Abstract
Persuasive technologies for health‐related behaviour change give rise to ethical concerns. As of yet, no study has explicitly attended to ethical concerns arising with the design and use of these technologies for vulnerable people. This is striking because these technologies are designed to help people change their attitudes or behaviours, which is particularly valuable for vulnerable people. Vulnerability is a complex concept that is both an ontological condition of our humanity and highly context‐specific. Using the Mackenzie, Rogers and Dodds’ taxonomy of vulnerability, this paper identifies (a) the wrongs or harms to which a person is vulnerable, (b) the source of this vulnerability, and (c) the safeguards needed in response. Two ethical concerns with the design of persuasive technology for vulnerable people are discussed: the concerns of taking into account users' interests and their autonomy.
Highlights
Tify the specific ethical concerns that may arise with PT for particular groups or individuals. In response to this ontological view of vulnerability, others have in contrast conceptualized vulnerability as a marker to identify spe‐ cific persons or groups that require extra attention and care.[19]. This approach to vulnerability is more useful when we aim to identify the special needs of vulnerable people with regard to the design and use of PT
I began this article by arguing that, while PT poses ethical chal‐ lenges in general, it is especially important to pay attention to the challenges it poses for vulnerable people
To better understand vulnerability and how to take it into account in the design of PTs, I used the taxonomy of Mackenzie, Rogers and Dodds
Summary
Behaviours that pose health risks, such as smoking, overeating and physical inactivity, contribute significantly to the development of various serious chronic diseases,[1] affecting personal wellbeing as well as indirectly adding to high healthcare costs. We need design requirements for PTs that ensure genuine consent by accounting for all four aspects of PTs, namely the intended behavioural outcomes, the persuasive tools, the type of individual interactions between the PT and user, and the use and storage of user data by the company behind the PT. This requires giving users a limited amount of accurate and relevant information and providing them with user‐friendly ways to extend this amount, thereby checking that they are not manipulated. It requires providing easy ways of rescinding consent once given, thereby ensuring that users are not coerced
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