Monday, September 23, 2019
Manifesto Promotes ‘Ethics, Equity, and Empathy’; STREETSBLOGUSA,September 20, 2019
Manifesto Promotes ‘Ethics, Equity, and Empathy’
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Nina Totenberg, NPR; 'The Personification Of Human Decency': Nina Totenberg Remembers Cokie Roberts
"To know Cokie was to see the personification of human decency. There is a reason she was asked to speak at so many funerals. People felt such a deep connection to her because she touched their lives. Casual friends would find Cokie visiting them in the hospital. People in terrible financial straits would find her bailing them out, hiring them for work that perhaps she did not need, but work that left them with their dignity...
On a larger scale, she was always the voice of people with less power, and the voice of what is right. I remember one day many years ago, when we were in negotiations with NPR management over a labor contract. Management didn't want to extend health care coverage to one group, and we were at an impasse.
Then Cokie, who was working on a piece of embroidery, looked up at the management team and said, "You know, the position you are taking isn't immoral, it is simply amoral." The room got very quiet, and soon the impasse was over."
"To know Cokie was to see the personification of human decency. There is a reason she was asked to speak at so many funerals. People felt such a deep connection to her because she touched their lives. Casual friends would find Cokie visiting them in the hospital. People in terrible financial straits would find her bailing them out, hiring them for work that perhaps she did not need, but work that left them with their dignity...
On a larger scale, she was always the voice of people with less power, and the voice of what is right. I remember one day many years ago, when we were in negotiations with NPR management over a labor contract. Management didn't want to extend health care coverage to one group, and we were at an impasse.
Then Cokie, who was working on a piece of embroidery, looked up at the management team and said, "You know, the position you are taking isn't immoral, it is simply amoral." The room got very quiet, and soon the impasse was over."
Public libraries across the country face a different type of censorship; Tennessean, September 20, 2019
Kent Oliver, Tennessean; Public libraries across the country face a different type of censorship
"Book censorship impedes access to literature and
information. For a public library such as Nashville Public Library,
unfettered, undiscriminating access to reading is the core of our work –
it is in our library DNA. Access is the key word. Librarians work to
ensure access to ideas, popular and unpopular, within financial
constraints.
The disturbing issue confronting us
for this year’s Banned Books Week, Sep. 22-28, is the restrictions
publishers are placing on public libraries making it more difficult to
buy e-books and e-audiobooks. In particular, libraries are concerned
about a new e-book embargo from Macmillan, one of the biggest book
publishers in the industry, set to launch Nov. 1.
Under
this new policy, libraries will be limited to purchasing (closer to
leasing, really) one copy of a new e-book for eight weeks after release,
when demand is at its peak."
Americans’ perceptions about unethical behavior shape how they think about people in powerful roles; Pew Research Center, September 19, 2019
Claire Gecewicz and Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center; Americans’ perceptions about unethical behavior shape how they think about people in powerful roles
"Americans have mixed views of the job performance of those who hold positions of power and responsibility in eight major U.S. groups and institutions. A key element in shaping these views is their sense of whether members of these groups act ethically and hold themselves accountable for their mistakes, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
The groups studied included members of Congress, local elected officials, leaders of technology companies, journalists, religious leaders, police officers, principals at public K-12 schools and military leaders."
"Americans have mixed views of the job performance of those who hold positions of power and responsibility in eight major U.S. groups and institutions. A key element in shaping these views is their sense of whether members of these groups act ethically and hold themselves accountable for their mistakes, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
The groups studied included members of Congress, local elected officials, leaders of technology companies, journalists, religious leaders, police officers, principals at public K-12 schools and military leaders."
Friday, September 20, 2019
People Are Looking At Your LinkedIn Profile. They Might Be Chinese Spies; NPR, September 19, 2019
Ryan Lucas, NPR; People Are Looking At Your LinkedIn Profile. They Might Be Chinese Spies
"Demers took over leadership of the National Security Division in February 2018 after being confirmed by the Senate. Since taking the helm, he has spent a considerable amount of time on China and what he calls its prolific espionage efforts against the United States.
They're vast in scale, he said, and they span the spectrum from traditional espionage targeting government secrets to economic espionage going after intellectual property and American trade secrets...
It's a play that has also been used to target folks in the business world and academia, where China is hungry for cutting-edge technology and trade secrets. For years, the Chinese intelligence services have hacked into U.S. companies and made off with intellectual property.
Now, U.S. officials say China's spies are increasingly turning to what is known as "nontraditional collectors" — students, researchers and business insiders — to scoop up secrets."
