Developing an Ethical Framework for Affective Computing Applications

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2020-01-20

Department

Information Systems

Program

Human Centered Computing

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
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Abstract

Sensing technologies increasingly common in both private and public spaces present the opportunity for systems aware of and responsive to human emotion (affective computing). The personal and social consequences of affective computing applications in ubiquitous computing environments are not well understood. This theses seeks to illuminate these potential impacts by analyzing three types of human-computer interaction described in an account of a neighborhood'sexperience with smart home security cameras, applying the Process-Person-Context-Time model?an ecological systems theory model commonly used in social science and developmental psychology research?to a design scenario and set of counterfactuals. This approach highlights potential developmental consequences of this technology and the interconnected effects of interaction, informing a preliminary framework for considering the ethical application of affective computing in private and shared spaces. This framework aims to support ethical decision-making regarding affective computing technology by researchers, designers, policy makers, and everyday users and other stakeholders.