Ethics and the Algorithm

Advances in information technology have made the use of data principally data about human behaviors ubiquitous in the online experience. Companies tailor their offerings based on the technology people employ. News stories are suggested based on previous reading habits and our social network activities. It is important to note that the software code used to make judgments about us based on our preferences for shoes or how we get to work is written by human beings, who are making choices about what that data means and how it should shape our behavior. That code is not value neutral. Despite advances in information technology, data collection, and analysis, judgments about morality and ethics are just as important as ever maybe even more important.