“The computer said it was OK!”: human rights (and other) implications of manipulative design

By Dr. Silvia De Conca

Credit: Silva de Conca

This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

On November 19^th, 2021, the “Human Rights in the Digital Age” working group of the NNHRR held a multidisciplinary workshop on the legal implications of ‘online manipulation’. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Manipulative design, autonomy, and human rights.

By turning individuals into means to an end, manipulative design infringes on their dignity, because it affects their intrinsic value as human beings. Manipulative design is a constraint to individual autonomy, whether it is used for ‘paternalistic’ policymaking or by companies for profit. More...