Call for Papers

All submission should use the following template to help keep them uniform: Ethicomp 2022 template for full paper

As it seems that our world is reopening, we are happy to inform you that Ethicomp is held in Turku, Finland, 26-28.7.2022. It is indeed time to gather together, share our ideas, discuss them face to face and enjoy the long days of the summer in Finland.

The theme of this Ethicomp is the “Effectiveness of ICT ethics – How do we help solve ethical problems in the field of ICT?” It is easy to pinpoint problems and state that something is ethically problematic. It is much harder to give proper suggestions on how to improve the situation through constructive and executable ideas. Thus, we encourage people to submit solution-oriented papers to Ethicomp 2022. As we would like to encourage people from different fields to participate, issues of interest include following themes:

Track 1: Open Track

Chair: Jani Koskinen, University of Turku, jasiko@utu.fi

All topics related to the computer ethics field, including philosophical, professional, and practical aspects of the field are welcomed to this track.

Track 2: Ethics Realised Through Emerging ICT Applications

Chairs: Mario Arias-Oliva, Complutense University of Madrid, mario.arias@ucm.es; Jorge Pelegrín-Borondo, La Rioja University, jorge.pelegrin@unirioja.es; Kiyohsi Murata, Meiji University, kmurata@meiji.ac.jp; Ana Lara Palma, Burgos University, amlara@ubu.es; Mar Souto Romero, International University of La Rioja (UNIR), mar.souto@unir.net; Adam Poulsen, Charles Sturt University, apoulsen@csu.edu.au

Disruptive technologies are transforming the way we live. Moving outside of the computer laboratory and implementing technology solutions in real world creates ethical and societal impacts. Every day, we face new challenges as ever-encroaching technology closes the gap between humans and machines. Technological interventions in the work, home, and public environments increasingly complicate these socio-technical contexts, affecting our laws, norms, beliefs, and values. Whether good or bad, an empirical understanding of these impacts leads to innovative ethical problem-solving for ICT solutions and readiness to confront emerging challenges and move towards effective ethics and positive change. Seeking empirical insights into the realisation of ethics in emerging technology applications opens new debates in the arena of ethics, branching out to various intersecting and applied fields. This track is open to any ethical concern of emerging technologies. Both theoretical and empirical works will be welcome in this track.

Track 3: Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity

Chairs: Shalini Kesar, Southern Utah University, Kesar@suu.edu; Sabina Szymoniak, Czestochowa University of Technology, sabina.szymoniak@icis.pcz.pl

Cybersecurity is defined as the body of technologies, processes, and practices designed to protect from networks, devices, programs, data, or/and unauthorized access. The importance of cybersecurity and challenges linked with it warrant attention from various contexts. New technologies within the Internet of Things sensor applications, Robotics, Augmented Reality, and AI are envisioned to deliver a wide range of services to enable smart societies. The market for smart technologies is predicted to be worth up to $3.5 trillion by 2026.

Cybersecurity is critical and is associated with various technologies, processes, and practices that are designed to protect data and network resources from unauthorized access. Organizations are using all kinds of sophisticated technologies and techniques to protect their critical assets. However, emerging new technologies (IoT sensor applications, robotics, augmented reality and artificial intelligence) carry the risk of the emergence of new methods and forms of cyberattacks. These threats don’t become obsolete or irrelevant in the same way that the technology underlying them does. Rather, these new technologies bring to the fore a different set of many additional challenges that can range from privacy to ethical. It is also true to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on the cybersecurity field. In the context of cybersecurity, impact of remote work, increase in cyber breaches, best practices, compliance, etc. that go beyond technical controls should be considered while developing a holistic method. This track invites different perspectives that align with the theme of the conference to discuss a holistic approach to cybersecurity that protects an organization by minimizing, managing and mitigating threats. Topics include, but not limited to, computer ethics, privacy, cybercrime, cloud security, ransomware, and mobile security.

Track 4: Ethics for Technology Education

Chair: Damian Gordon, Technological University of Dublin, Damian.x.Gordon@TUDublin.ie

The ethics of ICT technology is finally raising it visibility. It can be seen in the curriculums of higher education. Likewise, it has been attracting the governments and organisation on a global level. As an example, the European Union has implemented Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) as a cross-cutting issue in EU’s Horizon programme. RRI is an approach which implies that societal actors such as researchers, citizens, policy makers, business, etc. work together during research and innovation process to ensure better alignment of both the processes and their outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society. To reach ethical technology there is a need for increase of education in technology courses and new ideas on how the education should be done. This track is open for all topics that intersects with technology ethics and education.

