Exam-style question
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A company proposes introducing Street View technology in a remote African village. Discuss the main issues that should be considered before deployment, including ethical conflicts and the challenges this type of technology may create for legislators.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- The proposal should first consider who will be affected and who should be consulted, including people in the village and others responsible for making decisions on its behalf.
- Informed consent is important because individuals and the wider community may have expectations about privacy, recording and the use of personal information.
- The company should identify benefits, such as the value of the service, and risks, such as changes to human perceptions and behaviours or the inappropriate distribution of information.
- Cultural expectations may not match the assumptions built into the technology, so the company should examine the moral and cultural values embedded in its algorithms and processes.
Explanation
Why this works
Credit should be given for discussing consultation, informed consent, individual and cultural expectations, benefits, risks, safeguards, human impacts, commercial interests and trade-offs. A high-quality response also explains why legislation is difficult when technologies operate at large scale and across different societies.
Common mistake
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