4. Ethics for Tech Developers and Tech Consumers

Tech Consumer Responsibilities; Professional Codes; and Everyday Decision-Making

Considering the typical audience for this textbook, nearly 100% of you would most likely consider yourselves to be consumers of tech. Take a few moments to think about all of the tech that you regularly use as a part of your day-to-day experiences. From checking your smartphone for messages and social media updates, to using laptops or tablets for school or work assignments, streaming music and videos, playing video games, and even relying on smartwatches or fitness trackers to monitor your health – technology is woven into nearly every aspect of your daily routine. Whether you’re ordering food through an app, catching up on news, attending virtual classes, or collaborating on group projects using cloud-based tools, it’s clear that tech plays a central role in how you learn, work, connect, and entertain yourselves.

What would be some of the ethical considerations for consumers of tech? As a starting point for this discussion, I posed this exact question to a generative-AI tool (Perplexity) to see the response. Here is what Perplexity had to say:

“Some key ethical considerations for consumers of tech include protecting personal privacy and data, being aware of how their information is collected and used, ensuring informed consent when using digital services, recognizing and avoiding technologies or companies that engage in discriminatory or unfair practices, respecting intellectual property, and considering the broader social and environmental impacts of their tech use. Consumers should also be mindful of the potential for technology to amplify bias or harm vulnerable groups, and strive to make choices that support transparency, fairness, and accountability in the tech industry.”

Interesting indeed!

Let’s look at each of these concepts and turn them each into questions for you to review through your own personal lenses:

• protecting personal privacy and data – Is your personal privacy and data actually protected? Do you know where (all) this data exists and who (all) has access to it? Does it really need to be kept private and protected?
• being aware of how their information is collected and used – Do you have any control (or say) over what is collected or how it might be used (or shared, or sold)? Does it matter?
• informed consent when using digital services – Have you willingly and knowingly given away your information? How about your rights? Can you change your mind? If you do change your mind, is it already too late? Do you have any recourse?
• recognizing and avoiding technologies or companies that engage in discriminatory or unfair practices – Do you ever investigate the provider(s) of the tech you consume and does that information affect your decision to work with (and consequently support and enable) those companies? Do you have any responsibility to not support and enable unethical companies?
• respecting intellectual property – Do things like pirating games, software, or music have ethical implications? Does it matter if we’re talking about an artist’s intellectual property or a company’s intellectual property? What about your colleagues’ work? If they didn’t ‘legally’ protect it, is it fair-game?
• considering the broader social and environmental impacts – Does it matter that buying the newest version of a phone will mean that the ‘old’ phone may become e-waste with long-term global environmental harm? Does it matter when trash-talking someone in a gaming app if we are completely unaware of their own propensity toward self-harm? Do you have any responsibility and/or culpability in the outcomes that derive from your own actions with tech?
• technology amplifying bias or harming vulnerable groups – Am I using platforms or tools that have been shown to perpetuate or amplify biases, such as facial recognition systems with higher error rates for people with darker skin tones or recommendation algorithms that reinforce stereotypes or exclude certain groups? How might my engagement with algorithm-driven content – such as clicking, sharing, or purchasing – contribute to feedback loops that reinforce existing biases or marginalize underrepresented communities?

As technology becomes ever more integrated into daily life, intentionally reflecting on how we interact with it is essential for fostering a more ethical and responsible digital world. By asking ourselves thoughtful questions about privacy, consent, fairness, and the broader impacts of our choices, we can move beyond passive consumption and become conscious participants in shaping the tech landscape. This means not only protecting our own interests but also considering the well-being of others and the environment, holding companies accountable, and striving for transparency and inclusivity in all our digital interactions. Through ongoing awareness and deliberate action, each of us can contribute to a culture where technology empowers rather than exploits, and where ethical considerations guide both innovation and everyday use.

In your tech-related path, you will find yourself working with very many different individuals who may have many different expectations as to how you will apply ethics in your day-to-day interactions. Think about all of the different people shown here and remember that each person has their own set of personal lenses which they are using (whether intentionally or subconsciously) during each interaction with you.

