Digital Ethics
Ethics and controversies in online and digital technologies
The Ethics of Amazon Alexa
August 29, 2023
On November 14, 2014 tech giant Amazon announced the newest voice assistant to hit the market. The voice assistant, commonly known as “Alexa,” was a primary feature of a new…...
My Murder, Your Entertainment
May 15, 2023
It’s no secret that true crime media, whether in podcast or film format, has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. True crime is popular for reasons other than entertainment, as…...
Love Yourself or Just Your Selfie?
May 8, 2023
While Instagram used to be a casual platform to share quick snapshots with friends, it has turned into a perfectly curated stream of highlight reels. Like many young people, 21-year-old…...
The Ethics of AI Art
February 24, 2023
For thousands of years, art has been an endeavor of the human race. From Rembrandt to Basquiat, from the Benin Bronzes to the new wave cinema of Hong Kong, art…...
With Great Fame Comes Great Responsibility?
February 13, 2023
TikTok Influencers have a lot of power. Should they use it in ethical ways?...
The Ethics of DNA Predictive Technology in Law Enf...
December 5, 2022
What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education?...
Imperfections or Revealing Mistakes on Twitter?
November 30, 2022
What ethical concerns arise when Twitter users can edit their tweets?...
Newsworthy Expression or Tragic Tea?
October 18, 2022
What happens when YouTube drama channels switch from influencer gossip to serious tragedies?...
Is Coordinated Political Activity on Social Media ...
October 13, 2022
Are coordinated political campaigns ethical?...
The Ethics of TikTok Trends
September 15, 2022
When do popular TikTok trends become unethical?...
Socratic Discussion or Masked Bigotry?
September 1, 2022
How offensive can trolls be? A case study in online free speech....
More than a Fashion Faux Pas?
August 25, 2022
Can inclusive advertising survive the heavy hand of Facebook's able-biased AI?...
Internet Activism or Cyberterrorism?
August 18, 2022
Is hacktivism an ethical form of protest or activism?...
A Straight Man in Damascus?
July 26, 2022
Can a blog author blur their identity to increase attention on an important issue?...
Ethical Challenges in the Fight against Gun Violen...
July 11, 2022
What are ethical concerns with police using technology to detect gunshots?...
Promoting Safety or Infringing on Privacy?
June 16, 2022
What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education?...
“Act Like You’re Crying”
February 1, 2022
What are the ethics of influencers and kidfluencers on YouTube?...
Aiding the Cause or Enabling Performative Activism...
January 19, 2022
What are the ethics of sharing social justice posts on Instagram?...
Democratizing the Best or Enabling the Worst?
January 13, 2022
Is Amazon's easy self-publishing good or bad for democracy?...
Should Our Past Follow Us Forever Online?
December 13, 2021
What are the ethics of unpublishing or removing news items?...
Getting the News Out with Apple News+
December 7, 2021
What ethical concerns arise when Apple distributes the news?...
Twitter’s Difficult Choice in India
October 26, 2021
How should Twitter deal with government demands to regulate speech in India?...
The Latest in Dirty Campaign Tricks?
October 20, 2021
Do cheapfakes raise new ethical problems in political communication?...
A Tool for Racial Equality or Cancel Culture?
April 26, 2021
Should Yelp be in the business of branding businesses as racist?...
Ethical Targeting or Transgressing Ethics?
March 30, 2021
Is it ethical to use personalized data to target voters in political ad campaigns?...
Privacy versus Products in Targeted Digital Advert...
March 24, 2021
How far can digital advertisers go in using our personal data to sell their products?...
Stopping the Spread of Anti-Vax Memes
February 8, 2021
Should platforms censor anti-vaccination memes to help end the pandemic?...
The Ethics of Digital Contact Tracing
January 28, 2021
What worries arise when we use digital contact tracing to fight COVID-19?...
TikTok, Time to Snitch
October 21, 2020
Is it ethical to use TikTok to shame fellow college students who violate COVID-19 guidelines?...
Quelling Interference or Dissent?
October 20, 2020
Did Tumblr's purge of Russian misinformation accounts go too far?...
Gaming Platforms and Shocking Speech
September 14, 2020
When the gaming platform Twitch wants to police the speech of its users, what could go wrong?...
Doxing in the Name of Public Health
July 6, 2020
Is it ethical to name and shame those that violate travel precautions in the COVID-19 pandemic?...
