Digital Ethics: Orientation, Values and Attitudes for a Digital World

Digital Ethics, published by the German subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers, is an anthology of articles about the ethical challenges brought by digitalization. It compiles interviews with experts, case studies and a survey conducted among 300 companies in all sectors of activity. Its ambition? Showing the full complexity of the decisions that business leaders must make, beyond the enthusiasm generated by digital opportunities.

This publication particularly considers five dilemmas that often surface between economic value creation and ethics. How to regulate without hampering technological or commercial innovation too much? Regarding new services that require the processing of users’ personal data, where to place the cursor between value creation for them and respect for their private life? How to ensure that the automation of certain decisions neither accentuates discriminations nor introduces new ones? At what point does automation lead to dehumanizing the service excessively? What about the tension between the effectiveness of some algorithms and their lack of transparency, making it difficult to control them and to determine responsibilities in the event of problem? For these complex topics, the authors identify the best practices and propose a number of practical recommendations. A useful outlook for leaders confronted to these tough issues.