

As Data Overflows Online, Researchers Grapple With Ethics - dalek2point3
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/technology/the-boon-of-online-data-puts-social-science-in-a-quandary.html

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walterbell
July 2014 conversation on "social audits" of algorithms, at Harvard's Berkman
Center: [http://civic.mit.edu/blog/natematias/uncovering-
algorithms-l...](http://civic.mit.edu/blog/natematias/uncovering-algorithms-
looking-inside-the-facebook-news-feed)

Edit: Historical visions of the boundaries between emerging science and
ethics: _Some Thoughts on Ethics and Science Fiction_ ,
[http://spectacle.org/396/scifi/pavlac.html](http://spectacle.org/396/scifi/pavlac.html)

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kylelibra
Professor Hancock who authored the study has his PhD according to his faculty
info on Cornell's web site: [http://infosci.cornell.edu/faculty/jeffrey-
hancock](http://infosci.cornell.edu/faculty/jeffrey-hancock)

Why does the article keep referring to him as Professor instead of Doctor?

~~~
gwillen
In the United States, Professor is a correct formal title for a university
professor with a PhD.

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dwaltrip
_While some would say the risks of the Facebook study were obvious, Professor
Hancock said the researchers did not realize that manipulating the news feed,
even modestly, would make some people feel violated._

I have to call bullshit on this. The whole point of the study was to see how
their emotional state would be affected. Prior to this, no one would have
expected to be "experimented" on while using a consumer web product.

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yid
You don't have to "call bullshit". The text you quote can be better understood
as saying that facebook should have known that if users found out they were
being manipulated, they would feel violated. This is indeed what happened.

