Regulations and Freedom

Freedom

            The definition of Freedom in the broadest sense is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint, and the absence of a despotic government. (Frank)  The Freedoms afforded each American under the Constitution can be found in the first ten amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, and includes among other freedoms, the right to exercise freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, petition, to bear arms, and the right to equal justice under the law. (Frank)    

Freedom vs. Regulations

             Innovation pushes against the need for regulation causing companies and government bodies to act accordingly. These regulations become limits on freedoms. It is this battle that defines the line between freedom and regulations.  Only speculations can attempt to define the line when it comes to innovative topics like the potential effects artificial intelligence has on society. (Downes) Government powers regulating too harsh could cause a potential limit on economic development and freedoms, and powers regulating too light could violate those same freedoms.

Freedom and Regulations in IT Business

Due to the explosions in innovation, the IT industry’s balance between freedom and regulation is in a primitive state.  Self-driving cars are fighting their way into the market place, but pose some future challenges to car dealerships willing to sell them. The first pedestrian, age 49, was hit and killed by Uber’s self-driving car on March 18, 2018. (Bogost) The Tempe police reported that the pedestrian was at fault for jaywalking. Usually, car accidents point towards vehicular negligence causing the driver’s insurance to be litigated for the accident, but since the driverless car was being controlled by software, the car’s manufacturer would be at fault due to product liability. (Bogost) The shift from vehicular negligence to product liability will lead to high risks for manufacturers selling self-driving cars.  Potential regulations placed on self-driving cars may lead to lack of freedoms for the producers of the software or hardware associated with the self-driving car industry. At the same time, allowing self-driving cars to be tested on the public street “sacrifices” citizens’ “rights to safety” for “economic development”. (Bogost)

Final Thoughts

The absence of social responsibility and ethical corporate management will inevitably give rise to increased government regulation oversight, resulting in a loss of certain freedoms currently enjoyed in the IT world and particularly on the internet. Socially responsible and ethical management of the vast quantities of information, social media platforms, and the global internet reach available to organizations (and individuals), balanced against highly valued freedoms such as freedom of speech and freedom of choice, will likely result in the evolution of entire industries that develop software, filters, and other electronic platforms that restrict access or distribution of information, as well as governmental rules and regulations that will attempt to promote responsible behavior.

Works Cited

Reynolds, George Walter. Ethics in Information Technology. 5th ed., Cengage, 2019.

Bogost, Ian. “Can You Sue a Robocar?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 20 Mar. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/can-you-sue-a-robocar/556007/.

Frank. The Rights and Freedoms of Americans, www.tep-online.info/laku/usa/rights.htm.

Downes, Larry. “How More Regulation for U.S. Tech Could Backfire.” Harvard Business Review, 21 Feb. 2018, hbr.org/2018/02/how-more-regulation-for-u-s-tech-could-backfire.