EMBRACING ETHICS, IMMEDIATELY
The above baby steps show that tech giants have become more open to offering their users more choice over how, when and why their data is collected. However, why not make the safest settings standard across applications and platforms? Mozilla, for instance, has announced that its Firefox browser will default to blocking all cross-site third-party trackers as standard – setting a benchmark for other developers to hopefully follow.
In doing so, Mozilla is actually accepting responsibility for the data-based problems its users could face, rather than simply informing them of potential issues that may arise. This isn’t just being transparent either, which was a notable ethical flaw encountered by Facebook before the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This is a developer taking the reins of data protection on its users’ behalf, while still providing the detailed information and level of choice its customers deserve.
Whether or not Mozilla has made this decision based on the recent events highlighted above, is unclear. However, studies have shown that notable and historical events do have a greater impact upon future ethical practices than creating specific codes of ethics. In fact, the most effective way for tech giants to proceed may be to educate their staff, and developers in particular, on the fallout from specific issues or data breaches, and advise them to work with these implications in mind.
Firstly – we can take full advantage of the tools that tech giants have already provided us with. By limiting the information and data that companies hold, we are not only taking back some control, but also telling them to provide us with something better. If a specific company suffers a data breach or appears in the news after unethical practices, ask yourself if you really need to continue using its product or service. The power is quite literally in our hands.
You can also keep a lookout for the Trustable Technology Mark for the Internet of Things becoming more prominent in the future. For companies, even tech giants, to achieve a ‘Trustable Technology Mark’, its product must be judged on five ethical criterion; Privacy and Data Practices, Transparency, Security, Stability and Openness. Once it is applied to a specific company or product, this trustmark proves to consumers that what they are buying or engaging with has been approved as trustworthy.
Given the growing number of similar certification programs that companies can seek out in order to validate the ethically sound nature of their products, you are likely to see more brands striving for such approval over the next few years.
And this is another reason why the tech giants must follow suit. If they are to remain at the very top of their game for the foreseeable future, they must address this new level of ethical competition accordingly. If we consumers remain vigilant in the way we interact with digital technologies, and smaller developers endeavor to achieve an accredited level of ethically sound practice, then the tech heavyweights will be forced to improve and adapt too.
In the meantime, we would advise you to keep up to date with what your data is being used for, and to not shy away from challenging any discrepancies you encounter. While 2018 will hopefully prove to have been a watershed year in tech company transparency, such companies must also be aware that they will attract adverse headlines if they continue to seek to use user data in an unethical fashion.
However, as 2019 progresses, we might just see more stories about the good work being done by tech companies from an ethical standpoint. After the last 12 months, they certainly have some catching up to do.