Media Mentions

From the same company that brought you Rewind to record everything on your computer comes the Limitless AI microphone which will record all the audio you hear and process it using AI.

"The privacy concerns raised by any non-obvious recording device might not be limitless, but they're pretty vast. In this case, the fact that there's a feature called 'consent mode' for new voices that would be recorded, but that mode (according to media reports) is off by default, is a troubling signal about respect for privacy. We already live in a world in which people distrust so much of the technology around them; in order to build trust, privacy, at least, needs to be the default in design."

Irina Raicu, director, internet ethics, quoted by Lifewire.

Chase DiFeliciantonio, reporting for the San Francisco Chronicle, addresses net neutrality — a long-debated policy that was solidified under President Barack Obama and reversed under President Donald Trump, required Internet service providers to treat all communications on their networks the same regardless of content. The reversal of net neutrality led broadband companies to a model that provides more robust service to those willing to pay more for it.

"Industry usually prefers to have one set of rules and uniformity and opposes patchwork laws," said Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. But internet providers "opposed federal regulation and ended up with a patchwork of laws."

Irina Raicu, director, Internet Ethics, quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle, and republished by Government Technology.

As palm-recognition technology gains traction with Amazon and other companies, ethical concerns surrounding it's use are surfacing and raises questions about potential misuse and the need for robust safeguards.

Brian Green, director of technology ethics highlights the dual nature of data as both an asset and a liability: "Data is not only an asset, but also a liability for those holding it."

“Combining biometric data with big data, AI, DNA, surveillance cameras, and geolocation data could lead to advanced profiling of individuals, raising further ethical concerns,” he adds.

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by The Economic Times.

NBC News parted ways with former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel four days after hiring her.

"For journalism to serve democracy better, the standards of the former must not become incompatible with the essence of the latter. We need a minimum qualifying standard to apply to broadcast roles that have narrative-setting power, one that news organizations can apply to everyone hired to deliver news on air."

Subramaniam Vincent, director, journalism and media ethics, published by Forbes.

Meta recently announced their plans to use watermark technology to distinguish AI-generated content across Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.

According to Irina Raicu, director, internet ethics, “One challenge with watermarking is that people might come to rely on it too much, not realizing that watermarks can be removed — and believing, therefore, that content that’s not watermarked is not AI-generated.”

Irina Raicu, director, internet ethics, quoted by Techopedia.

Though this patent seems like a well-intentioned way of easing cross-cultural communication, there are certainly ways that this tech could go awry, said Brian P. Green, director of technology ethics. 

For starters, depending on the language, there may be bias in how well it translates one accent versus another, said Green. For example, the company’s tech may work far better with American English than with other accents or languages due to data availability.

But even if this tool is trained with ethical data privacy practices and is bias-free, it could still reinforce “value judgments” for certain accents, said Green. 

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by The Daily Upside.

Slither.io is a multiplayer video game that has been downloaded more than 500 million times to date and contains player created usernames on the game that attack people of color and other minorities.

“Allowing [antisemitic] behavior is hurtful not only to the players in the game who may feel targeted by slurs, but also to anyone who hears about this behavior,” said Brian Green, director of technology ethics. “Even those using this language are ultimately harmed, as they turn themselves into worse people, who become callous to the concerns of others (this applies to the game designers as well).”

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Meta says it has started the process of limiting the political content users see on their newsfeeds and said Instagram would stop recommending political content from accounts that users don't already follow.

In a interview with KTVU's Alex Savidge and Heather Holmes, Subramaniam Vincent, director, journalism and media ethics weighs in.

"They [Instagram] are not able to make a social technical distinction between legitimate news that is actually done through journalism and things that claim to be news that are newsworthy but can be completely false claims. And the scale at which is spreads by the time they come in and respond in moderation in an attempt to take action it's too late."

Subramaniam Vincent, director, journalism and media ethics, interviewed by KTVU FOX 2.

The question now is whether the city should have taken different actions once Doyle began running the Providence Foundation.

John Pelissero, director of government ethics said city officials have a responsibility to properly vet nonprofit leaders to ensure that “taxpayer dollars aren’t going to be squandered.”

“They need to make sure up front that they’re starting with an individual and organization that are trustworthy and have a record of being effective,” Pelissero said.

John Pelissero, director, government ethics, quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle.

In this report from KUER 90.1/NPR Raido, in 2023, a special committee awarded one of the first Housing Transit Reinvestment Zones to the city of South Jordan and the Larry H. Miller Company. The plan was to develop roughly 100 acres around the Daybreak Express TRAX stop. The companies were awarded a tax incentive worth approximately $160 million for the new high-density development.

Although Wilson’s property did not receive a direct tax incentive from a 2023 Housing Transit Reinvestment Zone (HTRZ) award, it is located across the street from the Daybreak Express TRAX station and is surrounded by the newly planned Daybreak high-density development.

For John Pelissero, director of government ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, Wilson’s private investment created a conflict of interest in his involvement in the HTRZ legislation.

"They [lawmakers] really shouldn't be acting in any way to support a development project that they might financially benefit from,” Pelissero said.

John Pelissero, director, government ethics, quoted by KUER 90.1/NPR Radio.