Skip to main content

Topics

Topics represent areas of ethical concern. Each topic has an editorial stance that defines whether supporting it is generally considered positive, negative, or neutral.

corporate

Authoritarian Compliance

Support = Bad

Sells surveillance tech to authoritarian regimes; complies with censorship demands; stores data for government access; operates in regions with severe human rights abuses; enables oppression; provides tools used against dissidents

Climate Action

Support = Good

Commits to emissions reduction; renewable energy; climate targets; carbon neutrality

Consumer Protection

Support = Good

Strong consumer safety standards; transparent practices; responsive to product issues; prioritizes user safety over profits; proactive recalls when needed

Corporate Governance

Support = Good

Transparent governance; independent board; shareholder rights; ethical leadership

Corporate Transparency

Support = Good

Publishes comprehensive sustainability and impact reports; discloses emissions data and environmental footprint; transparent about supply chain practices; honest reporting of metrics and outcomes; participates in third-party audits and ratings; corrects misinformation about company practices

Deceptive Lobbying

Support = Bad

Makes misleading public arguments to influence policy; public positions contradict private actions or intentions; claims regulation will force certain outcomes while privately pursuing those outcomes anyway; uses bad faith arguments in regulatory debates; misrepresents facts to policymakers

DEI Programs

Support = Good

Maintains or expands diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; diverse hiring practices; inclusive workplace policies

Environmental Sustainability

Support = Good

Sustainable practices; waste reduction; circular economy; environmental stewardship

Executive Compensation

Support = Good

Reasonable executive pay ratios; aligned with company performance; transparent

Gig Worker Rights

Support = Good

Supports gig worker benefits; fair pay; transparent algorithms; path to employment; doesn't fight classification

Military & Defense Contracts

Support = Bad

Pursues military AI contracts; builds weapons systems; drone warfare technology; defense department partnerships

Regulatory Capture

Support = Bad

Successfully lobbies to gut or weaken oversight; uses political influence to remove regulatory safeguards; places industry insiders in regulatory positions; co-opts regulatory processes for private benefit; undermines regulatory independence; weakens enforcement mechanisms

Revolving Door

Support = Bad

Hires former regulators to lobby their previous agencies; executives move between company and regulatory roles; uses insider government connections for policy influence; ignores cooling-off periods; former officials immediately lobby ex-colleagues

Supply Chain Ethics

Support = Good

Audits supply chain for labor abuses; avoids conflict minerals; fair supplier practices; transparency reports; living wages in supply chain

Tax Practices

Support = Good

Pays fair share of taxes; transparent tax reporting; avoids aggressive avoidance schemes

Tech Worker Organizing

Support = Good

Supports tech worker unions; allows organizing; recognizes unions

Undisclosed Conflicts

Support = Bad

Lobbies or advocates policy positions without disclosing financial interests; hidden stakes in outcomes being advocated; executives have undisclosed personal financial interests in policy outcomes; violates disclosure requirements; conflicts of interest not revealed to stakeholders

Whistleblower Protection

Support = Good

Protects whistleblowers; has reporting channels; no retaliation; supports employees who report wrongdoing

Worker Rights

Support = Good

Supports unions, fair wages, worker protections, good working conditions, reasonable hours

policy

Criminal Justice Reform

Support = Good

Supports criminal justice reform; fair chance hiring; opposes prison labor exploitation; funds reform organizations; bail reform

Democratic Institutions

Support = Good

Strengthens democratic processes; respects separation of powers; supports free and fair elections; protects voting rights; upholds rule of law; defends independent judiciary and oversight bodies

Government Ethics & Anti-Corruption

Support = Good

Avoids conflicts of interest in government roles; transparent dealings with regulators; ethical lobbying practices; respects ethics rules; divests from conflicting interests; supports anti-corruption measures

Healthcare Access

Support = Good

Supports healthcare access; affordable healthcare; employee health benefits

Housing Affordability

Support = Good

Supports affordable housing; funds housing initiatives; provides employee housing assistance; doesn't displace communities

Humanitarian Aid & Global Health

Support = Good

Funds humanitarian programs; supports disaster relief; invests in global health initiatives; poverty reduction efforts; refugee assistance; food security programs; disease prevention

Immigration Openness

Support = Good

Supports immigration; H-1B visas; pathways to citizenship; welcomes immigrants

Press Freedom

Support = Good

Protects journalists and sources; supports investigative journalism; transparent with media; respects press rights; defends against SLAPP suits; promotes media independence

Public Services & Social Safety Net

Support = Good

Supports public services; strengthens social safety net programs; invests in education, healthcare, social security; protects vulnerable populations; supports disability services; adequate funding for public institutions

Reproductive Rights

Support = Good

Supports reproductive rights; provides related healthcare coverage; speaks out for access

social

Accessibility

Support = Good

Designs for accessibility; ADA compliance; accommodates disabled employees; accessible products and services; disability inclusion

Age Inclusion

Support = Good

Age-diverse hiring practices; values experienced workers; no age bias in layoffs; mentorship programs; retraining opportunities; fights ageism in tech culture; inclusive job postings

Animal Welfare

Support = Good

Humane treatment of animals in testing and research; minimizes animal suffering; uses alternatives to animal testing where possible; transparent about animal use; follows or exceeds regulatory standards for animal care; audits supply chains for animal welfare

Child Safety

Support = Good

COPPA compliance; robust age verification; age-appropriate design; parental controls; proactive CSAM detection and reporting; protects minors from predators; limits data collection from children; safe default settings for minors

