THE

EUROPEAN DATA
PROTECTION
SUPERVISOR
PRESENTS:

THE
CAR TOIO N
DUCT ON TO
INTRO

D I G I T A L
E T H I C S

BY GRADY KLEIN AND

YORAM BAUMAN, Ph.D.
THE WORLD’S FIRST AND ONLY STAND-UP ECONOMIST
 THE
EUROPEAN DATA
PROTECTION
SUPERVISOR
PRESENTS:

THE
CAR TOIO N
DUCT ON TO
INTRO

D I G I T A L
PRINTED BY IMPRIMERIE CENTRALE IN LUXEMBOURG
LUXEMBOURG: PUBLICATIONS OFFICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 2018
© EUROPEAN UNION, 2018
REPRODUCTION IS AUTHORISED PROVIDED THE SOURCE IS ACKNOWLEDGED.
E T H I C S
PRINT ISBN 978-92-9242-136-6
DOI 10.2804/742494 QT-04-18-372-EN-C
PDF ISBN 978-92-9242-137-3
THE PDF VERSION OF THIS DOI 10.2804/534765 QT-04-18-372-EN-N
COMIC
BOOK
IS A
VAIL
ABL
EA
Th
ttp
s:/
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dp
s. eu
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BY GRADY KLEIN AND

YORAM BAUMAN, Ph.D.
THE WORLD’S FIRST AND ONLY STAND-UP ECONOMIST
THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY, THE WORLD IS RAPIDLY THE
APPROACHING A TIPPING POINT. SINGULARITY?
GENETIC
ENGINEERING?

CHEAP
ENERGY?
SELF-DRIVING
CARS?

5
 WE’RE APPROACHING THE POINT WHERE
THE INTERNET KNOWS MORE ABOUT US… IN THIS NEW REALITY, IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO TREAT EACH
OTHER WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY…
THANKS TO BIG DATA,
WE CAN NOT ONLY FIND A
NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK… $@$^&@ DON’T LET YOUR
YOU!! RESPECT GET LOST
IN THE CLOUD.
…WE CAN PINPOINT ITS
SHOPPING HABITS,
SOCIAL NETWORK,
HOBBIES, AND MORE.

…AND OF COURSE WE WANT OUR MACHINES TO TREAT US WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY, TOO.

DON’T TURNS OUT A

BLAME US. LITTLE MACHINE
…THAN WE KNOW ABOUT EACH OTHER. WE’RE LEARNING CAN
JUST OBEYING BE A DANGEROUS
INSTRUCTIONS. THING.

MY
NEIGHBOR IS
INTO THAT?

ONE WAY TO HELP MAKE THAT HAPPEN IS TO UPGRADE SOME

OLD-SCHOOL THINKING FROM THE REAL WORLD.
PRETTY SOON THE INTERNET MAY
KNOW MORE ABOUT US I TWEET,
THAN WE KNOW ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF A
THEREFORE THOUSAND MILES
OURSELVES! I AM. BEGINS WITH A
SINGLE TWO-STEP
VERIFICATION.

I’M INTO
THAT?

6 7
 NO LITTERING.
IN REAL LIFE, WE HAVE LAWS TO NO JAYWALKING. NOW THAT SO MUCH OF LIFE IS MOVING ONLINE… YEAH,
HELP GUIDE OUR BEHAVIOR… NO STEALING. WHO NEEDS
NO HARASSING REAL LIFE?
LITTLE OLD LADIES. I CAN WORK AND
SHOP AND PLAY
AND NEVER LEAVE
MY COUCH!

…AND THOSE LAWS GO HAND IN HAND WITH ETHICS AND NORMS.

…OUR ETHICAL
FOLLOW THE PRINCIPLES
GOLDEN RULE: ALSO NEED TO
DO UNTO OTHERS MOVE ONLINE…
AS YOU WOULD HAVE
OTHERS DO UNTO YOU.
…TO BECOME
DIGITAL ETHICS.

IN FACT, IT’S EASIER TO IMAGINE A PROSPEROUS TO OTHERS

SOCIETY WITH ETHICS BUT NO LAWS… …THAN ONE WITH 1101111 UNOT
010001000 HA VE HERS
LAWS BUT NO AS YOU WOULD01111 UNTO YOU!
ETHICS. 0 0 11
0110010

THE GOLDEN RULE IS

THAT I’VE GOT THE
GOLD, SO I MAKE
THE RULES!

OUR TOWN IS TOO

SMALL TO HAVE A
SHERIFF…
…SO WE ALL TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY
AND CARE FOR EACH
OTHER.

8 9
 DIGITAL ETHICS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THINGS THAT ARE
IMPOSSIBLE IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD… …ARE NOT ONLY
POSSIBLE IN THE
DIGITAL REALM…
CARRY THIS BOX
OF COOKIES TO …THEN FOLLOW OKIES
HER CAR… WITH COFOLLOW
HER AROUND N
WE CA HING SHE
FOREVER. EVERYT ES!
DO

LET’S PROVIDE EACH PERSON

WITH TAILOR-MADE
WE CAN AD
NEWS FEEDSJUST THEIR
INFORMATION!
THEM WHATO GIVE
TT
WANT… HEY …WHICH IS TO
BE TOLD THAT
THEY’RE RIGHT.

