Introduction
As technology develops, it changes the world through new scientific paradigms and new physical assets for humans to use. However, shifts in the field of applied sciences raise new ethical issues regarding the development and deployment of technology. Scholars of ethics have put forth various approaches in an attempt to create frameworks for the requirements of technology that does not exist yet. Sollie (2007) argues for consideration of uncertainty, the concept that new technology may create unexpected outcomes over time through indeterminacy and different research paths. Although it is separate from risk, which can be calculated, Sollie (2007) states that new requirements of the ethics of a technology that considers uncertainty is needed.
Another approach has been suggested by Johnson (2007), in a 2007 paper on the emerging ethics of nanotechnology. Uncertainty plays into nanotechnology as a new, not fully developed field; however, Johnson (2007) argues for a more substantial role for ethical discussion on this topic. In short, he claims that there is the need for more than guidelines, but, for example, for laws and regulations. Overall, legal and ethical implications of new technology necessitate new ethical guidelines regarding individuals’ privacy from developments in The Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics.
Legal Implications and Power of Individual
While ethical guidelines nominally exist to protect people, they also have the power to restrict it. The aforementioned principle of uncertainty raises the consideration that new developments may create chains of advancement with uncertain outcomes. The digitalization of everyday items, the so-called Internet of Things, has made several beneficial changes, such as household appliances that adapt to the user (Royakkers et al., 2018). However, the human data these devices have gathered, for example, sleep schedules, movie preferences, and even facial scans, can be used for other purposes aside from the improvement of household appliances (Royakkers et al., 2018). Legally, these shifts are not disputed, as it is merely an extension of the existing technology, such as Internet connectivity. From the researchers’ position, specific restrictions are few, mainly pertaining to specific fields, such as the nanoethics mandated by the 21st Century Act (Johnson, 2007). Without strong legal guidelines, individuals lose power over various aspects of their lives. Personal data may be gathered without persons knowledge, while larger developments, such as nanotechnology, create new risks to life and well-being.
Privacy as a Central Ethical Dilemma
Technology has undoubtedly reshaped the world in numerous ways; however, it has also caused various ethical issues to emerge. One of the central problems of the technological age is the concern of privacy. Through the IoT, the extensive amount of information about users is actively exchanged by the companies, without people truly knowing or controlling the process (Royakkers et al., 2018). IoT’s advancement allowed businesses to follow individuals everywhere, leading to massive transparency at the cost of privacy. Thus, the information assembled by smartphones, televisions, computers, and other devices is entirely owned by the manufacturer and not the user. Therefore, various scholars have argued that the issue is out of control and should be addressed. For example, Koops and Prinsen claim that defending users against technological spying and providing people with digital privacy alongside physical privacy in their homes is essential (Royakkers et al., 2018). Such actions should guarantee security against observation from outside with technological assistance for individuals to act freely and feel protected. Overall, the IoT is a subject of controversial privacy statutes, which some people find troubling and invasive.
Furthermore, similarly to the IoT, robots contribute to the rising threat of accumulating data in circumstances where previously no digital information collection emerged. Robot technologies can be used in different ways to observe specific situations, including a patient’s health, a car driver’s mind conditions, or the security status on the road (Royakkers et al., 2018). Moreover, home devices, including vacuum cleaners or teleconference robots, can also be a subject for compromising their owners’ security (Lera et al., 2019). As a direct result, robot technologies can invade our privacy in different ways. For example, robots and domotics can be programmed to monitor individuals, record and share aspects of their physical health, and observe patients 24 hours a day. As a result, these records provide a vast amount of data on the healthcare recipients’ well-being, which also raises concerns about their privacy. Thus, patients will not endorse being recorded when they are not dressed or are going to have a shower. Overall, privacy in the context of robots is debatable, as some find such technology useful, making the privacy problem only secondary.
Lastly, various devices can be regarded as a double-edged sword in the context of privacy. For example, biometric technology is commonly used to protect privacy. Thus, only a small amount of data is needed to conclude whether someone can go into a building or purchase alcohol. However, because biometrics can recognize essential information, managing what ends up happening with that data may be difficult. The situation becomes specifically complex now that technology is commonly utilized through numerous devices and within different circumstances. In the IoT context, protecting people’s privacy is a challenging task to achieve. This is primarily due to the fact that the data acquisition means became more subtle, indirect, and less intrusive, leading to most people not being adequately informed of tracking (Atlam & Wills, 2020). Therefore, while technology is an essential part of human existence, as various devices, including robots and biometric tools, positively influence society, privacy issue remains critical. Different companies abuse the matter of privacy by making it hard for people to understand the security processes and utilizing invasive practices, even when it is not necessary.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developments in technology necessitate the creation and adaptation of new ethical guidelines. Scholars have proposed considerations of aspects, such as the uncertainty created by recent research. Others outline the difficulty of determining ethical behavior regarding only partially understood developments. Understanding which ethical boundaries are required is vital, as legal systems tend to be reactive. This means that legal restrictions of harmful technology are likely only to come about after ethical considerations are formulated. This is visible in the field of privacy, where developments in the Internet of Things have created the preconditions for invasions of privacy. This is offset by the ethical considerations of certain aspects of these devices, such as gathering personal data to assist medical professionals. The issue is further obscured by the lack of technical knowledge possessed by many individuals, resulting in ignorance of privacy violations. Ethical guidelines reinforced by legal restrictions should be developed to protect privacy from invasion by developments in the Internet of Things. Similar attempts should be made for other emerging technology fields to limit potentially harmful effects during later lines of research and development.
References
Atlam, H. F., & Wills, G. B. (2020). IoT security, privacy, safety, and ethics. In M. Farsi, A. Daneshkhah, A. Hosseinian-Far, & H. Jahankhani (Eds.), Digital twin technologies and smart cities (pp. 123-149). Springer, Cham.
Johnson, D. G. (2007). Ethics and technology ‘in the making’: An essay on the challenge of nanoethics. Nanoethics, 1(1), 21-30. Web.
Lera, F., Llamas, C. M., Guerrero, A. M., & Olivera, V. M. (2017). Cybersecurity of robotics and autonomous systems: Privacy and safety. In G. Dekoulis (Ed.), Robotics: Legal, ethical and socioeconomic impacts (pp. 75-90). BoD – Books on Demand.
Royakkers, L., Timmer, J., Kool, L., & Van Est, R. (2018). Societal and ethical issues of digitization. Ethics and Information Technology, 20(2), 127-142. Web.
Sollie, P. (2007). Ethics, technology development, and uncertainty: An outline for any future ethics of technology. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 5(4), 293-306. Web.