Efforts to address the ‘disruptive’ ethical, legal, and social potential of socio-technical innovation have resulted in the formulation of standard procedures for Ethical Impact Assessments (EIA), which may include specifically targeted Privacy or Data Protection Assessments (PIA) (Satori 2016). It is important that PIAs and EIAs are understood and implemented as iterative, reflexive, contextual and creative processes (rather than ‘rubberstamping’ or ‘policing’ activities). They could be undertaken in a range of formats, such as open discussions, questionnaires, case studies, and role-playing, and should be carried out periodically. They are necessary to pro-actively notice and address risks, to take steps to avoid infringing upon fundamental rights early, and increase transparency. There are no unequivocal rules or always right/wrong answers.
Guiding Questions
How can the EIA be folded in as an ongoing process, not as a tickbox exercise or a process of policing?
How can EIA/PIA processes be designed to support designers and users of collaborative information management systems to recognise the potential limitations of their assumptions/priorities?
How can EIAs/PIAs reveal ethical, legal and social issues at design-time, but also during implementation, use and governance?
Who manages the EIA/PIA processes and do they ensure that their importance is translated across all design teams and the approaches they engender are embedded in all design processes?
Comments 2
A personal view from my involvement with the police is that we have to bear in mind an ethical response to any situation, because we are a public service, and the public expect that from us. We are allowed to work to a certain level and that must be controlled, otherwise we start breaching the rights of individuals. Any work done with data, right down to individuals, how information is captured, assessed, and disposed of is a key topic. We have to review our processes continuously. isITethical supports this, it is thought provoking.
Emergency Planning Officer, Lancashire Constabulary and Lancashire Resilience Forum
Dear Adrian
thank you, that’s exactly what we want to be – thought provoking in the midst of professional practice. We are very aware of the high levels of awareness and experience of ethical, legal, and social issues in your practice. This is why isITethical is a community platform. The issues we address are highly dynamic and context-dependent, so ‘stories’ from the field are really important. Our idea is to make isITethical a ‘living’ resource that supports dialogue and contributions from different stakeholders.