Fighting (Online) Fire with Fire?
June 22, 2020
What are the ethics of using counterspeech to fight online harassment?...
Paying Your Way to the Top
May 20, 2020
Are purchases made in multiplayer video games unethical and unfair?...
Can Artificial Intelligence Reprogram the Newsroom...
April 27, 2020
As artificial intelligence plays an increasing role in newsrooms, what ethical issues arise?...
Are there Bigger Fish to Fry in the Struggle for A...
April 13, 2020
Is PETA right that our anti-animal sayings do more harm than good?...
The Different Species of the Online Catfish
March 24, 2020
What ethical complexities circle around catfishing and online deception?...
Beer Cans and Cancel Culture
February 5, 2020
What are the ethical challenges when journalism and cancel culture merge?...
Fighting the Amazon Fires with Misinformation
December 2, 2019
What are the ethical dilemmas posed by celebrity activists using not-so-accurate information on social media to save the environment?...
Secret Facebook Groups and the Ethics of Democracy
November 18, 2019
People are turning to secret Facebook groups to express their political opinions. What are the ethical implications of this trend for democracy?...
Social Media Activism or Mere Slacktivism?
November 12, 2019
When online activists vow to make a villain famous, what could go wrong?...
Matters of Facebook Live or Death
November 12, 2019
What are the ethical worries over Facebook Live and immediate internet broadcasting?...
Virtual Reality, Immersive Media, and Journalism
November 12, 2019
What are the ethics of using virtual reality in real journalism?...
Halloween Hijinks and Internet Shaming
April 3, 2019
What ethical decisions await those dressing up for Halloween--and those reacting to racially insensitive costumes?...
The Ethics of Computer-Generated Actors
February 13, 2019
What ethical concerns arise when filmmakers use CGI to resurrect dead actors?...
“One Does Not Simply Create a Meme”
January 14, 2019
When does the creation and sharing of internet memes go too far?...
Does the Photo Fit the News?
December 11, 2018
What happens when a powerful image becomes the face of the immigration debate?...
Digital Immortality on an App
December 10, 2018
When AI chatbots let us talk with the dead, what ethical issues might haunt us?...
Is It Only A Game?
December 6, 2018
First-person shooter video games are popular. But are they ethical to enjoy?...
“Some of My Best Friends are Internet Vigilantes”
December 5, 2018
What are the ethical issues that arise with naming and shaming racists online?...
How Can I Be So Mean to Myself?
December 4, 2018
What are the ethical concerns with the new phenomena of digital self-harm?...
Don’t “Like” My Children
November 28, 2018
What could go wrong when parents share information about their children online?...
When Actors Become Characters
November 26, 2018
What are the ethics of fictional works created by fans that involve real people as characters?...
Filtering Out Cyberbullying
November 23, 2018
What are the ethical issues raised by Instagram's efforts to filter out cyberbullying?...
To Catfish or Not to Catfish?
November 15, 2018
What are the ethical problems with "catfishing" online?...
Gaming the System?
November 4, 2018
What are the ethical problems with cheating in Fortnite?...
Boldly Going Where Studios Have Gone Before
October 31, 2018
When does fan fiction cross the line from inspired creativity to unethical stealing?...
AI and Online Hate Speech
September 25, 2018
Can AI save us from online hate speech? Or will it learn our worst traits?...
Google Assistant and the Ethics of AI
September 24, 2018
What ethical issues arise when realistic-sounding AI is used in human interactions?...
Doxing and Digital Journalism
July 6, 2018
When can journalists reveal the identity of controversial social media users?...
Finsta Fad
April 30, 2018
What are the real ethical issues raised by fake Instagram accounts?...
Swipe Right to Expose
April 24, 2018
What could go wrong with an investigative journalist covering the sordid side of the Rio Olympics?...
Biometrics, Data, and Privacy
April 17, 2018
Does national security trade off with privacy in biometric identification?...
Dying to Be Online
April 12, 2018
What could go wrong when you die on Facebook?...
Anonymity, Doxing, and the Ethics of Reddit
April 4, 2018
What ethical issues are created in Reddit's attempts to clean up its act?...
Fake News, Fake Porn, and AI
March 29, 2018
What are the ethical issues involved in the use of AI in creating fake video content?...