Addressing the Unforeseen Harms of Technology CCC Whitepaper

TL;DR

This whitepaper discusses strategies to identify, mitigate, and respond to unforeseen harms caused by computing technologies, emphasizing proactive measures to address negative impacts before deployment.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for anticipating and managing unpredictable harms of new technologies, filling a gap in current risk mitigation approaches.

Findings

Few harms are intentional, most result from oversight.

Proactive steps can mitigate unforeseen harms.

Framework aids in early harm detection and response.

Abstract

Recent years have seen increased awareness of the potential significant impacts of computing technologies, both positive and negative. This whitepaper explores how to address possible harmful consequences of computing technologies that might be difficult to anticipate, and thereby mitigate or address. It starts from the assumption that very few harms due to technology are intentional or deliberate; rather, the vast majority result from failure to recognize and respond to them prior to deployment. Nonetheless, there are concrete steps that can be taken to address the difficult problem of anticipating and responding to potential harms from new technologies.