This course presents the context in which companies are increasingly linked to new technologies, from the moment of their creation and operation, making it necessary to consider the ethical, legal and regulatory implications of this reality. In this sense, concepts such as technoethics and data privacy arise, understood as complex and multifaceted concepts that have evolved over time and that increasingly consider various areas of knowledge in a broader way. Thus, this subject seeks to create awareness and knowledge about the ethical aspects of data collection, manipulation, analysis and exploitation, where students who join any business area must know and be aware of the impacts generated of technological use.
Titular Professors
Professors
This course provides students with an introduction to technoethics and data privacy. It combines legal and regulatory foundations with an exploration of the ethical implications associated with the development, implementation, and use of technology.
Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to engage in critical discussion and debate on key ethical and privacy-related issues, with particular emphasis on technological innovation, digital platforms, data-driven decision-making, and digital business activities.
Learning Outcomes of this subject are: - Know and apply the ethical, legal and regulatory aspects related to the collection, manipulation and analysis of data, and the exploitation of the information generated - Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and be ethical and professional. - Ability to identify and assess inequalities due to sex and gender, and find and design solutions. - Understand the landscape of contemporary thought - Acquire a conceptual base that allows the understanding of texts from the humanistic field. - Understand the transcendent dimension of the human person. - Understand the problem and responsibility regarding sustainable development. - Ability to create projects that add value to society. - Know the legislative advocacy mechanisms related to the collection, analysis and visualization of data, and the associated technoethical principles
The main topics covered in the course are:
1. Personal Data Legislation, Privacy, and Fundamental Rights
- Definition and categories of personal data
- Privacy and information rights
- The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- European data protection legislation
- The seven principles of the GDPR:
- Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency
- Purpose limitation
- Data minimisation
- Accuracy
- Storage limitation
- Integrity and confidentiality
- Accountability
- Spanish Organic Law 3/2018, of 5 December, on Personal Data Protection and the Guarantee of Digital Rights
- The relationship between data protection, privacy, and fundamental rights
2. Data Collection, Use, and Reuse
- Data collection, use, sharing, and reuse
- Data reuse from the perspective of the data controller
- Data reuse from the perspective of the data subject
- Potential risks and harms associated with data collection and use
- The right to be forgotten
- Social, economic, and organisational benefits of data reuse
- Ethical challenges related to the secondary use of data
- Informed consent, transparency, and responsible data governance
3. Ethical Challenges in the Development and Application of Technology
- Ethics in the design, development, and use of technology
- Identification and analysis of unethical technological practices
- Ethical risks associated with emerging technologies
- Responsible innovation and ethical decision-making
- The establishment of ethical standards, codes, and professional practices
- Methods for promoting ethical behaviour in technological organisations
4. Privacy, Security, and IT Compliance
- Introduction to IT compliance
- Definitions of privacy, cybersecurity, and information security
- The relationship between privacy and security
- Anonymity, pseudonymisation, and anonymisation
- Differences between anonymous data and personal data that have been anonymised
- Limitations of data de-identification techniques
- Protected attributes and algorithmic discrimination
- Why removing direct identifiers may not be sufficient to protect individuals
- Organisational responsibilities regarding data security and privacy
5. Intellectual Property and Patents
- Definition and scope of intellectual property rights
- Copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, and patents
- Ownership of technological and digital creations
- Intellectual property protection in digital environments
- Introduction to patent law
- Patentability requirements
- Ethical and legal challenges related to innovation, ownership, and access to technology
6. Technoethics and Society
- Ethical and responsible uses of technology
- The transformative impact of technology on individuals, organisations, and society
- Social consequences of digitalisation and technological innovation
- Technology, inequality, accessibility, and inclusion
- New opportunities created by disruptive and emerging technologies
- Social responsibility in technological and digital business activities
- The role of organisations and professionals in promoting human-centred technology
The course sessions will combine lectures, discussions, cases, videos, student presentations, and exercises. Students are expected to participate actively in class discussion and to prepare the required reading and assignments prior to class. - Lectures (MD0): In which the teacher explains content, concepts or solves problems. - Project-based learning (MD6): In which students solve a group project and discover the concepts as they are necessary for its development. - The so-called "flipped classroom" (MD7): In which the teacher anticipates the documentation or material that the student must work on before the face-to-face session and in the face-to-face session activities are developed based on the content previously worked on. - Peer teaching (MD9): In which the teacher generates a series of questions that the student answers individually and later the different answers are discussed in groups so that at the end the student again has some answers to the questions with more security and trust. - Challenge-based learning (MD11): In which a pedagogical approach is established that actively involves the student and is based on a real problem close to the student's environment that requires a specific solution and it is within experiential learning. - Debate-based learning (MD15): In which the teacher through a mayeutic approach explains the lesson through questions and generates a group debate. In this way the students position themselves in one or the other position and they themselves reach their own conclusions through reason and argument.
