2018 Top 10 List of Ethical Issues by Reilly Center

An ethical dilemma or ethical paradox is a decision-making problem between two

possible moral imperatives, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable.
The complexity arises out of the situational conflict in which obeying one would result in
transgressing another.

Ethical Issue is when a matter has both aspects of right and wrong. ... Ethical
Dilemma is when one is faced with a binary or multiple option of choice, or a confusion
of understanding, based on ethics or the lack of it. Ethical conflict is when the choice
becomes difficult or complex, perhaps with added pressure to act.
Here are five ethically questionable issues you may face in the workplace and
how you can respond.
 Unethical Leadership. ...
 Toxic Workplace Culture. ...
 Discrimination and Harassment. ...
 Unrealistic and Conflicting Goals. ...
 Questionable Use of Company Technology.

1: Helix and DNA Tests

Helix is an online platform hosting deals and packages for DNA tests, essentially
trivializing your genetic material into something of a party game, or conversation starter.
For USD$80.00, Helix and its app makers sell you an interpretation of your genome, to
deduce what makes you who you are, like your ancestry.  
By providing a saliva sample for analysis in a DNA, according to the Helix website, you
can “unlock an entire marketplace of products that are personalized to you by your
DNA,” after your sample is processed through their “Next Generation Sequencing
technology, unlocking up to 100 times more data than typical at-home DNA tests on the
market.”
Helix shares “small portions” of your genetic sequence with their partners who offer their
specialized analyses.
As they claim to be “backed by science,” it’s hard not to believe that they are making a
game of it for profit, and this can be dangerous. When did our genetic material last
affect how we made decisions in everyday life? It’s like relying on your horoscope, or
following the advice from a questionable third party, rather than making your own
decisions based on your experiences and personal preferences.
The John J. Reilly Center poses some good questions to ask of Helix, and of the DNA
testing industry as a whole, such as:

How would potential customers educate themselves about the status of the research
used to do genetic analyses?

If we get into diagnosis, what role will the FDA play in monitoring these apps?

How much does this kind of genetic prognostication actually improve the human
experience?

2: Social Credit Systems

The John J. Reilly Center makes this comparison, and I feel I have to as well: you ever
see that episode of Black Mirror, called Nosedive, where everyone has a social credit
score that determines how they live their lives and who they should associate with?
China thought of it first, issuing a report back in 2014 titled, Planning Outline for the
Construction of a Social Credit System.
The plan aims to have every person and business in China associated with a mandatory
grade level between 350-950 beginning in 2020. Everyone will be rated according to
other’s interpretations of their “honesty in government affairs”, “commercial integrity”,
“societal integrity” and “judicial credibility”.
The Chinese government is currently compiling data on everything from shopping
habits, credit ratings, online behavior, friend connections and more for each of its
citizens and businesses. These scores will affect housing and school decisions, hiring,
loan applications and more. On September 25, 2016, the Chinese State Council
General Office updated a policy, titled “Warning and Punishment Mechanisms for
Persons Subject to Enforcement for Trust-Breaking,” according to Wired Magazine UK. 
These punishments are currently unclear, but one could imagine restriction from public
places and events, places of business and maybe even internet restrictions. This kind of
system not only poses privacy risks, but also invites the opportunity for abuse through
hacking or official mismanagement. The John J. Reilly Center asks some hard-hitting
questions, including, “is this social transparency, or a way to mandate obedience? Will it
truly lead to a more trustworthy world?”

