Ethics

Defined

• ethics (used with a sing. verb): The study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person; moral philosophy.

• ethics (used with a sing. or pl. verb): The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession: medical ethics.

American Heritage Dictionary

“An ethical issue is said to arise whenever one party in pursuit of its

goals engages in behavior that materially affects the ability of

another party to pursue its goals.”

Mason, Mason, and Culnan, Ethics of Information Management, Sage

Ethical Guidelines• The ability to cause harmful consequences

>> need for ethical behavior.• Power >> consequences.• Agency: acting on behalf of others is

power.• Control over scarce resources is power.• Information is power. Confidentiality,

privacy.• Info and info systems have

economic ,social, political effects. Design is political.

Reasons for formal ethical codes

• To regulate members= behavior – To inform them of expected behavior– Reminder that ethical behavior overrides

many other considerations– Reminder of personal responsibility

• To hold members accountable– Bases for judging in cases of breach– Help address situations where conflicting

views of what is right are possible

• To present profession to society– State its ethical bases, reassure

stakeholders, and give them a basis for evaluating professionals

Who is being protected?

• Subjects• The testers• Sponsoring organization(s)• Users of data, findings

Ethics and needs and usability

assessment• User and task analysis• Testing• User information collected by system

in operation• Design

Principles(Based largely on Burmeister, 2000)

• Non-harming/minimal risk– Physical, social, psychological

• Informed consent– Information– Comprehension– Voluntariness

• Participation not coerced, directly or indirectly• Can withdraw at any point

• Confidentiality• Waivers/permission to use info• Overview by others (human subjects

review)

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT 2002

• Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence… strive to benefit those with whom they work and. … safeguard the welfare and rights of those with whom they interact…

• Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility… establish relationships of trust with those with whom they work. … uphold professional standards of conduct, clarify their professional roles and obligations, accept appropriateresponsibility for their behavior, and seek to manage conflicts of interest…

• Principle C: Integrity…seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of [their profession]. … do not steal, cheat, or engage in fraud, subterfuge, or intentional misrepresentation of fact…strive to keep their promises…

• Principle D: Justice… recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contributions of psychology and to equal quality in the processes, procedures, and services being conducted …exercise reasonable judgment and take precautions to ensure that their potential biases, the boundaries of their competence, and the limitations of their expertise do not lead to or condone unjust practices…

• Principle E: Respect for People's Rights and Dignity…respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination. …special safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights of those whose vulnerabilities impair autonomous decision-making…

User and task analysis

• What we ask & observe– Privacy– Trust– Willingness to ‘look bad’

• How we use that information– How we interpret it– How we report it– Whom we tell– Managers and supervisors?– Confidentiality and harming?

Testing• Larger issue of ethical testing• Treatment of test subjects

– How testers treat them– Effects on them of the test situation

• Stress• Embarrassment• Exposure to ‘harmful’ material e.g. via internet

– Children, religious or cultural sensitivity

• Uses of the data• Special populations who may need

protection– Children– Internal subjects

Informed consent

• Participants must have necessary information and understand it– Can children give informed consent?

• Consent must be freely given– Can employees choose freely?

• Written consent forms

Informed Consent to Research

(from APA)Inform participants about (1) the purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures; (2) their right to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research

once participation has begun; (3) the foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing; (4) reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence

their willingness to participate such as potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects;

(5) any prospective research benefits; (6) limits of confidentiality; (7) incentives for participation; and (8) whom to contact for questions about the research and research

participants' rights. (9) provide opportunity for the prospective participants to ask questions

and receive answers.

Informed Consent for Recording Voices and Images in Research (APA)

obtain informed consent from research participants prior to recording their voices or images for data collection unless

(1) the research consists solely of naturalistic observations in public places, and it is not anticipated that the recording will be used in a manner that could cause personal identification or harm, or

(2) the research design includes deception, and consent for the use

of the recording is obtained during debriefing.

Taping concerns

• Videotaping and identity• Video, audiotaping catching

unrelated behavior, comments

Confidentiality & Privacy (from

APA)

• Maintaining Confidentialitytake reasonable precautions to protect confidential information obtained through or stored in any medium,

• Discussing the Limits of Confidentialitydiscuss with persons and organizations …(1) the relevant limits of confidentiality and (2) the foreseeable uses of the information

• RecordingBefore recording the voices or images of individuals … obtain permission from all such persons or their legal representatives.

• Minimizing Intrusions on Privacy(a) include in written and oral reports and consultations, only information germane to the purpose. …(b) discuss confidential information obtained in their work only for appropriate scientific or professional purposes and only with persons clearly concerned with such matters.

• Use of Confidential Information for Didactic or Other Purposes… do not disclose in their writings, lectures, or other public media, confidential, personally identifiable information … unless (1) they take reasonable steps to disguise the person or organization, (2) the person or organization has consented in writing…

Methods

• Informed consent– Written waiver – recorded not sufficient– Repeated on recording useful

• Confidentiality– Keep identifying info and data separate– Maintain control over the data

Human subjects review

• Comes from medical research• Institutional oversight• UC Berkeley Committee for the

Protection of Human Subjects: http://cphs.berkeley.edu:7006/

User information collected by system in operation

• What is collected• How is it used• What does the user know• What control does the user have

– Limiting info– How info used– Correcting info

Truste model privacy statementhttp

• What personally identifiable info [NAME] collects.• What personally identifiable information third parties

collect through the Web site.– cookies

• What organization collects the information. • How [NAME] uses the information.• With whom [NAME] may share user information. • What choices are available to users regarding

collection, use and distribution of the information. • What security procedures protect from loss, misuse

or alteration of information under [NAME] control. • How users can correct any inaccuracies

Some particular concerns

Design itself

• Technology and anger• “Making people feel stupid”• Inconvenience is more than an

inconvenience• Trust and reliability

– A system that doesn’t do what the user expects

Web site design

• NCI Usability.gov “about”

Other areas of ethical dilemmas

• How public is internet behavior?– Monitoring chat groups, weblogs, and the like

• Relationships with subjects– What happens when they become your

friends?

• Altering results– Being asked to– Being tempted to– When is it “altering”?