Should Data Scientists Adhere to a Hippocratic Oath?
https://www.wired.com/story/should-data-scientists-adhere-to-a-hippocratic-oath/
A growing amount of my time is being spent countering Silicon Valley spin:
Aral Balkan argues that an ethics code like that drafted this week could actually worsen societal harms caused by technology. He fears it will be used by corporations as a signal of virtue, while they continue business as usual. “What we should be exploring is how we can stop this mass farming of human data for profit…” https://mastodon.ar.al/media/NnSLeFSy5jMqkqv3lrE
> how we can stop this mass farming of human data for profit
this question seems analogous to "how do we stop microwave ovens from becoming more common"
it's technology
it usually can't be stopped, it can only be bent
in the history of humanity there have been very few examples of a technology that "stopped"
the closest you're going to get is war crime stuff like mustard gas that became off limits as an option
that's about it
this doesn't dissolve lungs, so it's gonna keep growing
@sydneyfalk Modern technology works by collecting data. True. We are not going to change that. Also true.
The question is who owns and controls the data and technology by which it is gathered, analysed, and acted upon?
If the answer is corporations, we have a feudalism.
If the answer is us as individuals, there is no problem. We have a system compatible with human rights and democracy.
Technology is not an objective vector from past to future; it’s character is shaped by ideology & funding.
@aral
ah! so the "for profit" was the issue, my mistake and apologies
(I mean, that'll be difficult but I suspect it isn't quite impossible ^_^)