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Instructors: Dylan Johnson
Event type:
Introductory seminar
Displayed in timetable as:
Hours per week:
2
Credits:
3,0
Language of instruction:
English
Min. | Max. participants:
5 | 30
Comments/contents:
In this course, we explore some of the most pressing ethical concerns related to how firms and governments collect, process, and act upon information about individuals. For example, we ask:
-What does 'consent' mean in the context of agreeing to reveal personal information in exchange for service provision?
-Under what conditions and to what extent is it permissible for the state to surveil its citizens?
-Should social media companies have the authority to censor individuals using their platforms? Should they have the right, or possibly the responsibility, to regulate the spread of false information?
-How should society assign property rights over sets of information that describe individuals? Do those who collect and process this information have justifiable claims to own it, or would this conflict with the natural rights of the individuals to whom this information refers?
-To what extent should algorithms be responsible for making decisions about the distribution of resources and criminal sentencing?
By the end of this course, students should have a better understanding of some of the most timely debates in both academia and the public sphere about how society can best capture the gains made possible through technological progress while also mitigating the threats to democracy and individual liberty posed by these developments.
This course will be taught in English, though students' written works may be submitted in German.
Literature:
The syllabus will be presented during the first session.
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