Ethics

• The advent of social media platforms has profoundly altered the landscape of human interaction, ushering in an era where connectivity is instantaneous and global
• Social media platforms provide users with a diverse array of functionalities and opportunities for engagement
• Access to social media platforms necessitates the acceptance of Terms of Service (TOS) agreements
• TOS agreements delineate the terms under which users may utilize the platform's services, covering issues such as user conduct, data privacy, intellectual property rights, and platform governance
• TOS agreements are often characterized by their complexity and opacity, written in dense legal language
• Users may find themselves in a position of relative powerlessness compared to platforms when agreeing to TOS agreements
• The process of obtaining user consent to TOS agreements is often characterized by the "unequal click," where users may agree without fully comprehending the implications
• Stakeholders involved in the ethical issues surrounding social media TOS agreements include Users, Social Media Platforms, and Governments
• Users have a vested interest in

  Maintaining control over their personal data, ensuring privacy is respected, promoting transparency and fairness in platform governance
• Social Media Platforms seek to

  Maximize user engagement, generate revenue, protect themselves from legal liability, draft TOS agreements that protect their interests and foster a positive user experience
• Governments are responsible for

  Overseeing the operation of social media platforms, protecting user interests, enacting legislation or regulatory frameworks to safeguard user rights, promoting transparency and accountability
• To analyze the ethical issues surrounding social media TOS agreements, it is helpful to consider an ethical framework
• Legislation or regulatory frameworks aimed at safeguarding user rights, promoting transparency, and accountability


  • Addressing emerging challenges related to data privacy and platform governance
• Ethical Frameworks


  • Utilitarianism
  • Deontology
• Utilitarianism


  A consequentialist ethical theory that emphasizes the maximization of overall well-being and the minimization of harm
• Deontology


  A non-consequentialist ethical theory that emphasizes the importance of moral duties and principles
• Utilitarianism perspective on TOS agreements

  Evaluating impact on welfare of all stakeholders involved, promoting transparency, protecting user privacy, fostering a fair and equitable online environment
• Deontological perspective on TOS agreements

  Evaluating adherence to fundamental moral principles such as respect for autonomy, justice, and fairness, respecting users' autonomy, treating them fairly, upholding their rights and dignity
• Options to address ethical concerns surrounding social media TOS agreements

  • Maintain the Status Quo
  • Increase Transparency
  • Develop a "People's Terms of Service"
  • Government Regulation
• Maintaining the status quo

  Preserves platform autonomy but could perpetuate existing power imbalances and undermine user trust and confidence in social media platforms
• Increasing transparency in TOS agreements

  Enhances user understanding and autonomy but could also impose additional costs and burdens on platforms and users
• Developing a "People's Terms of Service"

  Empowers users and promotes fairness and justice but may be challenging to implement and enforce across diverse platforms and user communities
• Government regulation

  Establishes clear standards and protections for users but may also stifle innovation and impose compliance costs on platforms
• Most ethical course of action

  Strikes a balance between the interests of all stakeholders involved, promotes transparency and accountability, fosters a fair and equitable online environment
• Recommendation


  Combining elements of increased transparency, user empowerment, and regulatory oversight
• Approach to addressing ethical issues in social media TOS agreements

  Combining elements of increased transparency, user empowerment, and regulatory oversight
• Components of the approach

  • Platforms revising TOS agreements to make them more accessible, understandable, and transparent to users
  • Users advocating for their rights and interests in TOS agreements
  • Governments enacting legislation or regulatory frameworks
  • Stakeholders adopting a collaborative and multi-stakeholder approach
• References
• References:
• Center for Democracy & Technology. https://cdt.org/
• Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/
• The Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/
• Alzahrani, S. M., Lee, I., & Park, Y. W. (2022, December 1). Ethical Framework of Social Media Based on Text Analysis of Terms of Service of Six Major Platforms. Journal of Sustainability, 14(24), 1136017. https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/js/2022/1136017.pdf
• LinkedIn Corporation. (2023). Social media and the law: balancing bytes and boundaries. https://www.linkedin.com/legal/professional-community-policies
• Alzahrani, S. M., Lee, I., & Park, Y. W. (2023, January 10). Retraction Retracted: Ethical Framework of Social Media Based on Text Analysis of Terms of Service of Six Major Platforms. Journal of Sustainability, 15(1). https://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2022/1136017/
• Professional Codes of Ethics


  A set of guidelines designed to set out the acceptable behavior of a member of a particular group, association, or profession
• Professional Codes of Ethics


  • ACM Code Of Ethics And Professional Conduct
  • IEEE Code Of Ethics
  • National and Regional Codes
• Preamble: 'I will use my special knowledge and skills for the benefit of the public. I will serve employers and clients with integrity, subject to an overriding responsibility to the public interest, and I will strive to enhance the competence and prestige of the professional.'
• Preamble

  1. Promote public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of information technology

  2. Consider the general welfare and public good in the performance of work

  3. Advertise goods or professional services in a clear and truthful manner

  4. Comply and strictly abide by intellectual property laws, patent laws, and other related laws in respect of information technology

  5. Accept full responsibility for the work undertaken and utilize skills with competence and professionalism

  6. Make truthful statements on areas of competence as well as the capabilities and qualities of products and services

  7. Not disclose or use any confidential information obtained in the course of professional duties without consent of parties concerned, except when required by law

  8. Try to attain the highest quality in both the products and services offered

  9. Not knowingly participate in the development of Information Technology Systems that will promote the commission of fraud and other unlawful acts

  10. Uphold and improve IT professional standards through continuing professional development to enhance the IT profession
• Code of Ethics of the Association of IT

  Set of obligations including promoting understanding of information processing methods to management, upholding high ideals of AITP, cooperating with honesty and respect, disseminating knowledge responsibly, protecting confidentiality of information, upholding ethical and moral principles, guarding employer's interests, providing wise and honest advice, upholding national honor and chosen way of life, actively discharging obligations as a personal responsibility and as an AITP member