3: Ransomware
Ransomware is like a virus. It allows hackers to seize control of your computer or device
and lock you out, while threatening to steal or delete your important files. Sometimes it
masquerades as a government entity seizing your device. Most often, the criminals
behind the attack demand the victim to pay a hefty fine.
For those in the business sectors, ransomware is particularly dangerous.
CSO Online lists some of the most recent largescale ransomware attacks. The site
refers to instances where ransomware programs such as CryptoLocker, NotPetya and
WannaCry seized victim’s information, shut down businesses and public utilities
including hospitals and radio stations and even disguised themselves to appear to be
hostile nation attacks.
The John J. Reilly Center refers to an instance in which the CEO of a South Korean
web design company, Nayana, was forced to pay USD$1 million converted into Bitcoin
to attackers who stole the company’s customer information. The story was reported on
by Gizmodo.
Ransomware needs no speculation as to what the ethical dilemma is. It is important that
everyone who uses the Internet for whatever purpose be educated as to the dangers of
such malicious software and know how to prevent, or get around it.
For those of our readers interested or involved in manufacturing, you can learn more
about the dangers of ransomware and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by
continuing to read with us here.
The above are only three items from the top 10 list created by a team of Notre Dame
undergraduates participating in a course titled "Man and Machine: Humanity,
Technology, and the Future" through the Reilly Center's Science, Technology, and
Values Program. 
 
The John J. Reilly Center “explores conceptual, ethical and policy issues where science
and technology intersect with society from different disciplinary perspectives.” Its goal is
“to promote the advancement of science and technology for the common good and
demonstrate the integral role of the humanities in science and technology.

Tech Ethics Issues We Should All Be Thinking About In 2019

In 2019, the list includes some technology you've definitely heard of (such as 5G) and
some that will come as a surprise. If you'd like to see lists from previous years (as well as
some further reading recommendations), you can go here. In the meantime, here are the
2019 entries for the Tech Top 10 List:

Pet cloning: For $25k-$50k, you can now clone your cat or dog. However, there are no
guarantees you'll get a new pet that looks or acts like your old one, and the animal-lovers
out there would do well to note that the host animals used to gestate clones have a pretty
miserable life. Is it right to invest in this technology when there are so many animals in
need of homes already out there?

DIY neurohacking: At-home neurostimulation devices have hit the market, but plans
for making your own are all over the Internet. Customers hope that zapping their brains
with a small electrical current will help improve everything from memory to attention,
but we don't know the long-term effects of neurostimulation. Combine that with high
hopes and a few extra zaps with the intention of superpowering your brain and you've
got a recipe for potential disaster. Should there be some kind of oversight, or should we
let people do whatever they want to their brains? What about parents who let their
children use such a device in the hopes of boosting their grades?

Behavioral biometrics: Forget PINs and passwords. More institutions are now using
hand-eye coordination, the angle at which you hold your device, finger pressure, hand
tremors, navigation patterns, and other hand movements to judge whether you're really
you when you log into an app. We all want to be protected from hackers, but we might
also want to think about how this information is being collected, stored, and used. Do
we have a right to know what our behavioral profiles look like? Will we have to sue
companies to get the information?

5G: 5G is on its way, but it's not here yet, despite the false promises of companies like
AT&T. With speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, 5G has the ability to change the world
by enabling speed-of-thought communication. But 5G is also an enormous and
expensive infrastructural undertaking and will require new regulatory frameworks.
Devices will have to be replaced to take advantage of the new network, increasing the
amount of electronic waste we produce. Rural areas that still have incredibly slow wifi
will be further left in the dust as the digital divide deepens. And to top it off, it will
require an enormous amount of energy to run, far more than we're able to produce
through renewables. None of this will stop 5G from coming, but what should we be
doing now to help prepare? 

The datafication of children: Children don't have any right to privacy when it comes to their parents.
That's why it's so alarming that parents are the biggest violators of their kids' privacy. Ultrasound photos
on Facebook and live updates from the delivery room mean children now have digital footprints before
they're even born. And because any data that can be hacked will, we've already seen children and their
families extorted for money as a result. The FBI even recently warned that kids are at risk in school as
well and hackers have already stolen academic and behavioral data from thousands of schools. What
does this mean for your child's future, especially in an era when background checks are ubiquitous and
all-knowing?
Insect Allies: DARPA's military research can always be counted on for a good scare.
It's some of the strangest and most cutting-edge research in the world and while it's
designed for national security, it often raises a lot of ethical issues. Their Insect Allies
Project has been around for a while, but has recently received more attention. The goal
is to create genetically modified insects that can deliver viruses to plants. The viruses
deliver new genes to the plants in an effort to make them more resistant to climate
change and human interference. But it's easy to argue that they can just as easily be used
to decimate crops and wipe out the food supply of millions of people. Is this a biological
weapon? Will it motivate other countries to develop the technology in defense? 

