Towards a welcoming Web

The Internet is supposed to be an open, accessible platform. Unfortunately, frequently we see pitfalls in reliability, accessibility or performance stemming from a privileged understanding of connectivity, cultural and economic context. It turns out, the Web can be unwelcoming to many.

This talk will set the necessary context for an inclusive design practice, focusing on accessibility and equality. We'll learn how to foster a user-experience focused culture, no matter whether you're a developer, designer, project or business owner. You will leave inspired to build a better Web for everyone.

Transcript

1. Towards a welcoming Web Presented by @fox
2. Technology is redefining our world—its economy, culture, societies and democracies.
3. “We demonstrated that the Web had failed instead of served humanity. The increasing centralisation, has ended up producing a large-scale emergent phenomenon which is anti-human.”
4. Technology negatively affects mental health. Source: Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns
5. Source: How heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness
6. Technology is a megaphone for harassment. Source: Twitter Has a Serious Harassment and Abuse Problem but Doesn’t Seem to Want to Cure It
8. Technology treats personal data as currency. Source: Uber concealed massive hack that exposed data of 57m users and drivers
9. The doctor I saw was terrible. But luckily I received another opinion and the receptionist/nurse was lovely. Which is why I would go back The receptionist/nurse was lovely. Source: GP booking service HealthEngine sanitises patient reviews BECAME
10. Technology fosters unfairness and exclusion. Source: Tech Leavers by Kapor Center
11. 78% of tech workers report some form of unfair treatment. Source: Tech Leavers by Kapor Center
12. 0.8% of jobs in tech companies are held by Black women. Source: Here’s the clearest picture of Silicon Valley’s diversity yet: It’s bad. But some companies are doing less bad
13. 6% of Fortune 500 chief executives are women. Source: Fortune CEOs
14. 98% of VCs are white or Asian males. Source: Silicon Valley’s Morality Crash
15. 29% is as high as the pay gap between men and women gets. Source: The Gender Pay Gap in Tech
16. 60% of women reported unwanted sexual advances. Source: Elephant in the Valley
17. 30% of women of colour were passed over for a promotion. Source: Tech Leavers Study
18. 95% of Open Source contributors are male. Source: Github Open Source Survey
19. Humans are paying the price for (un)intended consequences of rapid advancement. We are facing a crisis.
20. We’ve become complacent, engaging in an act of cultural denial. A process in which we avoid uncomfortable realities, like poverty, suffering, injustice and racial oppression.
21. “A dangerous form of magical thinking often accompanies new technological developments, a curious assurance that a revolution in our tools inevitably wipes the slate of the past clean.” Virginia Eubanks
22. “Move fast and break things” PITFALLS OF TECHNOLOGY
24. Disruption isn’t a getaway free card to bypass laws, freedoms, moral compass, civil rights and human protections.
25. “Technology is neutral” PITFALLS OF TECHNOLOGY
26. Technology is not, and never was or will be, neutral. Our biases and prejudice are baked-in.
27. “This myopic focus on what’s new leads us to miss the important ways that digital tools are embedded in old systems of power and privilege.” Virginia Eubanks
28. Lacking ethical education PITFALLS OF TECHNOLOGY
30. “Ethical decision-making is like a muscle that needs to be exercised lest it atrophy, and experiments have shown that ‘moral reminders’ help people make more ethical decisions.” Irina Raicu
31. Exclusion and homogeneity PITFALLS OF TECHNOLOGY
32. Until anyone, no matter their background, will be able to survive and thrive and be represented online, the Web won’t be open.
33. How do we establish what’s ethical?
34. Ethical principles defend and systematise moral, righteous conduct.
35. Human rights and democracy №1
36. Algorithms create filter bubbles, preventing us from seeing disagreeable content. It’s harder to make informed choices as citizens. Source: Your filter bubble is destroying democracy
37. Tech has to support and improve the civic processes on which democratic societies depend.
38. • Respects and extends human rights • Serves and support democracy • Fights against the spread of misinformation • Encourages civic engagement Ethical technology:
39. Well-being №2
40. Tech-saturated world decreases our cognitive capacity and fosters anxiety, depression and stress. Source: The Future of Well-Being in a Tech-Saturated World
41. Technology should be a mindful, quiet companion to our lives rather than an overbearing disruptor, hijacking attention. Reference: Calm Tech and Centre for Humane Technology
42. Ethical technology: • Requires minimum attention • Informs and create calm • Works in the background • Respects societal norms
43. Security and safety №3
44. Data breaches might have catastrophic consequences; from identity theft to doxxing or swatting. Source: My Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
45. Ethical technology: • Responds promptly to crisis • Eliminates single points of failure • Invests in cryptography and security • Protects the most vulnerable
46. Responsibility and accountability №4
47. It’s humans who put artificial intelligence in place, and it’s humans who should take ownership for its systemic flaws.
48. Source: Able, Allowed, Should: Navigating Modern Tech Ethics by Margaret Gould Stewart
49. Ethical technology: • Is aware of diverse social and cultural norms • Creates policies for algorithmic accountability • Collaborates with lawmakers to advance regulations • Complies with national and international guidelines
50. Data protection and privacy №5
51. Data can be used to enhance user experience, but it also can be easily weaponised. Source: Facial recognition software is not ready for use by law enforcement
52. Sensitive data should be easily modifiable, restricted, exported and deleted. Don’t collect it. Don’t store it. Don’t keep it. Source: Haunted by Data by Maciej Cegłowski
53. Ethical technology: • Only collects data necessary for operation • Gives full control of data, including permanent 
 and swift deletion • Allows anonymity
54. Transparency №6
55. Lack of transparency increases the magnitude of harm and lowers accountability. Black boxes cannot be challenged.
56. Ethical technology: • Responsibly discloses abuse of software • Establishes clear rules for reporting 
 and accountability • Has mission and value statements
57. Misuse and bias awareness №7
59. Algorithms are thoughtless. Software doesn’t learn. We teach it. Source: How Machines Learn to Be Racist
60. “Technologies and their design do not dictate racial ideologies; rather, they reflect the current climate.” Safiya Umoja Noble, Algorithms of Oppression
61. Ethical technology: • Is aware and combat unconscious bias • Tests for misuse and malice • Fights against harmful societal inequalities
62. Diversity and inclusion №8
63. Diverse teams are more creative, performant and welcoming. Source: Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter
64. Technological redlining, reinforcing oppressive social relationships and enacting racial profiling, cannot exist in the ethical world.
65. “When automated decision-making tools are not built to explicitly dismantle structural inequities, their speed and scale intensify them.” Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality
66. Ethical technology: • Is inclusive of all people • Prioritises diverse teams and organisations • Prevents technological redlining
67. Tools and resources
68. Recommended reading
70. Canvases, workshops and applications Source: How to practice ethical design?
71. Manifestos and pledges Source: Ethical Design Manifesto by ind.ie
72. “We demonstrated that the Web had failed instead of served humanity. The increasing centralisation, has ended up producing a large-scale emergent phenomenon which is anti-human.” Sir Tim Berners-Lee
73. The shift towards more humane technology is happening, but it needs your help.
74. We all are responsible for what the Web is today and will become tomorrow.
75. “Should we build this?” has to become the ethical foundation for our work.
76. The Web is ought to enhance our lives and fulfil our dreams, rather than crush hopes, magnify fears and deepen our divisions.
77. Let’s build a more welcoming Web, together.
78. Thank you