Summary of Assessment Weighting
- Attendance, participation, and professional behaviour: 10%
- Continuous assessment: 35%
- Challenge 1: 10%
- Challenge 2: 10%
- Midterm examination: 15
- Final examination: 20%
This subject doesn't have a retake exam.
For this course, the following level of AI use has been established:
Level 2 AI for Idea Generation and Structure AI may be used for brainstorming, outlining, initial guidance, or organizational suggestions, but not for producing the final content. AI may be used only as preliminary support. The final submission must be entirely human-authored and must not include AI-generated content.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Students will be assessed on their ability to:
- Apply ethical, legal and regulatory concepts to real situations related to technology and data.
- Critically analyse the risks and social impacts of emerging technologies.
- Participate actively in debates, cases and practical activities.
- Work collaboratively on applied challenges and projects.
- Present ideas in a clear, structured and professional manner.
- Argue rigorously about issues related to artificial intelligence, privacy, security and technological responsibility.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the key concepts of the subject in the final exam.
- Luppicini, R. (2008). The emerging field of Technoethics. In R. Luppicini and R. Adell (eds.). Handbook of Research on Technoethics. Hershey: Idea Group Publishing - Moor, James H. (2005). "Why We Need Better Ethics for Emerging Technologies". Ethics and Information Technology. 7 (3): 111´´119. doi:10.1007/s10676-006-0008-0. ISSN 1388-1957. S2CID 27160198. - Luppicini, Rocci (2010). Technoethics and the Evolving Knowledge Society: Ethical Issues in Technological Design, Research, Development, and Innovation. Advances in Information Security, Privacy, and Ethics. IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-60566-952-6. ISBN 978-1-60566-952-6. - Bunge, Mario; The Hegeler Institute (1977). Sugden, Sherwood J. B. (ed.). "Towards a Technoethics". Monist (in German). 60 (1): 96´´107. doi:10.5840/monist197760134. ISSN 0026-9662. - Luppicini, Rocci; Adell, Rebecca, eds. (2009). Handbook of Research on Technoethics. IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-60566-022-6.ch001. ISBN 978-1-60566-022-6. - Winner, Langdon (1980). "Do Artifacts Have Politics?". Daedalus. 109 (1): 121´´136. ISSN 0011-5266. JSTOR 20024652. - Hosmer, L. T. (1995). "Trust: The Connecting Link between Organizational Theory and Philosophical Ethics". The Academy of Management Review. 20 (2): 379´´403. doi:10.5465/amr.1995.9507312923. JSTOR 258851. S2CID 53066096. - Galván, José María (December 2003). "On Technoethics" (PDF). IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine. 10 (4): 58´´63. - Porambage P, et al. The quest for privacy in the internet of things. IEEE Cloud Comp. 2016;3(2):36´´45. - Jing Q, et al. Security of the internet of things: perspectives and challenges. Wirel Netw. 2014;20(8):2481´´501.
COMPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY OR MATERIAL
- Luppicini, R. (2008). The emerging field of Technoethics. In R. Luppicini and R. Adell (eds.), Handbook of Research on Technoethics. Hershey: Idea Group Publishing.
- Moor, J. H. (2005). “Why We Need Better Ethics for Emerging Technologies”. Ethics and Information Technology, 7(3), 111–119.
- Luppicini, R. (2010). Technoethics and the Evolving Knowledge Society: Ethical Issues in Technological Design, Research, Development, and Innovation. IGI Global.
- Bunge, M. (1977). “Towards a Technoethics”. Monist, 60(1), 96–107.
- Winner, L. (1980). “Do Artifacts Have Politics?”. Daedalus, 109(1), 121–136.
- Hosmer, L. T. (1995). “Trust: The Connecting Link between Organizational Theory and Philosophical Ethics”. The Academy of Management Review, 20(2), 379–403.
- Galván, J. M. (2003). “On Technoethics”. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 10(4), 58–63.
- Degli-Esposti, S. (2023). La ética de la Inteligencia Artificial. Madrid: CSIC / Catarata.
- López de Mántaras, R. (2023). 100 coses que cal saber sobre la intel·ligència artificial. Valls: Cossetània.
- Russell, S. J. (2020). Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control. London: Penguin Books.