Question 1

How do we define digital ethics in the context of our research?

Accepted Answer

Ethics are strongly influenced by regional, historical and cultural characteristics. This must be taken into account in an ethics-led digitalisation: There is no one solution that works for everyone and everything. One approach that repeatedly meets with approval is the focus on human rights. These have been recognised by many states and can be understood as global ethical minimum standards.

Question 2

Why do we have to think about ethics and digitalisation together?

Accepted Answer

Digitalisation is a process that changes entire societies, and societies are also held together by ethical principles. These change over time and still provide societies with a foundation on which to live together and cohesion can be built. In addition to steering and limiting digitalisation through ethical principles, however, these principles must also be adapted to the new conditions of a digitalised society.

Question 3

What would our digital world look like without ethics?

Accepted Answer

Digitalisation guided by ethical principles has a counterpart: digitalisation driven purely by individual interests. These can be the interests of states (e.g. security policy) or corporations (profit maximisation). The associated problems are far-reaching: online platforms with hate messages and false news, former colonial states in strong digital dependency, non-transparent algorithmic decisions that reinforce stereotypes or states that extensively censor and monitor the digital.

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