Technology Innovation and the Policy Vacuum: A Call for Ethics, Norms, and Laws to Fill the Void

  • Authors:
  • L. A. Clark;D. L. Jones;W. J. Clark

  • Affiliations:
  • Middle Tennessee State University, USA;Auburn University, USA;Middle Tennessee State University, USA

  • Venue:
  • International Journal of Technoethics
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

New technologies and innovation open the door to exciting products and practices. As companies explore the possibilities of what can be, they often fail to consider what should be. Advancement often occurs rapidly and legal and policy guidance lags behind leaving a void of clear direction. Companies often interpret this void as giving permission to proceed with the new technology or practice. In some situations, strong customer or public reaction indicates that the technology or practice crosses the line of what is acceptable. This paper explores how the most innovative firms are navigating through an inconsistent, even conflicting, ethical and legal global landscape and calls for the intentional identification of relevant social norms and development of laws to fill the policy vacuum.