Creator Compensation

Support = Good

Fair revenue sharing with creators; transparent payment models and algorithms; supports independent creators and small artists; meaningful creator funds; protects creator income from AI replacement; provides analytics and tools for creator success; equitable platform economics

Gender Equity

Support = Good

Pay equity practices; gender-balanced leadership; strong harassment policies; generous parental leave for all genders; reproductive healthcare coverage; supports women in tech initiatives; transparent pay reporting

LGBTQ+ Rights

Support = Good

Supports LGBTQ+ rights; inclusive policies; speaks out against discrimination

Mental Health

Support = Good

Employee mental health benefits; sustainable work culture; product design that respects user wellbeing; screen time tools; addiction prevention features; research into platform mental health impacts; transparent about harms

Platform Labor Conditions

Support = Good

Fair pay and working conditions for content moderators, data labelers, and AI trainers; mental health support for workers exposed to traumatic content; transparent about human labor in AI pipeline; direct employment rather than outsourcing to low-wage contractors; adequate breaks and counseling; recognizes platform workers' contribution

Racial Justice

Support = Good

Supports racial equity initiatives; addresses discrimination; diverse leadership; invests in underrepresented communities; speaks out against racism

technology

AI Oversight

Support = Good

Supports AI accountability frameworks; backs transparency requirements for AI systems; engages constructively with AI regulation; accepts third-party auditing; supports disclosure requirements; advocates for AI governance mechanisms

AI Safety

Support = Good

Supports AI regulation; invests in safety research; responsible development practices; transparency

Algorithmic Fairness

Support = Good

Audits algorithms for bias; publishes fairness metrics; addresses discriminatory outcomes; diverse training data; transparent about limitations

Antitrust & Competition

Support = Good

Supports fair competition; complies with antitrust law; open ecosystems

Content Moderation

Support = Good

Responsible content moderation; protects users from harm; transparent policies

Data Security

Support = Good

Strong security practices; protects user data; transparent breach disclosure; invests in security infrastructure; bug bounty programs

Digital Safety for Vulnerable Users

Support = Good

Protects at-risk users from digital harms; builds anti-stalkerware tools; supports domestic abuse survivors' digital safety; protects journalists and activists; provides security resources for vulnerable populations; fights spyware industry

Encryption & Privacy

Support = Good

Strong end-to-end encryption; resists backdoor demands; protects user communications; advocates for encryption rights

Human-Centered AI

Support = Good

Develops AI that augments rather than replaces human capability; involves affected communities in AI development; prioritizes AI that serves societal needs; focuses on human-AI collaboration; transparent about AI limitations; builds AI tools that empower users

Infrastructure Accountability

Support = Good

Acknowledges public interest obligations when operating critical infrastructure; maintains service reliability for essential users; coordinates with governments on infrastructure decisions affecting public welfare; transparent governance of systems others depend on; doesn't unilaterally withdraw critical services

Intellectual Property Ethics

Support = Good

Respects intellectual property rights; obtains proper licenses for training data; fair compensation to creators; transparent about content sources; respects opt-out requests; supports creator rights in AI era

Knowledge Access & Information Freedom

Support = Good

Supports universal access to knowledge; funds open access initiatives; preserves digital heritage; opposes information enclosure; contributes to public knowledge commons; supports libraries and archives; makes research freely available

Misinformation

Support = Bad

Amplifies or spreads misinformation; recommender systems promote false content; profits from disinfo; resists fact-checking

Open Internet & Web Freedom

Support = Good

Advocates for open web standards; supports net neutrality; builds interoperable systems; opposes platform lock-in; promotes decentralization; treats internet as public infrastructure; fights internet censorship and balkanization

Open Source

Support = Good

Contributes to open source; open standards; interoperability; knowledge sharing

Open Source Licensing Integrity

Support = Good

Maintains open source licenses over time; respects community contributions when changing license terms; uses CLAs fairly; keeps promises about open source availability; relicenses only with community consent; provides clear licensing terms

Orbital Environment

Support = Good

Minimizes space debris creation; designs satellites for end-of-life deorbiting; coordinates orbital slots responsibly; mitigates impact on astronomical observation; supports space sustainability standards; transparent about orbital footprint

Research Integrity

Support = Good

Follows proper research protocols and timelines; prioritizes safety over speed in trials; transparent about research methodology and results; protects research subjects; maintains scientific rigor; reports adverse events promptly; allows adequate time for safety evaluation

Responsible Automation

Support = Good

Manages AI-driven workforce transitions responsibly; retrains or upskills displaced workers; provides transition support and severance; transparent about AI replacing roles; gradual implementation with workforce adaptation; invests in human-AI collaboration; creates new roles alongside automation

Right to Repair

Support = Good

Supports right to repair; provides repair manuals and parts; doesn't void warranties for third-party repair; supports repair legislation

Surveillance Technology

Support = Bad

Sells facial recognition or biometric surveillance to police/government; enables mass surveillance; builds predictive policing tools; location tracking without consent; provides surveillance infrastructure to authoritarian regimes; biased recognition systems; no safeguards on use

User Autonomy

Support = Good

Respects user agency and choice; avoids manipulative design; transparent about how systems influence behavior; gives users meaningful control; designs for user goals not engagement metrics; no dark patterns

User Privacy

Support = Good

Strong privacy protections; minimal data collection; user control; transparent data practices