Minding the Gap: Computing Ethics and the Political Economy of Big Tech

In 1988 Michael Mahoney wrote that “[w]hat is truly revolutionary about the computer will become clear only when computing acquires a proper history, one that ties it to other technologies and thus uncovers the precedents that make its innovations significant” (Mahoney, 1988). Today, over thirty years after this quote was written, we are living right in the middle of the information age and computing technology is constantly transforming modern living in revolutionary ways and in such a high degree that is giving rise to many ethical considerations, dilemmas, and social disruption. To explore the myriad of issues associated with the ethical challenges of computers using the lens of political economy it is important to explore the history and development of computer technology

“Be a Pattern for the World”: The Development of a Dark Patterns Detection Tool to Prevent Online User Loss

Dark Patterns are designed to trick users into sharing more information or spending more money than they had intended to do, by configuring online interactions to confuse or add pressure to the users. They are highly varied in their form, and are therefore difficult to classify and detect. Therefore, this research is designed to develop a framework for the automated detection of potential instances of web-based dark patterns, and from there to develop a software tool that will provide a highly useful defensive tool that helps detect and highlight these patterns

Technical Debt is an Ethical Issue

We introduce the problem of technical debt, with particular focus on critical infrastructure, and put forward our view that this is a digital ethics issue. We propose that the software engineering process must adapt its current notion of technical debt – focusing on technical costs – to include the potential cost to society if the technical debt is not addressed, and the cost of analysing, modelling and understanding this ethical debt. Finally, we provide an overview of the development of educational material – based on a collection of technical debt case studies - in order to teach about technical debt and its ethical implication

Biosensors

A biosensor is defined as a detecting device that combines a transducer with a biologically sensitive and selective component. When a specific target molecule interacts with the biological component, a signal is produced, at transducer level, proportional to the concentration of the substance. Therefore biosensors can measure compounds present in the environment, chemical processes, food and human body at low cost if compared with traditional analytical techniques. This book covers a wide range of aspects and issues related to biosensor technology, bringing together researchers from 11 different countries. The book consists of 16 chapters written by 53 authors. The first four chapters describe several aspects of nanotechnology applied to biosensors. The subsequent section, including three chapters, is devoted to biosensor applications in the fields of drug discovery, diagnostics and bacteria detection. The principles behind optical biosensors and some of their application are discussed in chapters from 8 to 11. The last five chapters treat of microelectronics, interfacing circuits, signal transmission, biotelemetry and algorithms applied to biosensing

Proceedings of the ETHICOMP 2022: Effectiveness of ICT ethics - How do we help solve ethical problems in the field of ICT?

This Ethicomp is again organized in exceptional times. Two previous ones were forced to turn to online conferences because of Covid-pandemic but it was decided that this one would be the physical one or cancelled as the need for real encounters and discussion between people are essential part of doing philosophy. We need possibility to meet people face to face and even part of the presentation were held distance–because of insurmountable problems of arriving by some authors– we manage to have real, physical conference, even the number of participants was smaller than previous conferences.The need of Ethicomp is underlined by the way world nowadays is portrayed for us. The truthfulness and argumentation seem to be replaced by lies, strategic games, hate and disrespect of humanity in personal, societal and even global communication. EThicomp is many times referred as community and therefore it is important that we as community do protect what Ethicomp stands for. We need to seek for goodness and be able to give argumentation what that goodness is. This lead us towards Habermass communicative action and Discourse ethics which encourages open and respectful discourse between people (see eg.Habermass 1984;1987;1996). However, this does not mean that we need to accept everything and everybody. We need to defend truthfulness, equality and demand those from others too. There are situations when some people should be removed from discussions if they neglect the demand for discourse. Because by giving voice for claims that have no respect for argumentation, lacks the respect of human dignity or are not ready for mutual understanding (or at least aiming to see possibility for it) we cannot have meaningful communication. This is visible in communication of all levels today and it should not be accepted, but resisted. It is duty of us all.</p

Florida Undergraduate Research Conference

FURC serves as a multi-disciplinary conference through which undergraduate students from the state of Florida can present their research. February 16-17, 2024https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/university_events/1006/thumbnail.jp

Paradigms in environmental management research : outline of an ecosophical-hermeneutic alternative

Doctoral thesis (Ph.D.) – Bodø Graduate School of Business, 2011The first aim of the dissertation is to develop a conceptual tool (two paradigms) for the purpose of analyzing Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). This positions the dissertation in a field which includes environmental management, the philosophy of science, environmental philosophy and ethics. Thus making the research at hand, to a great extent, an interdisciplinary piece of research. Using two research paradigms, Johansen discusses six Norwegian EIA cases with regard to ontology (nature and human), perception of science, scientific ideals, ethics and esthetics. The intention of the analysis is to illuminate the paradigmatic presuppositions governing Norwegian EIA-кesearch. Part V of the dissertation discusses the transition from atomistic to holistic EIA-research. Through applying hermeneutical reflexive methodology, the thesis reveals findings of significance: the manuals on EIA and EIA reports are characterized by an ever increasing incoherence (from EIA report on Veslefrikk of 1987 to Goliat, 2009). Concretely this means that contemporary Norwegian EIA-research can be characterized as much “talk”, or promises about sound ethical and humanistic concerns, and less “walk”, or little actual research and implementation of the norms and values promised; hence then the lack of correspondence (incoherence) between values (ontology) and method/practice. The kernel message of this dissertation is to make it clear that the reason why humanistic and environmental concerns are absent and left out in the shade can be explained by the epistemological and methodological choices of EIA-researchers. These choices in turn result in consequences for ontology. The dissertation discusses it being necessary to use the epistemological position of hermeneutics in order to gain a deeper (intuitive and emphatic) understanding (‘Verstehen’) of social and environmental impacts. This method utilizes a subject-subject relationship between the researcher and the study object in order to understand the inner unique experience of subjects and social phenomena. The thesis suggests several ways forward (ontologically, epistemologically and methodologically) with regard to how current atomistic EIA-research can be developed into holistic EIA-research

Practices of Speculation: Modeling, Embodiment, Figuration

This volume offers innovative ways to think about speculation at a time when anticipation of catastrophe in an apocalyptic mode is the order of the day and shapes public discourse on a global scale. It maps an interdisciplinary field of investigation: the chapters interrogate hegemonic ways of shaping the present through investments in the future, while also looking at speculative practices that reveal transformative potential. The twelve contributions explore concrete instances of envisioning the open unknown and affirmative speculative potentials in history, literature, comics, computer games, mold research, ecosystem science and artistic practice

Practices of Speculation

This volume offers innovative ways to think about speculation at a time when anticipation of catastrophe in an apocalyptic mode is the order of the day and shapes public discourse on a global scale. It maps an interdisciplinary field of investigation: the chapters interrogate hegemonic ways of shaping the present through investments in the future, while also looking at speculative practices that reveal transformative potential. The twelve contributions explore concrete instances of envisioning the open unknown and affirmative speculative potentials in history, literature, comics, computer games, mold research, ecosystem science and artistic practice