DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode explores the potential motivations behind Harvard Professor Francesca Gino's data fraud. Data Colada researchers Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson and Joe Simmons found significant evidence of data manipulation, which was later given to Harvard. This led to the retraction of four papers and a recommendation to fire Gino.

What might motivate someone to manipulate data and to commit fraud? Dr. Connor Wood explains some troubling trends within Higher Education.

Wood studies what the contemporary sciences have to say about human nature. His PhD in religious studies is from Boston University, and he has written and published widely on the cognitive science of ritual. You can read his Substack here (https://cultureuncurled.substack.com) and learn more about his research here (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Connor-Wood). A convert to Catholicism, Connor writes and translates poetry for fun and also goes rock climbing (usually not at the same time).

Potentially Helpful Links:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24107889/francesca-gino-lawsuit-harvard-dishonesty-researcher-academic-fraud

https://www.science.org/content/article/honesty-researcher-committed-research-misconduct-according-newly-unsealed-harvard

Harvard Report: https://datacolada.org/wp-content/uploads/Harvard-Report-on-Gino.pdf

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

This episode features an interview with Dr. Jenn Lindsay and Dr. Wesley Wildman on the forthcoming documentary film, ‘Simulating Religious Violence.’ This film explores a team of researchers seeking to build the kind of computational model that I just mentioned. Dr. Lindsay directed the film. She is Professor of Sociology and Communications at John Cabot University and the CEO and head of production at So Fare Films. Dr. Lindsay is an accomplished filmmaker, including the award winning documentary film, Quarantined Faith. Dr. Wildman is Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, and of Computing and Data Sciences. He was one of the researchers involved in creating and deploying the simulation.

The film documents the Modelling Religion Project, which was a three year project made in collaboration between researchers at the Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC), the Center for Modeling Social Systems at the University of Agder in Norway, and the Center for Mind and Culture, the home for the Digethix podcast. If you’d like to see the film, it will be premiering at Boston University on November 19th in the Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences Building on the 17th Floor. You can also see it at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting in San Diego on November 23rd, and in Rome on March 1st at John Cabot University in Rome.

Premiere event at BU 11/19: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/simulating-religious-violence-premiere-tickets-953785667607

Film website: https://www.sofarefilms.com/simulatingreligiousviolence
Project website: https://mindandculture.org/projects/past-projects/modeling-religion-project/

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Dr. Benjamin Chicka has a PhD in Religion from Claremont Graduate University.  He currently serves as a  lecturer of philosophy and religion at Curry College. He is the author of the book, Playing as Others, which will be the main topic of our conversation today. He is interested in how video games can be used as a source of positive ethical formation, leading people to eventually act more empathetically in society at large, particularly towards people who have been historically marginalized.

Key questions: how do we learn to act ethically? What tools do we have to train ourselves in the direction that we hope to go? Should videogames be a part of this formation strategy or are they merely diversions?

Potentially helpful links:

Book: https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481315463/playing-as-others/

Gamergate info: https://www.vox.com/2014/9/6/6111065/gamergate-explained-everybody-fighting

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/14/the-only-guide-to-gamergate-you-will-ever-need-to-read/

Forums/video game communities

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/31/gamer-communities-positive-side-twitter

 Papers please

https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/11/10/244413539/papers-please-puts-your-loyalty-sympathy-to-the-test

Exploitation in the video game industry

https://time.com/5603329/e3-video-game-creators-union/

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com
Edits: Julia Brukx
Episode art: Julia Donohue

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Willys DeVoll is a professional writer and co-author of the book, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World, with Michael S. Erwin. Willys is the founder of Will Digital, a writing and design agency. As an expert at the intersection of language and technology, he’s spoken at a wide range of industry conferences and on podcasts. Willys earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University, where he studied English and philosophy.

Willys helps us to think about the following questions: What traits make for an effective leader today? How can we build authentic relationships in our increasingly technology mediated world? Is it necessary to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of ourselves? 

