, but at least some users’ data could be traced back to them.

      Deanonymizing data can be a difficult task, even when it seems like all identifying information has been removed from a dataset. Researchers and hackers alike have discovered various methods for re-identifying individuals from supposedly anonymous data, such as matching up seemingly unrelated data points or cross-referencing with other available information. In some cases, a person's identity can be revealed with a startling degree of accuracy. This is a concerning issue, as it jeopardizes the privacy of individuals who may have expected their personal information to be protected.

    1. the proper security practice for storing user passwords is to use a special individual encryption process for each individual password. This way the database can only confirm that a password was the right one, but it can’t independently look up what the password is or even tell if two people used the same password.

      In today's tech-savvy world, data security is of utmost importance. Every application or website, from social media to online banking, requires a secure password. As such, it is crucial to employ proper security practices in storing user passwords. One recommended practice is to use individual encryption for each password, ensuring that the database can only confirm the password's correctness and not decrypt it.

    1. It turns out that if you look at a lot of data, it is easy to discover spurious correlations where two things look like they are related, but actually aren’t. I

      By providing transparency about data practices and implementing strict data protection policies, social media platforms can help build trust with their users and mitigate the negative effects of correlation-causation confusion.

    1. Online advertisers can see what pages their ads are being requested on, and track users across those sites. So, if an advertiser sees their ad is being displayed on an Amazon page for shoes, then the advertiser can start showing shoe ads to that same user when they go to another website.

      Online advertising has been a boon for businesses and consumers alike, allowing companies to reach their target audiences with precision while users are presented with products and services that match their interests. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and some advertisers have taken advantage of users' personal data to track their online activity and behavior. As a result, users may feel uncomfortable with the amount of information that is collected about them, leading to concerns about privacy and security. Nonetheless, online advertising remains a vital component of the modern digital ecosystem, and efforts to balance the needs of businesses and consumers will continue to evolve.

    2. Trolls often find the posts amusing, whether due to the disruption or emotional reaction. If the motivation is amusement at causing others’ pain, that is called doing it for the lulz.

      Internet trolls have become a pervasive phenomenon in the online world. As social media and other online platforms have grown in popularity, so have the number of trolls. Despite their reputation for causing chaos and disruption, trolls have become increasingly sophisticated in their methods. Their behavior is often motivated by a desire for attention or a thrill of power, and they seem to take pleasure in instigating conflict and inciting emotional reactions in others.

    1. The way we present ourselves to others around us (our behavior, social role, etc.) is called our public persona. We also may change how we behave and speak depending on the situation or who we are around, which is called code-switching.

      In recent years, there has been increased attention on code-switching in the workplace, particularly for people from marginalized groups who may feel pressure to alter their behavior or communication style to fit in with dominant cultural norms. This can be challenging, as it requires individuals to navigate complex power dynamics and negotiate their identity in different contexts.

    1. Inauthentic behavior is when the reality doesn’t match what is being presented. Inauthenticity has, of course, existed throughout human history, from Ea-nasir complaining in 1750 BCE that the copper he ordered was not the high quality he had been promised, to 1917 CE in England when Arthur Conan Doyle (the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories) was fooled by photographs that appeared to be of a child next to fairies.

      In today's digital age, inauthentic behavior has become even more prevalent due to the ease with which false information can be disseminated through social media and other online platforms. This can have serious consequences, including misinformation and manipulation of public opinion, financial fraud, and identity theft.

    1. In Web 2.0 websites (and web applications), the communication platforms and personal profiles merged. Many websites now let you create a profile, form connections, and participate in discussions with other members of the site. Platforms for hosting content without having to create your own website (like Blogs) emerged. And all of these websites became much more interactive, with updates appearing on users’ screens without the user having to request them.

      "Web 2.0" was a huge innovation throughout the internet history. It had turned social media into a common thing that everyone can easily access and use. The concept had also become a fundamental base for the well-known social media platform later on.

    1. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) lets people create “rooms” for different topics, and people could join those rooms and participate in real-time text conversations with the others in the room.

      This is very interesting to learn because we are already used to the form of the modern social media. It was so different back then but the real-time text conversation concept was innovated at the time. It also impacted the new platforms that came out after.

    1. One question many people have about using ethical reasoning as a tool for analysis is: what about cultural disagreements? What about the idea that there is no absolute truth, that a moral claim is only true for me or you, or for my culture or your culture?

      Using ethical reasoning as a tool for analysis can be difficult when there are cultural differences. Since ethical reasoning frequently depends on shared values and beliefs, which can differ greatly across cultures, this is one of the main problems with it.

    1. Sounds are represented as the electric current needed to move a speaker’s diaphragm back and forth over time to make the specific sound waves. The electric current is saved as a number, and those electric current numbers are saved at each time point, so the sound information is saved as a list of numbers.

      This is interesting to learn to me. I listen to music on my phone everyday and I talked to my friends on the phone a lot. I never really learned how the signals being captured and transformed into our devices.

    1. Social Media: An internet-based platform used for people to form connections to each other and share things.

      The language used on social media can be very different from what we are using in the real world communication. For instance, abbreviations are widely used in the US culture. Other cultures might also have different language used for communications online.

    1. Psuedocode is intended to be easier to read and write.

      I feel like psuedocode is very helpful for those who just starting to learn coding. The structure and language of actual code can be confusing at first, but it become easier once you understand the logic.

    1. ne final note we’d like to make here is that, as we said before, we can use ethics frameworks as tools to help us see into situations. But just because we use an ethics framework to look at a situation doesn’t mean that we will come out with a morally good conclusion.

      The statement reminds me of what my Chinese teacher taught us in class back in high school. He is a person who followed the confucianism his entire life. But he still constantly remind us that we should never judge others ethical framework no matter how different it is compare to yours. We all grew up in different environment, been through different situation, and have different believes. People are complicated and the least thing we should do is to criticize others thoughts.