The UMBC Ethical Software Lab (ESL)
Welcome to the forefront of ethical computing. The UMBC Ethical Software Lab (ESL) dedicates itself to pioneering research and development in the certification of software ethics. Our vision is clear: to assure users worldwide that the software they rely on is not only functional but ethically sound, respecting their rights and privacy without compromise.
The lab will give users and thus the general public confidence that software is doing only what is intended and also to know their rights and privacy under the terms of service. As an independent certification mechanism housed within UMBC, a public university, tests will be made to software and hardware independent of considerations for profit or reputation. Terms of service agreements will be decoded and summarized for ease of understanding so users can quickly understand what privacy they may be giving up and can make informed choices. These steps will ensure transparent ethics are applied evenly in the computing industry on behalf of all users, which is critical to personal cybersecurity as well as cybersecurity to the public as devices are increasingly linked.
Off-loading the reading and interpretation of the terms and conditions agreement to the end user is an ethical issue and a burden that companies are off loading to end users and presents a problem to all users particularly users of underserved communities and busy families and individuals. In a 2020 article (1), USA Today shows that ProPrivacy.com, a digital privacy group, asked participants to take a survey and asked them to agree to terms and conditions that included mischievous clauses including given your mom permission to review your browsing history, another to hand over the naming rights to your first-born child, and another granting drones access to the airspace over their home. Only 19 out of 100 users clicked through to the terms and conditions page and only 1 out of 100 people actually read it to realize what they are about to agree to.
Join us in this crucial step towards a more ethical digital world.
We are located on the fourth floor of the College of Engineering and IT (COEIT) in ITE 454.
For inquiries, support, or more information, please contact us at esl@umbc.edu or eslresearch-support@proton.me.