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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Technology Ethics Cases

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Find case studies illustrating dilemmas in technology and ethics.

Case studies are also available on Internet Ethics.

For permission to reprint cases, submit requests to ethics@scu.edu.

Looking to draft your own case studies? This template provides the basics for writing ethics case studies in technology (though with some modification it could be used in other fields as well).

  • SuperFly
    A VR Ethics Case Study

    Which stakeholders might benefit from a new age of VR “travel”? Which stakeholders might be harmed?

  • Robinhood, Reddit, and GameStop: What Happened and What Should Happen Next?

    Case study on the history making GameStop short and stock price surge that occurred during January 2021.

  • Making Vulnerabilities Visible
    A Cybersecurity Ethics Case Study

    As PunkSpider is pending re-release, ethical issues are considered about a tool that is able to spot and share vulnerabilities on the web, opening those results to the public.

  • URVR
    A VR Ethics Case Study

    With URVR recipients can capture and share 360 3D moments and live them out together.

  • VR Rage Room
    A VR Ethics Case Study

    VR rage rooms may provide therapeutic and inexpensive benefits while also raising ethical questions.

  • First Date
    A VR Ethics Case Study

    A VR dating app intended to help ease the stress and awkwardness of early dating in a safe and comfortable way.

  • This is Only a Test
    An Ethics Case Study

    Ethical questions pertaining to the use of proctoring software in online teaching.

  • Open Source AI: To Release or Not To Release the GPT-2 Synthetic Text Generator
    An AI Ethics Case Study

    Concern is high over possible misuses of new AI technology which generates text without human intervention.

  • Smart Lampposts: Illuminating Smart Cities
    An IoT Ethics Case Study

    As cities collect, analyze, and share more data, new ethical questions arise.

  • Sentio Ergo Sum
    An AI Ethics Case Study

    AI software accentuates emotional intelligence for customer service reps.