Netflix’s The Social Dilemma builds on a conversation that’s growing globally: what are we trading when we use technology for free, and what can we do about it? With a viewership of 38 million, the documentary reached an impressive audience. But despite its scale, it failed to address some important topics…
I work as a consultant in Digital Ethics, so having an opinion on Netflix’s The Social Dilemma feels like part of the job description. To be honest, my judgement was a little clouded before I started watching — I’d already heard criticisms of the show over-dramatising aspects of technology development, and I’m always wary of hearing the same people who developed this technology telling us how to fix it. But I tried to put this aside. Many people were discussing the issues I talk about every day at work — surely that’s a good thing?
It’s necessary to acknowledge the…
As UX Designers, it’s easy to blame technical complexity on developers. Designers work with coders, but code isn’t our job — our job is to provide users with a seamless experience, helping them to achieve their goals efficiently. We forget to ask: is efficiency good for us? Is it moral? What might we be hiding from the user?
“As the world around us increases in technological complexity, our understanding of this diminishes.” — James Bridle
From the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal to Shoshana Zuboff’s ground-breaking book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, we’ve seen an increasing focus on the exploitation of…
Issues with the A-Level results algorithm have already been detailed across traditional and social media. But what does this mean for the technology sector? And what can we learn from the response?
On the 13th August, A-Level students received their 2020 results. This year would be like no other. In the midst of a global pandemic, exams were cancelled, leaving a huge question: ‘How should A-Level grades be calculated?’
This is, unsurprisingly, a complex question to answer. Predicted grades have historically exacerbated discrimination in education: studies show that BAME and working-class students are disproportionately impacted by predicted grades from teachers…
Sophie Taylor
Sophie is a Senior Digital Ethics and Innovation Consultant at Sopra Steria.
