PhD student contributes to digital ethics policy advising work
Published: 27 September 2021
PhD student Felix Honecker contributed to Scotland’s national expert group on digital ethics recently. As part of the advisory network Felix summarised current trends and developments in the FinTech sector, highlighting FinTech’s potential for social good and also pointing out ethical challenges that require consideration going forward.
PhD student Felix Honecker contributed to Scotland’s national expert group on digital ethics recently. As part of the advisory network Felix summarised current trends and developments in the FinTech sector, highlighting FinTech’s potential for social good and also pointing out ethical challenges that require consideration going forward.
The Digital Ethics Expert Group analysed a variety of subjects including FinTech, remote work, the gaming industry and Internet of things. It was set up to gather evidence to develop principles to guide how technologies are designed and provide baseline principles people should expect all digital products and services to deliver.
Felix Honecker said: “FinTech provides a huge opportunity to tackle financial and social exclusion. But realising this potential requires careful ethical considerations otherwise there is a risk of exacerbating rather than alleviating these intricate issues. The Scottish FinTech sector shows a real drive to create a positive social impact, and I believe Scotland can become a world leader in ‘FinTech for good’. Being able to contribute to the work of this expert group was a fantastic opportunity to flag important challenges.”
The aim of the expert group is to develop a strategic framework and recommendations for an Ethical Digital Scotland, informed by the best available evidence, specialist cross-sectoral knowledge, and insights from engagement with multiple publics and stakeholders. The report aims to deliver pragmatic policy recommendations that help to improve the security, integrity, inclusivity and trustworthiness of digital innovations and programmes.
The findings and recommendations of the group and of the advisory network will published as one digital ethics report in 2022.
Felix’s contribution was based on the work and research he is undertaking for the EC funded MCSA-ITN Project Legitimation of Newness and Its Impact on EU Agenda for Change, exploring the legitimation of new technologies, business models, and ecosystems in FinTech.
Enquiries: Clairelouise.smith@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 27 September 2021
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