More information on Willys and the Book:

https://www.leadershipisarelationship.com/
https://willysdevoll.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdevoll/
https://twitter.com/willysdevoll

Potentially Helpful Links

McDonald Conference for Leaders and Character https://www.westpoint.edu/leadership-center/mcdonald-leadership-conference#:~:text=The%20mission%20of%20the%20McDonald,skills%2C%20fosters%20critical%20thinking%20and
Post-covid workplace https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19#
Crossfit info: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/crossfit-ceo-steps-down-after-inflammatory-george-floyd-comments-n1228941
Chandler Smith and Noah Olsen https://barbend.com/noah-ohlsen-chandler-smith-withdraw-2020-crossfit-games/

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com
Edits: Julia Brukx
Episode art: Julia Donohue

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

The main topic we will be discussing together is Jacob Boss’s research on transhumanism. Transhumanism is a movement of people dedicated to using technology to transform humanity and to radically change the human condition. Jacob’s specific area of research is on a group of transhumanists known as Grinders. This group is highly interested in body modification through do-it-yourself science and technology.

Jacob Boss is a doctoral candidate in Religious Studies at Indiana University. Jacob teaches widely, serving as instructor of record or associate instructor in the Departments of Religious Studies, Informatics, and the Collins Living-Learning Center. He is an editorial assistant for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and the co-founder of the Human Augmentation Research Network, hosted by the Center for Religion and the Human at Indiana University. He is a part of the Human Enhancement and Transhumanism unit of the American Academy of Religion.

The key questions for this episode are: What does it mean to have body autonomy in an era of powerful technology? How will our ideas of self-expression change? How are grassroots movements like the grinders related to more corporatized movements within transhumanism itself? How far should we go in pursuit of new technologies that may relieve our pains and illnesses?

About Jacob:

https://religiousstudies.indiana.edu/about/graduate-students/boss-jacob.html
https://twitter.com/jaarboss

Potentially helpful links:

https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-anatomy-riot-of-1788

https://www.wired.com/story/this-diy-implant-lets-you-stream-movies-from-inside-your-leg/

https://www.wired.com/2010/12/transcending-the-human-diy-style/

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46442519

https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2020/10/06/a-very-kind-conversation-between-a-cyborg-and-some-biohackers/

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Seth speaks with Dr. Rubén Mancha about developing more ethical business models and about the potential for a non-profit technology company. Rubén is an assistant professor of information technology at Babson College and an advisor to entrepreneurs and organizations. Rubén researches the social impact of digital technologies and digital business models, their potential for good, and the responsible digital transformation of businesses.  He also acts as one of the advisors for the podcast.

The key questions for this episode are: 1) Why is data valuable to businesses? 2) How can we best negotiate data sharing, data capture, and data privacy 3) Can non-profit technology companies succeed in the current marketplace?

Potentially Helpful Links:

https://www.whoop.com/privacy/whoop-privacy-principles/
http://www.rideaustin.com/
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection_en

Rubén's articles (may need access):

Whoop article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2515127420975181
Wells Fargo article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681317301581
Article with David Nersessian and John Marthinsen: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SRJ-09-2020-0386/full/html

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Seth and Bernd Dürrwächter discuss the summer Doordash app strike and the state of the app economy. Bernd is principal at AnalyticDimensions.com, a consultancy for big data analytics & data science projects.  On July 31st, 2021, Doordashers protested decreased wages and the striking down of the app Para, which allowed drivers to see how much they would be making in tips prior to accepting an order. 

The key questions to this episode are: What kind of information is important to disclose? How do we evaluate if an information asymmetry puts one party at an advantage over another? How can these relationships be negotiated in a way that will work better for both parties? 

