But, like shoes, the benefits gained from devices, websites, apps, programs and social media tools really depends on the quality of the ones you choose to use, or ‘wear’. Like a pair of shoes, you can end up minimising the benefits of digital technologies by the choices you make while using, or ‘wearing’ them.

Indeed, it’s very important to be considerate of others and behave ethically online.

What is “digital ethics” exactly?

Ethics, according the Encyclopedia Britannica is “the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or principles”. Digital ethics, therefore, refers to the same thing in relation to the use of digital technology and the internet.

Teaching digital ethics to youth needs to be a priority; especially now. Why? As an article by TechUK puts it, “along the good we have seen the damage it [technology] can do”.

To dig a little deeper, an article by the OECD  suggests that whenever a person, group or company exercises some power over another through digital means, digital ethics, or how that power is exercised from a moral standpoint, needs to be considered in order to minimise negative impacts.

Therefore, there has never been a greater need to teach youth about digital ethics.

This competition (and 3.5 million dollars) will help  

Mozilla’s founder and chairwoman Mitchell Baker has outlined an initiative to help address this need – a $3.5M competition for professors and educators to effectively integrate ethics into computer science education at the undergraduate level. It’s known as the ‘Responsible Computer Science Challenge’. In one report by media outlet Fast Company, Baker explains, “We are looking to encourage ways of teaching ethics that make sense in a computer science program, that make sense today…”

In a nutshell, the challenge for educators is to weave as much quality digital ethics education into their teaching as possible. Money is awarded based on the ingenuity of initial ideas, and then again for successful implementation in a class setting. If proven to be effective on that scale, they are given further money to see if it works at other institutions.

The goal? The Fast Company article continues, “Baker hopes that the competition –and its prize money – will yield practical ideas that are both substantial and relevant.” These can then be applied in different settings to improve digital ethics education.

How will this competition benefit people?

Baker says, “STEM without any understanding of humanity is going to breed a set of technologists who don’t know, even if they want to, how to build positive things for humanity.” Reflecting upon what we’ve discussed in this article, it’s easy to see how digitally unethical STEM professionals could certainly snub out positive things for humanity.

Baker feels that the antidote to this is education, and that’s what her competition – the Responsible Computer Science Challenge – is all about.