Sidewalk Labs: If you really want an example of how the public should comment on
new innovations, look to Toronto where citizens are concerned about a new project
designed to create a hyper-efficient city in an underutilized 12-acre area called Quayside.
Through the use of interconnected sensors, a company called Sidewalk Labs (which is a
subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google) want to monitor traffic,
pedestrians, weather, pollution, building occupancy, and sewage. But these sensors will
track people and everything they do in an effort to create the smartest city possible, and
that can't happen without the help of a lot of third-party entities that need access to this
data. If Sidewalk Labs wants the support of Toronto's citizens, they're going to have to
answer some questions about where the data is going and how they plan to remediate
any damage they cause to people or the environment. 

on the technology. Despite its inevitable march forward, it's worth thinking about
whether you'd put your life in the hands of a translating computer. Autonomous
translation: Companies like Microsoft are currently trying to build AI that can perform
real-time translations of human speech. But language is wildly complex and our slang
and idioms make it difficult for a computer to get a good enough translation to trust it in
tricky situations like military engagements. But translators aren't always available, so we
have no choice but to keep working

Seeding trials: Of course, pharmaceutical companies and their affiliated researchers

would never admit to participating in seeding trials, but they've become a common
marketing ploy to get doctors familiar with new drugs and their potential off-label uses.
Pharmaceutical companies recruit physicians to lead small studies on new drugs or
devices and then publish the results. It's already a conflict of interest when the
researchers get paid by the companies, but it becomes even more complicated when the
doctors have a vested interest in insisting their study was successful and encourage
other healthcare workers to try it with their patients. It's not good science, but it's
brilliant marketing. 

The "Sarco" suicide machine: Let's not get this mixed up with the right-to-die
movement going on around the world because the "Sarco" takes the issue to a whole new
level. This machine was created and displayed this year by Australian euthanasia activist
Philip Nitschke, who plans to revolutionize the way we die by selling the 3-D printing
schematics to a suicide machine in 2019 activate the machine for 24 hours. Upon
activation, nitrogen will spill into the pod and knock you out before you die of
asphyxiation. It's apparently painless and on. Upon activation, nitrogen will spill into
the pod and knock you out before you die of asphyxiation. It's apparently painless and
on. While you can download and print it yourself, you'll have to take an online test to
make sure you're fit to make the decision and then Nitschke will send you a passcode
good to offer to anyone over the age of 50, regardless of whether or not they're sick.
Nitschke insists that anyone who has lived that long and wants to bow out of going on
any longer deserves to make that decision for themselves. So, is this a dignified way to
end a life without making things messy and traumatic for onlookers and rescue
workers? Or a gimmick that encourages healthy people to end their lives?

Nitschke insists that anyone who has lived that long and wants to bow out of going on
any longer deserves to make that decision for themselves. So, is this a dignified way to
end a life without making things messy and traumatic for onlookers and rescue
workers? Or a gimmick that encourages healthy people to end their lives?

While the issues above are interesting (and sometimes disturbing) to discuss, they're
meant to bring up more important questions about what we even have the right to
control (that is, if we even have the energy to try to control something so complex). It's
easy to get fatigued by a long list of technologies that seem to be already spiraling out of
control, but the point is not to overwhelm but empower.

If we can take just a moment to think about the ethical issues first, before things go
sideways, we'll be one step closer to controlling our destinies.