Figure 7: IT Professionals' Ethical Relationships

Often, the details of these relationships may be spelled out (at least partially) via various relationship agreements. These agreements can take many forms (i.e. contracts, non-disclosure agreements, license agreements, professional codes of conduct, etc.) with many of these forms having both ethical and legal ramifications.

But at other times, the details of the relationships are not spelled out at all! And, as a result, conflicts can certainly arise when it becomes evident that there are competing interests being considered and viewed through conflicting personal lenses.

A great starting point for considering the additional ethical responsibilities of a tech practitioner is to review the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. This document attempts to codify the ethical responsibilities of tech professionals. But with even a cursory review of this professional code, one can easily discover how conflicts can arise when different constituents prioritize their own agendas related to tech development.

In November of 2020, Apple agreed to pay $113 million to settle consumer fraud lawsuits. These lawsuits were brought by more than 30 states over alleging that Apple was intentionally and without notice slowing down and shutting off iPhones resulting in the devices having sluggish performance or completely shutting down.

At first, Apple denied that it purposefully impeded the devices’ performance in any way. Later, Apple admitted that it did, in fact, alter the devices’ performance but it was for the purpose to “…preserve battery life amid widespread reports of iPhones unexpectedly turning off.”

"Many consumers decided that the only way to get improved performance was to purchase a newer-model iPhone from Apple," Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote in the complaint. "Apple, of course, fully understood such effects on sales."

The slowdown effected phones that were released between 2014 and 2016, but it wasn’t until December of 2017 that Apple eventually admitted to the slowdowns. Then, they issued an apology of sorts by saying, "We have never – and would never – do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades." But they settled anyway! Initially, they agreed to a settlement of $500 Million to pay affected consumers $25 per phone. The $113 Million was in addition to the initial $500 Million.

To think about this case in more detail, let’s put ourselves in different shoes and examine this situation from different perspectives with differing lenses.

Person 1: Apple Executive – We’ve sold and shipped millions of units of phones from 2014 through 2016 – and they are excellent products! Maybe too good. But that was then. How will we continue to get new sales if our older products are still working just fine? Why should our customers throw away perfectly good and working devices if they are still working for them? If we don’t continue to have the same (or better) sales growth, my position (and my bonuses) will be at risk. And if the new features of our new devices aren’t so appealing that the consumers won’t willingly abandon their working tech, then we need to make the older devices less-than-desirable if we will have any chance of getting those new replacement sales. But we also can’t disclose what we’re doing because we can’t risk our competitors seeing our strategies. Let’s just find a way to make the old phones ‘go away’. (planned obsolescence, trade secrets, intellectual property)

Person 2: Apple Customer – I just spent hundreds of dollars on a device less than 5 years ago and it did everything I needed it to do. And for several years now, it has been a great device! But now, for no apparent reason, my regular apps have become unmanageably sluggish and, sometimes, without warning, my phone will just shut itself off. Apple said that it didn’t do anything, but I certainly didn’t change anything! The device was working perfectly, and then all of a sudden, it is no longer functioning the way it should. Isn’t it reasonable to have an expectation that something that is working will continue to work as designed without interruption or performance degradation? Also, when I ask Apple about what’s going on, shouldn’t they have a responsibility to tell me the truth right up front? And if this device no longer works for me, then it won’t work for anyone. Where will this device end up? In a landfill I suppose… oh, the waste! (corporate responsibility, transparency, environmental responsibility)

Person 3: YOU – as any one of a number of different technology professionals working at Apple.

Marketing – The boss just asked me to develop a campaign targeting existing phone users telling them how much they are missing out because their older devices just can’t keep up with the new apps. I’m supposed to focus on new apps that only run on the newest devices. We’ve already seen that the ‘new apps’ aren’t that big of a hit because we aren’t getting a lot of ‘new’ customers at this time anyway. It doesn’t seem to be true that the new apps are all that they’re supposed to be. When does ‘exaggeration’ become ‘lying’? Is this really what I signed up for?