"Demers took over leadership of the National Security Division in February 2018 after being confirmed by the Senate. Since taking the helm, he has spent a considerable amount of time on China and what he calls its prolific espionage efforts against the United States.
They're vast in scale, he said, and they span the spectrum from traditional espionage targeting government secrets to economic espionage going after intellectual property and American trade secrets...
It's a play that has also been used to target folks in the business world and academia, where China is hungry for cutting-edge technology and trade secrets. For years, the Chinese intelligence services have hacked into U.S. companies and made off with intellectual property.
Now, U.S. officials say China's spies are increasingly turning to what is known as "nontraditional collectors" — students, researchers and business insiders — to scoop up secrets."
Thursday, September 19, 2019
What to Do When You’re Losing Your Audience During a Presentation; Harvard Business Review, September 19, 2019
Dorie Clark, Harvard Business Review; What to Do When You’re Losing Your Audience During a Presentation
"As a professional speaker who has given more than 300 talks over the past half-decade, I’ve addressed plenty of audiences under adverse conditions, from the serious (employees smarting from news of an impending reorg) to the banal (fighting to be heard over the clank of silverware during a lunchtime speaking slot). Here are four strategies that have helped me regain control of the room."
"As a professional speaker who has given more than 300 talks over the past half-decade, I’ve addressed plenty of audiences under adverse conditions, from the serious (employees smarting from news of an impending reorg) to the banal (fighting to be heard over the clank of silverware during a lunchtime speaking slot). Here are four strategies that have helped me regain control of the room."
Updating the Academic Library Code of Conduct for Modern Times | From the Bell Tower; Library Journal, September 12, 2019
Steven Bell, Library Journal; Updating the Academic Library Code of Conduct for Modern Times | From the Bell Tower
"Once the new community standards are complete, consider posting them in a visible public space to communicate transparency about the policy. Be thoughtful in establishing standards that truly reflect the needs and interests of community members, but are equally well designed to provide the secure learning, research, and innovation spaces that students, faculty, staff, alumni, and nonaffiliated library guests expect and deserve from the campus library."
"Once the new community standards are complete, consider posting them in a visible public space to communicate transparency about the policy. Be thoughtful in establishing standards that truly reflect the needs and interests of community members, but are equally well designed to provide the secure learning, research, and innovation spaces that students, faculty, staff, alumni, and nonaffiliated library guests expect and deserve from the campus library."
UVA receives approval to form School of Data Science with $120M gift; WDBJ7, September 19, 2019
Taia White, WDBJ7; UVA receives approval to form School of Data Science with $120M gift
"Philip E. Bourne, Professor and Data Science Institute Director, was appointed dean of the School of Data Science by Provost Magill immediately after the vote conferred official status upon the school...
“We envision the new School of Data Science at UVA as a ‘school without walls,’” Bourne said. “In its very structure and foundation, we will build collaborative and interdisciplinary opportunities through partnerships and physical spaces for shared research and education programs. The new school will combine a focus on research, education, and service to build bridges across academic, geographic, commercial and cultural boundaries using responsible, open data science.”
The school also will focus on ethics and the practice of responsible data science, building upon the Data Science Institute’s existing Center for Data Ethics and Justice.
“Data science offers incredible, revolutionary opportunities to understand and make an impact on our world and our future,” Bourne said. “Now it is more important than ever that everyone using those skills and tools – from students just beginning to learn statistics and programming, to leaders working at the cutting edge of the field – understands the importance of using data ethically and responsibly, and putting their skills to work to make a positive impact on society and our world.”"
"Philip E. Bourne, Professor and Data Science Institute Director, was appointed dean of the School of Data Science by Provost Magill immediately after the vote conferred official status upon the school...
“We envision the new School of Data Science at UVA as a ‘school without walls,’” Bourne said. “In its very structure and foundation, we will build collaborative and interdisciplinary opportunities through partnerships and physical spaces for shared research and education programs. The new school will combine a focus on research, education, and service to build bridges across academic, geographic, commercial and cultural boundaries using responsible, open data science.”
The school also will focus on ethics and the practice of responsible data science, building upon the Data Science Institute’s existing Center for Data Ethics and Justice.
“Data science offers incredible, revolutionary opportunities to understand and make an impact on our world and our future,” Bourne said. “Now it is more important than ever that everyone using those skills and tools – from students just beginning to learn statistics and programming, to leaders working at the cutting edge of the field – understands the importance of using data ethically and responsibly, and putting their skills to work to make a positive impact on society and our world.”"