Track 5: Metaethics of Technology

Chair: Antonio Marturano, University of Rome Tor Vergata, a.marturano@gmail.com

Metaethics is easily seen as merely a theoretical approach that hardly offers tools for real problems in the real world. This track wants to challenge this notion. Are there some special issues/attributes/nature in technology ethics that should be noted to be able correct the ethical risk for individuals and society at large? This track encourages for deep philosophical adventures to metaethical aspects of technology.

Track 6: Effectiveness of ethical Codes, Tools and Guidelines

Chair: Don Gotternbarn, a Professor Emeritus at East Tennessee State University, don@gotterbarn.com

In 2018 the ACM revised their Code of Ethics (the Code) so it would reflect the conscience of the global computing profession. The principles and guidance in the Code, since adapted by many professional societies and organizations around the world, provide a common ground for international discourse on responsibility within the computing profession.

This track focuses on tools to facilitate understanding and using the Code in professional decision-making. Tools familiarize students and practitioners with code principles and give examples of methodologies using the principles in decision making. Documents and interactive tools give guidance using the Code to evaluate trade-offs when faced with ethical opportunities.

Tools are also needed to advance the incorporation of Code values in the regular development process in the industrial sector, especially for practitioners who do not encounter the Code as part of their education.

This track will showcase proposed and developed documents and interactive tools that promote ethical computing based on any recognized code of ethics principles.

Track 7: Ethics of Data Economy and Data Ecosystems

Chair: Jani Koskinen, University of Turku, jasiko@utu.fi

Data economy and data ecosystem are crucial terms of new business, even though their meaning is still blurred and evolving. Because of this vagueness of terms and reality, different ethical challenges are visible through examples such as the scandal of Cambridge analytics, problems with Genomic data collected from Iceland and dominating power of a few tech companies over the data markets. At the same time, the use of multisource information offers new possibilities for new services, medical treatments, research etc. Thus, we must seek ethical ways to use the information and create an economy that is sustainable and fair. Therefore, this track invites all papers that cover the aforementioned issues and beyond.

Track 8: Freedom of Speech and Technology

Chair: Maria Bottis, Ionian University, botti@otenet.gr

Technology has completely transformed the way we communicate. Social media, blogs, video platforms, peer-to-peer networks and instant messaging services increase diversity and help ensure that everyone has a voice in societal discourse, but can also proliferate hate speech, disinformation, cyber bullying and decrease information diversity through so-called “filter bubbles”. Balancing freedom of speech with actions countering the negative aspects of free communication is a difficult task, and includes many different aspects spanning multiple fields of study. The track is open to any submissions examining the ethical questions of free speech that arise in connection to technology.

Track 9: AI and Ethics

Chair: Damian Gordon, Technological University of Dublin, Damian.x.Gordon@TUDublin.ie

Artificial intelligence is already changing our societies and has clear implications for our everyday life, from suggestions in applications and web stores to health care and even who gets recruited and who does not. Many of these issues have ethical aspects that need solutions. Also, the discussion on lethal autonomous weapon systems is clearly an ethical area in need of ethical solutions. We welcome any papers which propose solutions to these arising questions in this re-emerging field.

Track 10: Technology, Values and Ethics

Chair: Minna M. Rantanen. University of Turku, minna.m.rantanen@utu.fi

Technology has shaped our societies and lives throughout history. We should thrive for good when developing technology, yet it is often unclear defines that good. Values are often discussed when we talk about technology and its “goodness”. Values are abstract ideals that we find important in the real world. Nevertheless, they can be embedded in technology, which in turn can shape our values, attitudes and everyday lives. Although values are not concrete qualities of technology, they have a crucial role in the interplay between people and technology. We often focus on the value conflicts that arise from the use of technology as it is much harder to answer questions like what values should be supported and how. When considering which values should be embedded in information technology, ethics is a prominent tool. Thus, this track is open for considerations about technology and values, such as well-being, justice, democracy, freedom, sustainability, and many others.

Submission Guide

As in previous ETHICOMP conferences, only papers written in English and not published nor submitted elsewhere are eligible for submission. The papers will be accepted on the basis of an extended abstract after a careful, double-blind review overseen by the Program Committee. Initial submissions should take the form of extended abstracts of 1000-1500 words and no more than 4 pages (references included). All accepted extended abstracts can be submitted as full papers (4000-6000 words including acknowledgement, references, etc. included) and will be published as a proceedings.

All submission should use the following template to help keep them uniform: Ethicomp 2022 template for full paper

Link to submission via Easychair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ethicomp2022

Important Dates

Deadline for extended abstracts 6^th January, 2022 31^st January, 2022. Extended Deadline!

Reviews due 1^st March, 2022.

Notification deadline 14^th  16^th March, 2022

Deadline of full paper submission 1^st  15^th May, 2022 .Extended Deadline!

Conference  26-28^th July, 2022

On behalf of organising members