Introduction:
As the world becomes increasingly digitalized certain fields in computer science continue to rapidly evolve and by such become more relevant to everyday life. One such example in the rapid evolving landscape would be the convergence of the field of software and privacy. More specifically, the convergence of software on daily life especially in the context of privacy, security and data. As such, it becomes imperative to understand the ethical considerations of technology and software as a whole. The root should be determined, exploring whether ethical concerns stem from the actions of software engineers, the software’s functions, or a combination and why the ethics of software is important. Thus, it should be important to examine.
Privacy Violation in a Mobile App:
To begin, the first example of a software system that demonstrates unethical behavior would be a mobile app that is designed to collect user data. This is inclusive but not limited to location information but often times is data canonically sold to third-party companies for targeted advertising. From this, without clear and transparent consent from the users it becomes unethical behavior. Distinctively, the software engineers involved in developing the app were aware of the intrusive data collection practices but chose to prioritize profit over user privacy.
What is the problem?
The problem is the unethical collection and sale of user data without informed consent. Users’ privacy is violated as their personal information, including location data, is harvested and sold to third parties for targeted advertising purposes. This not only breaches user trust but also exposes them to potential risks such as identity theft and surveillance.
Links:
- https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/topics/security/data-security/how-privacy-issues-in-mobile-apps-impact-retailers
Algorithmic Bias in Hiring Software:
Furthermore, another example of a software system demonstrating unethical behavior would be the construction or usage of an algorithmic bias in hiring software. Especially, this day and age with automatic rejections from algorithms when submitting resume, it becomes imperative to recognize that the algorithm should be evaluated in such a way that determines whether it is working with diversity and so on. For instance, in this case, the software engineers have not intentionally programmed any bias, but could fail to adequately asses and address potential ethical issues associated a with an algorithm’s outcomes. Over time, this could lead to a lack of diversity in the developmental team with ethical concerns.
What is the problem?
While the engineers may not have intentionally programmed the bias, their failure to recognize and address the algorithm’s discriminatory outcomes reflects a lack of ethical consideration. This highlights both the responsibility of software engineers to mitigate biases in their algorithms and the unethical functions performed by the software
Links:
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-02079-x
- https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2023/06/how-can-bias-be-removed-artificial-intelligence-powered-hiring-platforms
Manipulative Social Media Algorithms:
In addition, the third example of an unethical software would be manipulative social media algorithms. More specifically, a social media platform that purposely promotes polarization and addictive content. Often times, algorithms of such software can be designed to maximize user engagement and do not have sufficient consideration for negative societal impacts such as misinformation and division, Essentially, rewarding content that generates more engagement can be unethical by itself. Often times algorithms can optimize user engagement metrics meaning they promote content that triggers a strong emotional response regardless of accuracy. As such perhaps the engineers may have created an intended design with a prioritization of engagement metric without proper understanding of societal impact. More often though, this is a systemic issue with product strategy not the actions of the engineers.
What is the problem?
The problem lies in the design and implementation of algorithms that prioritize user engagement metrics over user well-being. Social media platforms’ algorithms are engineered to maximize user engagement by promoting content that triggers strong emotional responses, regardless of its accuracy or societal impact. This leads to the spread of misinformation, polarization, and addictive content, which can have harmful consequences for society.
Links:
- https://bigthink.com/the-present/social-media-algorithms-manipulate-you/
- https://www.parents.parentzone.org.uk/morearticles/what-are-social-media-algorithms-and-how-can-they-be-manipulated
Conclusion:
In conclusion, in all three examples, the unethical aspects stem from a combination of software engineer behavior, product design choices, and the functions performed by the software. Ethical considerations should be an integral part of the software development process to ensure responsible and user-centric outcome