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Northeastern researchers team up with Accenture to offer a road map for artificial intelligence ethics oversight; Northeastern University, August 29, 2019
Khalida Sarwari, Northeastern University; Northeastern researchers team up with Accenture to offer a road map for artificial intelligence ethics oversight
"Now, Northeastern professors John Basl and Ron Sandler are offering organizations guidance for how to create a well-designed and effective committee based on similar models used in biomedical research.
Maintaining that an ethics committee that is adequately resourced and thoughtfully designed can play an important role in mitigating digital risks and maintaining trust between an organization and the public, the researchers provide a framework for such a system in a new report produced in collaboration with global professional services company Accenture...
“If you want to build a committee that works effectively and if you really want to build ethical capacity within an organization, it’s a significant undertaking where you can’t just throw together a few people with ethical expertise,” says Sandler.
Added Basl: “We lay out the kinds of experts an organization will need—someone who knows local laws, someone who knows ethics, a variety of technical experts, and members of an affected community. Who those individuals are, or what their particular expertise is, depends on the kind of technology being developed and deployed.”"
"Now, Northeastern professors John Basl and Ron Sandler are offering organizations guidance for how to create a well-designed and effective committee based on similar models used in biomedical research.
Maintaining that an ethics committee that is adequately resourced and thoughtfully designed can play an important role in mitigating digital risks and maintaining trust between an organization and the public, the researchers provide a framework for such a system in a new report produced in collaboration with global professional services company Accenture...
“If you want to build a committee that works effectively and if you really want to build ethical capacity within an organization, it’s a significant undertaking where you can’t just throw together a few people with ethical expertise,” says Sandler.
Added Basl: “We lay out the kinds of experts an organization will need—someone who knows local laws, someone who knows ethics, a variety of technical experts, and members of an affected community. Who those individuals are, or what their particular expertise is, depends on the kind of technology being developed and deployed.”"
Building data and AI ethics committees; Accenture.com, August 20, 2019
Accenture.com; Building data and AI ethics committees
"In brief
"In brief
- Organizations face a difficult challenge when it comes to ethically-informed data collection, sharing and use.
- There is growing demand for incorporating ethical considerations into products and services involving big data, AI and machine learning.
- Outside of mere legal compliance, there is little guidance on how to incorporate this ethical consideration.
- To fill this gap, Northeastern University and Accenture explore the development of effective and well-functioning data and AI ethics committees."
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Pitt Tells Student Groups Not to Use Pitt in Their Names; Inside Higher Ed, September 13, 2019
Elin Johnson, Inside Higher Ed; Pitt Tells Student Groups Not to Use Pitt in Their Names
"An emailed statement from communications manager Kevin Zwick read, "Many student organizations already comply with the 10-year-old guidelines, which allow the use of the Pitt and Panther names in ways that don't imply that the organizations are official university entities. Pitt's Office of Student Life and the Student Organization Resource Center continue to discuss concerns with our Student Government Board leadership to work toward a potential resolution."
Zwick maintained that the current guidelines for Pitt student clubs were as follows: "Independent student organizations are voluntary associations led by Pitt students, which are legally separate entities from the university. Because they are voluntary associations, independent student organizations may not use 'University of Pittsburgh,' 'Pitt' or any other University of Pittsburgh trademark/wordmark (i.e., Panther/Panthers) in their names other than to identify that the organization is located at Pitt (i.e., 'at Pitt' or 'at the University of Pittsburgh')."
Currently listed on the university's student organization page are dozens of club names that are in apparent violation of these guidelines."
"An emailed statement from communications manager Kevin Zwick read, "Many student organizations already comply with the 10-year-old guidelines, which allow the use of the Pitt and Panther names in ways that don't imply that the organizations are official university entities. Pitt's Office of Student Life and the Student Organization Resource Center continue to discuss concerns with our Student Government Board leadership to work toward a potential resolution."
Zwick maintained that the current guidelines for Pitt student clubs were as follows: "Independent student organizations are voluntary associations led by Pitt students, which are legally separate entities from the university. Because they are voluntary associations, independent student organizations may not use 'University of Pittsburgh,' 'Pitt' or any other University of Pittsburgh trademark/wordmark (i.e., Panther/Panthers) in their names other than to identify that the organization is located at Pitt (i.e., 'at Pitt' or 'at the University of Pittsburgh')."
Currently listed on the university's student organization page are dozens of club names that are in apparent violation of these guidelines."
