S01E04: Don't be evil: The ethics of Silicon Valley, startups and research enterprise.

IQ2go

www.meetup.com/UWAInnovation/ Technological disruption has the potential to result in radical social, economic and political change. Google famously adopted the corporate motto, “Don’t be Evil”. This mantra reflects the insight that technology is not value neutral. It is created by individuals and groups in specific contexts. To what extent do powerful tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb and Tesla engage with ethical and philosophical issues surrounding their products and services? What kind of ethical dilemmas do start-up founders face on a daily basis and how do they tackle them? Can university researchers play a role in enriching these conversations? UWA IQ brought start-up founders and researchers together to share insights into technology, power and society. Our panel explored issues relevant to their own experiences and research; this was followed by an audience Q&A. Themes included: • Data usage, privacy and surveillance • Democracy and freedom of speech • Labour deregulation and the sharing economy • Gender and ethnic diversity in tech Our panellists: • Andrew Walker - Startup Founder, CEO Fleet Engineering • Adrian Peterson - Startup Founder, CEO VeriVote. • Dr Eunice Sari - CEO, Google Expert in UX/UI, former UWA lecturer/ researcher • Dr Tauel Harper - UWA lecturer and researcher, critical theory, communication, internet studies.