Section 1: Foundational Ethical Theories (15 Questions)

1. Question: What is Utilitarianism, and what is its main goal?
   • Answer: Utilitarianism is an ethical framework that judges the morality of an action based on its consequences. The goal is to maximize overall happiness and well-being, or to produce “the greatest good for the greatest number.”
2. Question: What is the key principle of Deontology?
   • Answer: Deontology focuses on duties and rules, arguing that an action is morally right if it adheres to a set of universal rules, regardless of the consequences. For example, a deontologist would argue that lying is always wrong, even if it leads to a positive outcome.
3. Question: What does Virtue Ethics emphasize?
   • Answer: Virtue Ethics focuses on the character of the moral agent rather than on the consequences of an action or adherence to rules. It asks, “What would a virtuous person do?” and encourages the development of virtues like honesty and compassion.
4. Question: What is Ethical Relativism?
   • Answer: Ethical relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to a specific cultural or historical context. There are no universal moral truths.
5. Question: What is the difference between a moral problem and a legal problem?
   • Answer: A moral problem concerns what is right or wrong based on a personal or communal ethical framework. A legal problem concerns what is permitted or forbidden by law. An action can be legal but morally questionable.
6. Question: What is a moral agent in the context of technology?
   • Answer: A moral agent is an entity that can be held responsible for its actions. In technology, this is typically the human who designed, developed, or deployed the technology, as machines themselves are not considered moral agents.
7. Question: What is the concept of a “moral dilemma”?
   • Answer: A moral dilemma is a situation where a person is faced with a choice between two or more morally conflicting options, and no matter which choice is made, there will be a morally undesirable outcome.
8. Question: What is professional ethics?
   • Answer: Professional ethics are the moral principles and standards of conduct that govern a specific profession. In tech, this includes responsibilities to clients, colleagues, and the public.
9. Question: How can the Golden Rule (treating others as you would want to be treated) be applied in technology development?
   • Answer: It can be applied by a developer asking, “Would I want my personal data collected and sold without my consent?” or “Would I want a self-driving car to prioritize my life over a group of pedestrians?”
10. Question: What is the ethical concept of prima facie duties?
    • Answer: Prima facie duties, introduced by W.D. Ross, are duties that are binding unless overridden by a more pressing duty. This helps navigate moral dilemmas by acknowledging that some duties may take precedence over others in a given situation.
11. Question: What is the “social contract theory”?
    • Answer: A theory that posits that individuals implicitly agree to give up some of their freedoms in exchange for the protection and security of a shared society. This applies to technology, where users give up some privacy in exchange for a service.
12. Question: What is the difference between privacy and confidentiality?
    • Answer: Privacy is the right of an individual to be left alone or to control their personal information. Confidentiality is the duty of a professional to not disclose information shared with them in a trust relationship.
13. Question: What is the purpose of a code of ethics for a technology professional?
    • Answer: A code of ethics provides a set of guidelines and principles to help a professional make morally sound decisions, maintain trust with clients, and uphold the integrity of the profession.
14. Question: What is intellectual property, and what is its ethical dilemma?
    • Answer: Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind. The ethical dilemma often lies in balancing the creator’s right to control and profit from their work with the public’s right to access and use information.
15. Question: What is moral imagination?
    • Answer: Moral imagination is the ability to envision different courses of action, identify potential ethical issues, and consider the potential impact of those actions on all stakeholders.

Section 2: Core Issues in Technology Ethics (15 Questions)

16. Question: What is algorithmic bias?
    • Answer: Algorithmic bias occurs when an algorithm produces results that are systematically unfair or prejudiced. It’s often caused by biased training data that reflects existing societal inequalities.
17. Question: What is the “digital divide”?
    • Answer: The digital divide is the economic and social inequality between those who have and those who do not have access to modern information and communication technologies.
18. Question: What is the primary ethical concern with surveillance capitalism?
    • Answer: Surveillance capitalism is a business model where user data is collected and sold for profit. The ethical concern is the exploitation of users, as their personal data is commodified without their full understanding or consent.
19. Question: What are “dark patterns” in user interface design?
    • Answer: Dark patterns are deceptive design tricks used in websites and apps to manipulate users into taking actions they may not have intended, such as subscribing to a service or providing more personal data.
20. Question: Why is e-waste an ethical issue?
    • Answer: E-waste (electronic waste) contains hazardous materials that can harm the environment and human health if not disposed of properly. The ethical issue involves the responsibility of tech companies and consumers to minimize this waste and ensure its safe disposal.
21. Question: What is the ethical dilemma of “the right to be forgotten”?
    • Answer: It’s the conflict between an individual’s right to have outdated or irrelevant information about them removed from public search results and the public’s right to access information.
22. Question: How does the concept of “filter bubbles” relate to ethics?
    • Answer: Filter bubbles are created by algorithms that show users only content that aligns with their past behavior. This can lead to intellectual isolation and a lack of exposure to diverse perspectives, undermining open discourse and informed decision-making.
23. Question: What is the ethical concern with deepfake technology?
    • Answer: The ability to create realistic but fabricated videos and audio can be used to spread disinformation, commit fraud, and cause reputational harm.
24. Question: What is the ethical issue of technological unemployment?
    • Answer: It’s the concern that automation and AI will replace human labor, leading to large-scale job displacement and economic instability.
25. Question: Why is data ownership a major ethical debate?
    • Answer: The debate centers on who owns the data that is generated by an individual’s online activities. Is it the individual, the company that collected it, or a combination of both?
26. Question: What is the ethical issue of “ghosting” in online communication?
    • Answer: It’s the act of abruptly ceasing all communication without explanation. Technology makes it easy to do this, leading to emotional harm and a lack of closure for the other person.
27. Question: What is the primary ethical issue with AI in medical diagnosis?
    • Answer: The risk of over-reliance on the AI’s recommendations, which could lead to a loss of a doctor’s clinical judgment and responsibility. There are also concerns about accountability if a diagnosis is wrong.
28. Question: What is the ethical dilemma of privacy in the age of IoT?
    • Answer: The Internet of Things (IoT) involves a vast network of devices that collect data. The ethical dilemma is that while these devices offer convenience, they also collect an immense amount of personal data, often without a user’s full awareness or control.

