Digital Ethics

By participating in this course, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complex ethical landscape of the digital world and make informed decisions that align with your organisation's values.

Our course will cover a range of important topics, including ethics frameworks and tools, regulation and legal issues, developing ethical technology, technology assessment, ethical dilemmas, and ethics in data and visualisation.

Session 1: Ethics frameworks, tools and methods – Thursday 4 May 2023
During this session, we will explore the various reasons that can be used to justify ethical decisions, including virtue ethics, consequence ethics, and duty ethics. We will also introduce frameworks and tools that can be used to make ethical decisions in different contexts, such as business, professional, and research ethics, as well as codes of ethics. This session will provide attendees with a solid foundation in the principles and practices of ethical decision-making in the digital realm.

Session 2: Legal and policy issues – Thursday 11 May 2023
This session will explore a number of legal issues that arise in the digital realm, in particular related to fairness and non-discrimination as well as data protection. In addition, we will discuss relevant policies that exist at different administrative levels. This session will provide attendees with an understanding of appropriate legal and policy frameworks that establish a background for ethical decision-making in the digital realm.

Session 3: Technology assessment – Thursday 25 May 2023
This session will provide insight into the impact and effects of technology, and will introduce tools and methods for assessing the risks of innovation and averting undesirable consequences of new technologies. We will also discuss Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), Constructive Technology Assessment (CTA), and Ethical Technology Assessment (ETA) as frameworks for evaluating the ethical implications of new technologies. The session will also look into the challenges of achieving (positive or negative) impacts with technology due to the interplay of technology, society, organisations and individuals. A dedicated focus will be on the impact of AI technologies in a government context. This session will provide attendees with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively assess the risks and potential consequences of technology.

Session 4: Developing and designing ethical technology – Thursday 1 June 2023
In this session, we will explore different approaches to designing technology that takes into account the needs and values of human beings. We will discuss humanity-centered design (including design thinking), inclusive design, value-centered design, and participatory design (or co-creation). We will also explain how to deal with the value implications of design choices in data-driven technologies. We will discuss trust challenges faced by the institutions, the trade-offs in design choices, and associated risks and contingencies in creating public value through emerging technologies. This session will provide attendees with the tools and knowledge they need to create ethical technology that is designed with people at its core.

Session 5: Ethical topics and dilemmas – Thursday 8 June 2023
In this session, we will explore the concept of responsibility and discuss the different types of responsibility that can arise in the digital realm. We will also examine ethical issues and difficulties that can arise in practice, such as bias, safety, transparency, ecology and sustainability, and trust. This session will provide attendees with an understanding of the ethical challenges that can arise in the digital world, and the tools and frameworks that can be used to address them.

Session 6: Ethics in data and visualisation – Thursday 15 June 2023
In this session, we will discuss ethical standards in the handling of data and the use of visualisation techniques. We will explore the concept of "open data" and the issues of ownership that can arise. We will also examine the potential for visualization to be used in a misleading way, and the challenges posed by uncertainties and subjectivity in data. Additionally, we will discuss the use of metadata and how it can be used to involuntarily trace people. This session will provide attendees with the knowledge and skills they need to ensure that their use of data and visualisation techniques is ethical and responsible.

Session 7: Closing and reflection – Thursday 22 June 2023
The seventh and final session will be a closing session focused on reflection. In this session, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how the topics covered in the previous sessions apply to their own professional situations. This session will provide a space for attendees to share their thoughts, insights, and experiences, and to discuss how they plan to incorporate the knowledge and skills they have gained into their work. This will be a valuable opportunity for participants to consolidate their learning and to develop a personal plan for applying the principles of Digital Ethics in their professional lives.