Thursday, September 12, 2019
'Ethics slam' packs pizzeria; The Herald Journal, September 10, 2019
Ashtyn Asay, The Herald Journal; 'Ethics slam' packs pizzeria
"The ethics slam was sponsored by the Weber State University Richard Richards Institute for Ethics, the USU Philosophy Club, and the Society for Women in Philosophy. It was organized by Robison-Greene and her husband, Richard Greene, a professor of philosophy and director of the Richard Richards Institute for Ethics.
This is the seventh ethics slam put together by Greene and Robison-Greene, whose collective goal is to encourage civil discourse and generate rich conversations within a respectful community.
This goal appeared to be met on Monday evening, as ethics slam participants engaged in polite conversation and debate for almost two hours. Opinions were challenged and controversial points were made, but Greene and Robison-Greene kept the conversation on track...
"The ethics slam was sponsored by the Weber State University Richard Richards Institute for Ethics, the USU Philosophy Club, and the Society for Women in Philosophy. It was organized by Robison-Greene and her husband, Richard Greene, a professor of philosophy and director of the Richard Richards Institute for Ethics.
This is the seventh ethics slam put together by Greene and Robison-Greene, whose collective goal is to encourage civil discourse and generate rich conversations within a respectful community.
This goal appeared to be met on Monday evening, as ethics slam participants engaged in polite conversation and debate for almost two hours. Opinions were challenged and controversial points were made, but Greene and Robison-Greene kept the conversation on track...
"The next ethics slam will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Weber County Library. The topic of discussion will be: “Is censorship ever appropriate?”"
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein; The New Yorker, September 6, 2019
Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker;
How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
New documents show that the M.I.T. Media Lab was aware of Epstein’s status as a convicted sex offender, and that Epstein directed contributions to the lab far exceeding the amounts M.I.T. has publicly admitted.
"Current and former faculty and staff of the media lab described a pattern of concealing Epstein’s involvement with the institution. Signe Swenson, a former development associate and alumni coordinator at the lab, told me that she resigned in 2016 in part because of her discomfort about the lab’s work with Epstein. She said that the lab’s leadership made it explicit, even in her earliest conversations with them, that Epstein’s donations had to be kept secret...
Swenson said that, even though she resigned over the lab’s relationship with Epstein, her participation in what she took to be a coverup of his contributions has weighed heavily on her since. Her feelings of guilt were revived when she learned of recent statements from Ito and M.I.T. leadership that she believed to be lies. “I was a participant in covering up for Epstein in 2014,” she told me. “Listening to what comments are coming out of the lab or M.I.T. about the relationship—I just see exactly the same thing happening again.”"
He Who Must Not Be Tolerated; The New York Times, September 8, 2019
Kara Swisher, The New York Times;
He Who Must Not Be Tolerated
Joi
Ito’s fall from grace for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was
much deserved. But his style of corner-cutting ethics is all too common
in tech.
"Voldemort?
Of all the terrible details of the gross fraud that the former head of the M.I.T. Media Lab, Joichi Ito, and his minions perpetrated in trying to cover up donations
by Jeffrey Epstein to the high-profile tech research lab, perhaps
giving a pedophile a nickname of a character in a book aimed at children
was the most awful.
“The effort to
conceal the lab’s contact with Epstein was so widely known that some
staff in the office of the lab’s director, Joi Ito, referred to Epstein
as Voldemort or ‘he who must not be named,’ ” wrote Ronan Farrow in The
New Yorker, in his eviscerating account of the moral and leadership failings of one of the digital industry’s top figures."
The Moral Rot of the MIT Media Lab; Slate, September 8, 2019
Justin Peters, Slate; The Moral Rot of the MIT Media Lab
"Over the course of the past century, MIT became one of the best brands in the world, a name that confers instant credibility and stature on all who are associated with it. Rather than protect the inherent specialness of this brand, the Media Lab soiled it again and again by selling its prestige to banks, drug companies, petroleum companies, carmakers, multinational retailers, at least one serial sexual predator, and others who hoped to camouflage their avarice with the sheen of innovation. There is a big difference between taking money from someone like Epstein and taking it from Nike or the Department of Defense, but the latter choices pave the way for the former."
"Over the course of the past century, MIT became one of the best brands in the world, a name that confers instant credibility and stature on all who are associated with it. Rather than protect the inherent specialness of this brand, the Media Lab soiled it again and again by selling its prestige to banks, drug companies, petroleum companies, carmakers, multinational retailers, at least one serial sexual predator, and others who hoped to camouflage their avarice with the sheen of innovation. There is a big difference between taking money from someone like Epstein and taking it from Nike or the Department of Defense, but the latter choices pave the way for the former."