Potentially Helpful Links:

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/31/1023265561/why-doordash-drivers-are-on-strike
https://aldianews.com/articles/politics/doordash-workers-stage-strike-over-tip-transparency-deliveries/66002
https://www.prdaily.com/doordash-responds-to-driver-strike-17-steps-for-seo-friendly-content-and-ben-jerrys-addresses-west-bank-decision/
https://gizmodo.com/doordash-is-proof-of-how-easy-it-is-to-exploit-workers-1836729119
https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2019-07-25/doordash-tipping-amazon-flex-drivers
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkbvgz/no-dasher-no-deliveries-doordash-drivers-strike-for-tip-transparency
https://help.doordash.com/dashers/s/article/How-is-Dasher-pay-calculated?language=en_US
https://help.doordash.com/dashers/s/article/Guaranteed-Earnings-for-Existing-Dashers?language=en_US

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Seth interviews Timothée Mathon. Timothée is a French freelance artist. He has experience working as a Concept Artist, Art Director and Illustrator for the AAA Videogame and Movie industry (Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, Netflix, and Net Ease Games). He designed a collection of Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and heavily advocates for the independence of artists in the industry.  Samples of his work can be found here: https://www.artstation.com/theartnest. You can find his NFT collection, Crypto Rocks Rescue, on Open Sea: https://opensea.io/collection/crypto-rocks-rescue/. You can also find his stream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theartnest.

The key questions for this episode are: what is radical about non-fungible tokens as a technology? How can NFT change the way that art and art ownership function? What new options might they give to artists?

Potentially Helpful Articles:

https://www.ibm.com/topics/what-is-blockchain
https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq
https://medium.com/fabric-ventures/what-is-web-3-0-why-it-matters-934eb07f3d2b


Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Seth interviews Dr. Emanuelle Burton. Emanuelle obtained her PhD in Religion and Literature from the. University of Chicago Divinity School. She teaches ethics in the Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago. In collaboration with Judy Goldsmith, Nicholas Mattei, Cory Siler, and Sara Jo-Swiatek, she is developing a science fiction-based ethics curriculum for computer science students. Her solo research focuses on ethical formation in science fiction and fantasy for young readers.

The key questions for this episode are: how do we become the right sort of people to create worthwhile technologies? How do we prevent these technologies from distorting us and our relationships? What ethical skills will be useful for the next generation of technologists?

Potentially Helpful Articles:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/10/05/1036519/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-algorithms/?truid=&utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=Active%20Qualified&utm_content=10-06-2021&mc_cid=7d8eef32ea&mc_eid=836f82dd3f

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/10/day-without-facebook/620303/?mc_cid=7d8eef32ea&mc_eid=836f82dd3f

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/10/facebook-outage-likely-caused-60m-loss-impacted-small-businesses/?mc_cid=7d8eef32ea&mc_eid=836f82dd3f

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/06/mark-zuckerberg-hits-back-at-facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-claims?mc_cid=7d8eef32ea&mc_eid=836f82dd3f

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/10/05/facebook-research-data-haugen-congress-regulation/?mc_cid=7d8eef32ea&mc_eid=836f82dd3f

Emanuelle's Collaborators:

http://www.cs.uky.edu/~goldsmit/

https://sse.tulane.edu/cs/faculty/mattei

https://divinity.uchicago.edu/directory/sara-jo-swiatek-0

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-siler-ba6784102

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org

Seth and Bernd Dürrwächter discuss the role of CAPTCHAs and bots in our automated systems and the potential obstacle they pose to people making informed decisions. Bernd is principal at AnalyticDimensions.com, a consultancy for big data analytics & data science projects. Bernd has been advising the podcast from the beginning, using insights from his decades of industry experience.

The key questions for this episode are: How can companies properly inform their users so that they can make informed decisions about what they are doing? Why is it that we have to prove to your technical systems that we are human? How should we think about the tradeoffs between security and convenience?

Potentially Helpful Articles:

 https://www.imperva.com/blog/bad-bot-report-2021-the-pandemic-of-the-internet/
https://www.imperva.com/resources/reports/Imperva_BadBot_Report_V2.0.pdf
https://xkcd.com/936/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/04/shoshana-zuboff-surveillance-capitalism-assault-human-automomy-digital-privacy
https://enlightened-digital.com/the-evolving-captcha/
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/updated-russian-man-turns-tables-on-bank-changes-fine-print-in-credit-card-agreement-then
https://www.darkpatterns.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQbjdaHIZ_k

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com

Contact us:

digethix.org
facebook.com/digethix
twitter.com/digethix
instagram.com/digethixfuture
EMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org