29. Question: What is “responsible disclosure” in cybersecurity?
    • Answer: It’s the ethical practice of reporting a security vulnerability to the affected company in private, giving them a chance to fix it before making the vulnerability public. This minimizes the risk of the vulnerability being exploited.
30. Question: What is the ethical concern of “digital immortality”?
    • Answer: It’s the idea that a person’s digital information (social media posts, emails, photos) can live on after their death, raising questions about consent and who should have control over a person’s digital legacy.

Section 3: Professional Conduct and Ethical Frameworks (15 Questions)

31. Question: How does HIPAA apply to technology in healthcare?
    • Answer: HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a U.S. law that requires technology to protect patient data through strict privacy and security rules, such as encryption and access controls.
32. Question: What is a “whistleblower” in the tech industry, and what is their ethical role?
    • Answer: A whistleblower is an employee who reveals unethical or illegal practices within their company. Their ethical role is to expose wrongdoing that could harm the public, often at great personal risk.
33. Question: What is the ethical debate over open-source software?
    • Answer: It’s the conflict between the right to intellectual property (proprietary software) and the ethical ideal of sharing knowledge for the common good (open-source software).
34. Question: What is the ethical principle of accountability in the context of technology?
    • Answer: Accountability means being able to identify who is responsible when a technology system causes harm. It ensures that humans—not machines—can be held responsible for the actions of a system they designed or deployed.
35. Question: What is the ethical principle of transparency in technology?
    • Answer: Transparency is the ability for users to understand how a system or algorithm works and why it makes certain decisions. It is essential for building trust and holding systems accountable.
36. Question: What is a privacy policy, and why is it often an ethical concern?
    • Answer: A privacy policy is a legal document that explains how a company collects, uses, and protects user data. It’s often an ethical concern because these policies are frequently long and complex, making it difficult for users to give truly informed consent.
37. Question: What is the ethical issue of “the right to repair”?
    • Answer: It’s the debate over a consumer’s right to repair a product they own. Manufacturers often make it difficult to repair devices, which leads to more e-waste and forces consumers to buy new products.
38. Question: How do smart contracts raise ethical questions?
    • Answer: Smart contracts are automated agreements that execute when certain conditions are met. The ethical concern is that they are inflexible and cannot account for unforeseen circumstances, and there is no human oversight to correct an error.
39. Question: What is the purpose of data minimization?
    • Answer: Data minimization is the ethical practice of collecting and retaining only the data that is absolutely necessary for a specific purpose. It reduces the risk of a data breach and protects user privacy.
40. Question: How does the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution relate to ethics in technology?
    • Answer: The First Amendment (freedom of speech) creates a dilemma for tech platforms. They must balance the right to free expression with the need to moderate harmful content like hate speech and disinformation.
41. Question: What is the ethical issue of cyberbullying?
    • Answer: Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, intimidate, or threaten another person. The ethical problem is that it allows for cruelty to be inflicted from a distance, often with anonymity, which can cause significant psychological harm.
42. Question: What is the ethical obligation of a professional to their client?
    • Answer: The ethical obligation is to act in the best interest of the client, maintain their confidentiality, and provide honest and competent service.
43. Question: What is “responsible innovation”?
    • Answer: A framework that encourages innovators to consider the ethical and social implications of their technology from the very beginning of the development process.
44. Question: How does the design of a video game raise ethical questions?
    • Answer: Game design can raise ethical questions regarding violence, gambling mechanics (loot boxes), and manipulative psychological techniques that can lead to addiction.
45. Question: What is the ethical concept of “the precautionary principle” in technology?
    • Answer: This principle states that if an action or a policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is not harmful, the burden of proof falls on those who advocate for the action.