Thursday, September 5, 2019
AI Ethics Guidelines Every CIO Should Read; Information Week, August 7, 2019
John McClurg, Information Week; AI Ethics Guidelines Every CIO Should Read
"Technology experts predict the rate
of adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning will
skyrocket in the next two years. These advanced technologies will spark
unprecedented business gains, but along the way enterprise leaders will
be called to quickly grapple with a smorgasbord of new ethical dilemmas.
These include everything from AI algorithmic bias and data privacy
issues to public safety concerns from autonomous machines running on AI.
Because AI technology and use cases are changing so rapidly, chief
information officers and other executives are going to find it difficult
to keep ahead of these ethical concerns without a roadmap. To guide
both deep thinking and rapid decision-making about emerging AI
technologies, organizations should consider developing an internal AI
ethics framework."
Does the data industry need a code of ethics?; The Scotsman, August 29, 2019
David Lee, The Scotsman; Does the data industry need a code of ethics?
"Docherty says the whole area of data ethics is still emerging: “It’s where all the hype is now – it used to be big data that everyone talked about, now it’s data ethics. It’s fundamental, and embedding it across an organisation will give competitive advantage.”
So what is The Data Lab, set up in 2015, doing itself in this ethical space? “We’re ensuring data ethics training is baked in to the core technology training of all Masters students, so they are asking all the right questions,” says Docherty."
"Docherty says the whole area of data ethics is still emerging: “It’s where all the hype is now – it used to be big data that everyone talked about, now it’s data ethics. It’s fundamental, and embedding it across an organisation will give competitive advantage.”
So what is The Data Lab, set up in 2015, doing itself in this ethical space? “We’re ensuring data ethics training is baked in to the core technology training of all Masters students, so they are asking all the right questions,” says Docherty."
Teaching ethics in computer science the right way with Georgia Tech's Charles Isbell; TechCrunch, September 5, 2019
Greg Epstein, TechCrunch; Teaching ethics in computer science the right way with Georgia Tech's Charles Isbell
"The new fall semester is upon us, and at elite private colleges and universities, it’s hard to find a trendier major than Computer Science. It’s also becoming more common for such institutions to prioritize integrating ethics into their CS studies, so students don’t just learn about how to build software, but whether or not they should build it in the first place. Of course, this begs questions about how much the ethics lessons such prestigious schools are teaching are actually making a positive impression on students.
But at a time when demand for qualified computer scientists is skyrocketing around the world and far exceeds supply, another kind of question might be even more important: Can computer science be transformed from a field largely led by elites into a profession that empowers vastly more working people, and one that trains them in a way that promotes ethics and an awareness of their impact on the world around them?
Enter Charles Isbell of Georgia Tech, a humble and unassuming star of inclusive and ethical computer science. Isbell, a longtime CS professor at Georgia Tech, enters this fall as the new Dean and John P. Imlay Chair of Georgia Tech’s rapidly expanding College of Computing."
"The new fall semester is upon us, and at elite private colleges and universities, it’s hard to find a trendier major than Computer Science. It’s also becoming more common for such institutions to prioritize integrating ethics into their CS studies, so students don’t just learn about how to build software, but whether or not they should build it in the first place. Of course, this begs questions about how much the ethics lessons such prestigious schools are teaching are actually making a positive impression on students.
But at a time when demand for qualified computer scientists is skyrocketing around the world and far exceeds supply, another kind of question might be even more important: Can computer science be transformed from a field largely led by elites into a profession that empowers vastly more working people, and one that trains them in a way that promotes ethics and an awareness of their impact on the world around them?
Enter Charles Isbell of Georgia Tech, a humble and unassuming star of inclusive and ethical computer science. Isbell, a longtime CS professor at Georgia Tech, enters this fall as the new Dean and John P. Imlay Chair of Georgia Tech’s rapidly expanding College of Computing."
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
What's The Difference Between Compliance And Ethics?; Forbes, May 9, 2019
Bruce Weinstein, Forbes; What's The Difference Between Compliance And Ethics?
"As important as both compliance and ethics are, ethics holds us to a higher standard, in my view. It's crucial to respect your institution's rules and policies, as well as the relevant laws and regulations, but your duties don't stop there.
High-character leaders ask, "What is required of me?" but they don't leave it at that. Ethical leaders also ask, "What is the right thing to do? How would an honorable person behave in this situation?"
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