Customer Service – The boss just told us that we are experiencing a huge increase in disgruntled customers because their batteries keep draining very quickly and some phones are just shutting off. The boss told me, “Your response is that the customer is just using technology that is too old and they should upgrade to a newer phone right away” and then I should try to transfer them to Sales. I asked the boss, “What changed? Why have the devices suddenly started failing?” The boss said, ‘That’s above our pay-grade.’ and left me on my own. Something doesn’t seem right here. If I were the customer, I would expect more of a concrete answer. And I certainly wouldn’t appreciate a ‘hard sales pitch’ if the reason I called in was to get my current device restored to the way it was working fine just a bit ago. And why can’t my own company be transparent about what is going on? Is this really what I signed up for?

When looking at this exact same situation through the different perspectives of different involved people, we can see that there are quite a number of ethical considerations that should not be too easily dismissed. One of the most common conflicts when it comes to the ethics associated with business and technology involves the distinctions and differentiations between two different groups of people: stockholders vs. stakeholders.

Stockholders (or shareholders) are individuals, companies, or institutions that own shares in a corporation, giving them partial ownership and certain rights such as voting on major company decisions and receiving dividends when profits are distributed. Their primary interest lies in the financial performance of the company, as their returns depend on stock value and dividend payouts, and they can typically buy or sell their shares at will.

In contrast, stakeholders encompass a much broader group, including not only shareholders but also employees, customers, suppliers, and members of the local community, all of whom have an interest in the company's performance and impact, even if they do not own any shares. While stockholders are mainly concerned with financial returns, stakeholders may prioritize long-term stability, ethical practices, job security, product quality, and the company’s social and environmental responsibilities.

This means that stakeholders’ interests may not always align with those of stockholders. It has been this author’s experience that the vast majority of corporate boards and executive leadership prioritize stockholder interests over stakeholder interests.

So, where does this leave us when we consider how a Professional Code of Conduct can help us in making our ethical decisions? First, this can be something that one can intentionally look for when interviewing for a position with a potential employer. individuals can find out if the organization has adopted the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Or perhaps they have their own code of conduct that they have developed.

individuals can also discover the policies and procedures that the organization uses for dealing with conflicts that arise from competing priorities. Some organizations utilize internal and/or external mediation boards to help provide unbiased, objective reviews and conflict resolutions.

Additionally, individuals can adopt their own code of ethics and professional conduct to be a guide for their own, personal decisions. But in order to do this, one should also proactively consider what they may do when they are asked to do something that violates their adopted code of ethics.

So far in this chapter you have:

• considered your own ethical responsibilities as a consumer of tech
• reviewed the generic but widely adopted ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
• reviewed one company’s comprehensive and transparent Code of Ethics

It is now time to consider what these might mean for you in your everyday decision-making process. For example, there appear to be some rather valid reason for individuals to consider their own ethical consumption of all things tech – for both their own health, safety and well-being – but also for how their actions might impact others. There appear to be some strong starting points and examples of Ethical Codes of Conduct for both individuals and organizations to use to help define, clarify, and formalize their own approaches to adopting ethics in their own day-to-day actions.

So now, here come the real questions for this chapter:

What does your own, personal Ethical Code of Conduct look like? What are some of the areas that you feel are pretty well defined? What are some areas that you feel may be in conflict – depending on which personal lenses you choose to use? What are some areas of your own personal code of ethics that may be in conflict with your school, or your work, or your family, or your church, or your community, or your culture? Can you imagine writing up your own, personal code of ethics? What all would be included? What do you feel is still too undefined or situational, so much so that it means that you may not have a consistent ethical response in certain situations? What are the risks of inconsistently or sporadically adhering to a personal code of ethics? Is it OK to change your ethical position on a particular subject? If so, what circumstances would allow for this?

As promised in the early chapters of this text… we aren’t providing any concrete, absolute answers to these questions. But rather, we are hoping that by listing a collection of questions, these may help individuals to discover and implement some intentionality into what it means to be an ethical person making informed, ethical decisions in their day-to-day activities.

1. “Apple Agrees To Pay $113 Million To Settle 'Batterygate' Case Over iPhone Slowdowns”, NPR, updated Nov. 18, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936268845/apple-agrees-to-pay-113-million-to-settle-batterygate-case-over-iphone-slowdowns↑