Reflection 2: Is there an ethical code, when engaging in the digital space, we can all agree on? What might this look like?

Description

With a broad scope of issues spanning legal, ethical, social, industrial and more, the concept of an ethical code in the digital space raises a number of difficult questions. Who should be responsible for the implementation and enforcement of such a code? Which issues do we consider to be most pertinent in the conversation? Is it even possible to establish an ethical code that all can agree on?

Feelings

Given the wide range of personal ethics and morals seen from person to person, I do not believe it is possible to establish an ethical code that we can all agree on. What some may feel is ethical could seem unethical to others, and it is an impossible task to assign a ‘right’ in this conversation, given that morals and ethics are generally built from an individual’s lived experience. 

Evaluation 

The breadth of ethical issues raised in the digital landscape make it incredibly difficult to pin down a consistent ethical code that could be agreed upon by all. Legal issues, such as piracy and copyright, are of major concern to corporations that own and produce content, but their concerns will differ considerably to those of the general population, who are expected to pay ever-increasing subscription costs to more and more providers every day to access content. The significant differences in priorities and concerns between powerful corporations and the general population are one factor that make establishing an ethical code near impossible, and even if we were to agree upon a code, the equally difficult question of who should enforce such a code comes into play. 

Analysis 

In the current digital landscape, there are only two realistic considerations for who could enforce a hypothetical ethical code; big tech companies who profit from the platforms in question, or governments, who show time and time again that they are not educated enough on the digital landscape to effectively govern it.

Big Tech companies have a rather concerning track record when it comes to ethical behaviour. Baker-White (2022) reported that ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, confirmed that “employees tracked multiple journalists covering the company, improperly gaining access to their IP addresses and user data”, while Solon and Farivar (2019) reported that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ‘oversaw plans to consolidate the social network’s power and control competitors by treating its user’s data as a bargaining chip” while “publicly proclaiming to be protecting that data”. 

For some insight into governments digital literacy, we can look to the recent bipartisan committee proceedings in the US Senate in March 2023 regarding a potential TikTok ban across the country. At one point, Richard Hudson, an elected congressman, poses a question to TikTok CEO Shou Chew; “Mr Chew, does TikTok access the home WiFi network?”. Hudson was likely attempting to insinuate that TikTok could gain control of a users network for nefarious purposes, but in effect he only revealed his lack of basic understanding of internet infrastructure. Harrison (2023) provides an apt summary of the takeaways from this congressional hearing; “…while Big Tech woefully lacks regulation, Congress, as proven time and again, isn’t exactly packed with tech geniuses equipped to make meaningful changes to the way that the industry operates.”

Conclusion

Given the complexity of ethical discussions in the digital landscape, it is near impossible to establish an ethical code that can be agreed upon by all. The contradictory priorities of corporations and members of the general population make tech companies an inappropriate option to govern any hypothetical ethical code, and the widely observed lack of digital literacy in government representatives makes government an ineffective option. Increased digital literacy amongst world governments will be essential to the effective implementation of any ethical code that may be formulated in future.

Reference list

Baker-White, E. (2022, December 22). TikTok spied on Forbes Journalists. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/12/22/tiktok-tracks-forbes-journalists-bytedance/?sh=4cedf7da5711

Harrison, M. (2023, March 24). Clueless congressman bewildered that tiktok connects using wifi. Futurism. https://futurism.com/congressman-tiktok-connects-wifi

Solon, O. & Farivar, C. (2019, April 16). Mark Zuckerberg leveraged Facebook user data to fight rivals and help friends, leaked documents show. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-leveraged-facebook-user-data-fight-rivals-help-friends-n994706