The Ethical Tech Project Expands Impact, Launching Two Cornerstone Initiatives as AI Accelerates the Need for Ethical Data Use

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Jul 26, 2023, 09:00 ET

The think-and-do-tank introduces two blueprints to help businesses be careful stewards of data and adds 5 members to its Advisory Board

SAN FRANCISCO, July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Ethical Tech Project, a think-and-do tank committed to making the web safer for consumers and supporting companies' efforts to become better data stewards, unveiled two cornerstone initiatives for businesses to reference and adopt: A technical blueprint (ThePrivacyStack) and a strategic blueprint (Commitment to the Ethical Use of Data). The organization also announced the addition of 5 members to its Advisory Board since the organization launched in February 2022.

The rampant developments of Generative AI in the first half of 2023 show both the promise and peril of a world where data is a critical component of business strategy. Inherent in data collection and use are risks from regulators and distrustful customers left to business leaders to navigate. The Ethical Tech Project seeks to bring both technical and strategic blueprints to market to help the industry navigate these risks by adopting data stewardship.

The strategic blueprint, The Commitment to the Ethical Use of Data, outlines a vision of an "ethical data ecosystem" for forward-thinking leaders to adopt, including five core principles that are essential for any organization to embrace to achieve that vision. The objective of these guidelines is to provide a north star as companies journey toward proper data stewardship.

"We're tired of the conversations surrounding privacy and the ethical use of data being unloaded onto swaths of legal teams," said Tom Chavez, the Chair of the Ethical Tech Project. "Data stewardship should be a key part of a company's competitive strategy – and it's been an imperative for us that we equip and enable C-suite executives and Board Rooms with an approachable, thorough blueprint of what "great" looks like so that they can take it and start to echo it throughout their organizations."

The technical blueprint, ThePrivacyStack, is a reference architecture for integrating data privacy into products, services, and systems. Architected by engineers, for engineers, ThePrivacyStack enables developers with the right set of privacy controls for their unique product architecture, enabling a quick, clear, and one-time implementation of privacy-by-design. ThePrivacyStack can be downloaded on GitHub here.

"To realize the full potential of current and future AI technologies, we have to address a gap in the market: which is to figure out how to design technical systems to be both compliant and future-proof for everything that's coming," said Yacov Salomon, the chief architect of ThePrivacyStack. "There are so many conversations among regulators and legal minds about the ethical use of data, but as a technologist – somebody who is building the systems that collect, store, process, analyze and share data, it hasn't been immediately clear how you design robust systems that help your organization stay both compliant and competitive in the market. Enter ThePrivacyStack."

These two blueprints are maps for those on the journey to data stewardship. To implement them, many organizations will likely need enablement partners to execute. To support those committed to the journey, The Ethical Tech Project has compiled a directory of enablement partners who are able to guide firms in the system improvements required to improve their ethical data use posture, enact organizational change, and achieve stronger business outcomes through ethical data use. Learn more about Enablement Partners here.

To advise on these tactical and actionable solutions, The Ethical Tech Project has coalesced key leaders across business, policy and academia on its Advisory Board – which now includes:

Tom Chavez, Co-founder and General Partner, super{set}
Jesper Andersen, Independent Board Director, Infoblox
Jennie Baird, ‍EVP & Managing Director, BBC Global News
Darin Bassin, Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary, Yahoo!
Dr. Maritza Johnson, Founding Director, Center for Digital Civil Society, University of San Diego
Nandita Rao Narla, Head of Technical Privacy and Governance, DoorDash
Dr. James Mickens, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, Harvard University
Sara M. Watson, Founder and Chief Analyst, SMW Insights
Nishant Bhajara, Author of "Data Privacy: A Runbook for Engineers"
Raashee Gupta-Erry, Principal and Founder, Uplevel Ads + Privacy Consulting

"It was critical that we bring together a group of unique individuals from different disciplines, who each have their own specific lens for the way they look at the world of data and the effect it has on humanity, business, and government," continued Tom Chavez. "Legal teams have carried the water on privacy so far, but the brightest among them recognize they can't solve problems of privacy and ethical data use by themselves. Responsible data stewardship needs to enroll computer scientists, software engineers, policy experts, business leaders, and privacy and legal teams in a comprehensive, holistic solution, as we're doing at ETP. Both of our cornerstone initiatives are a product of the input from our Board Members, who come from the different worlds of business, policy and academia. I'm thrilled to welcome our new members to the Board, who are incredibly well-respected experts in their fields. We look forward to continuing to build out our representation and coming together to make a real impact on some of the key existential questions surrounding the ethical use of data."

About The Ethical Tech Project
The Ethical Tech Project envisions a future where humans have insight into how their data is controlled and used because we believe the fundamental right to privacy should be universally protected. We are a think-and-do tank that seeks to design, build, and implement a blueprint for the ethical use of data on the Internet. We do this by bringing together top leaders from business, academia, and government to ideate common-sense solutions to ethical data problems, advocating for recognition and adoption of ethical data standards in the expert tech community, educating and driving awareness and education amongst the public and key stakeholders and building technical standards and driving leadership adoption to streamline adoption of ethical data. Visit www.ethicaltechproject.com to learn more.

CONTACT: Dani Frese, dani@tuskstrategies.com

SOURCE The Ethical Tech Project