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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Homepage

Internet Ethics

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics highlights a variety of ethical issues related to the internet's role in society.

What is Internet Ethics?

The Internet Ethics program explores topics like AI ethics, online privacy, cybersecurity, social media, data ethics, the digital divide, internet access, and more. In collaboration with the Technology Ethics program, it also addresses corporate tech ethics development, and software engineering ethics—developing teaching and training materials related to each of those subjects.

 

Navigate here to Internet Ethics Case Studies

Internet Ethics Case Studies

Find ethics case studies on topics in Internet ethics including privacy, hacking, social media, the right to be forgotten, and hashtag activism.


Navigate here to Internet Ethics Videos

Internet Ethics Videos

Hear what voices from Silicon Valley, including our staff and fellows, are saying about important ethical challenges in the online world.


Navigate here to Internet Ethics Teaching Modules

Internet Ethics Teaching Modules

Teaching resources are a major thrust of our efforts in technology and internet ethics, with a special focus on creating material for college students.


Navigate here to Internet Ethics Resources

Internet Ethics Resources

More resources for those in the internet ethics field including videos, ethics codes, and student examples.


Upcoming Events

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On the ethics of integrating AI (amid claims of widespread adoption)

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A growing list of AI ethics issues and links to relevant materials from the Ethics Center.

Recent Media Mentions

Irina Raicu, director, Internet Ethics, quoted by KQED.

Iris Stewart-Frey, professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences and an Ethics Center Faculty Scholar, and Irina Raicu, Ethics Center director, internet ethics, featured in Santa Clara Magazine.

Students at computers with screens that include a representation of a retinal scanner with pixelation and binary data overlays and a brightly coloured datawave heatmap at the top.

AI Ethics Literacy

A growing need, a growing list of issues, and a growing collection of resources from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Curated by Irina Raicu and Subramaniam Vincent.

Explore Resources

IT, Ethics, and Law Lecture Series

The Ethics Center and the High Tech Law Institute collaborate to sponsor this series of presentations on topics in information technology. Speakers have included Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society; Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist; and Kara Swisher, journalist. 

Learn About Events in the Series

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Ethics in Tech Practice

Ethics in Technology Practice aims to provide free materials to encourage and support ethics training workshops in technology companies.

Go to Learning Module

AI and the Environment: Sustaining the Common Good

On November 1, 2024 the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and Next 10 cosponsored a daylong conference that brought together academics from a variety of disciplines, industry and government representatives, SCU students, and the broader public, to explore the intersection of AI and sustainability.

Access recordings of the six panels which comprised the conference

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Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC)

The Institute for Technology, Ethics and Culture (ITEC), housed at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, is a collaboration between the Center and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education. The Institute convenes leaders from business, civil society, academia, government, and all faith and belief traditions, to promote deeper thought on technology’s impact on humanity.

Learn More