…THEY’RE PROFITABLE.

YOU’LL BE
WHICH IS THE SHOWERED
BETTER PET? WITH
DOUGH…

LET’S
A/B TEST
IT!
…IF YOU’RE
DROWNING
IN DATA.

10 11
 IN FACT, INFORMATION HAS BECOME
SO IMPORTANT THAT COMPANIES ARE WILLING
TO PROVIDE ALL SORTS OF SERVICES… DATA
STORAGE! EMAIL!

THE BIG IDEA IN THE NETWORKING!

ONLINE WORLD IS THAT
INFORMATION
RULES.

…IN ORDER TO
GATHER INFORMATION.

SOMETIMES YOU
PAY FOR THE …AND
PRODUCT… SOMETIMES
IT’S THE YOU ARE THE
NEW OIL. PRODUCT.
IT POWERS AND
EVERYTHING SOMETIMES
THAT HAPPENS BOTH!
ONLINE…

…AND LOTS OF
WHAT HAPPENS IN
REAL LIFE TOO!

12 13
 THIS NEW ECONOMY HOLDS LOTS OF
PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE.
PROBLEM-SOLVING:
DON’T HAVE
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS: DON’T KNOW THE MONEY?
THE ANSWER? TRY CROWD-
TRY CROWD- FUNDING!
I CAN VIDEO SOURCING!
CHAT WITH MY
GRANDMA!

I’M GOING TO CONNECT

MORE RESPONSIVE WITH MY LEGISLATORS
GOVERNMENT: TO SAY THANKS!
INNOVATION:
I CAN CONNECT WITH MY FIXING POTHOLES
PATIENTS ANYWHERE, IS EASY BUT FINDING
ANYTIME… THEM WAS HARD…
…AND ARTIFICIAL …UNTIL SMARTPHONE
INTELLIGENCE HELPS DATA CAME ALONG.
EVALUATE DIFFERENT
TREATMENT OPTIONS.

COMPETITION:

THE INTERNET ALLOWS

BUT THERE ARE
ME TO SELL MY DESIGNS RISKS TOO.
EVERYWHERE
AND COMPETE WITH
EVERYONE.
IT’S LIKE THE
WILD WEST!

14 15
 SOME OF THOSE RISKS ARE FOR INDIVIDUALS…

…AND SOME ARE FOR SOCIETY.

LOSS OF PRIVACY:
FACTIONALISM:

WHAT YOU’RE
GIANT CORPORATIONS SAYING IS
CAN ACCESS ALL FAKE NEWS!
MY EMAILS? AND EVERYTHING KIDS
AND ALL MY
PHOTOS? TELL THEIR INTERNET-
CONNECTED TOYS?

DISCRIMINATION:

OUR CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM BUT IF THERE’S BIAS
USES ARTIFICIAL BUILT IN, IT BECOMES A IT’S FINE TO RECOMMEND
EXTREMISM: VIDEOS ABOUT EXTREME
INTELLIGENCE. WEAPON OF MATH
DESTRUCTION. SPORTS TO PEOPLE WHO
LIKE SPORTS…
…BUT DO WE REALLY WANT
TO DO THAT FOR RELIGION
OR POLITICS?

CONCENTRATION OF ECONOMIC POWER:

SORRY, THE
WILD WEST
HAS BECOME MORE REPRESSIVE GOVERNMENT:
A WALLED
GARDEN…
BIG BROTHER IS
…AND WE’RE THE WATCHING…
GATEKEEPERS.
…AND
LISTENING.

16 17
 THE CHALLENGE WE FACE…
ONE IMPORTANT STEP IS
AS INDIVIDUALS… TO CREATE GOOD
…AS BUSINESSES… LAWS…
…AS A CIVILIZATION.
THE INFORMATION
SUPERHIGHWAY
MUST FEATURE
PRIVACY BY
DEFAULT…
…AND PRIVACY
BY DESIGN.
…IS TO MAXIMIZE THE UPSIDE…

IT’S LIKE AN
EXTENSION OF
MY BRAIN.

…AND FOLLOW THEM.

I CAN SMELL
THE DATA ON …PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM
YOUR BREATH… YOUR CUSTOMERS AND KEEP
YOUR APPS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM.

…WHILE MINIMIZING THE DOWNSIDE.

IT’S LIKE A
PARASITE IN
MY BRAIN.

Consent

e
nality Purpos
Proportio

18 19
 WE ALSO NEED
DIGITAL ETHICS.
BUT LAWS ETHICS ON THE
AREN’T HIGHWAY IS CRITICAL
TO PRESERVE
ENOUGH. HUMAN LIFE…
…AND ETHICS ON
AN ONLINE SOCIETY THE INFORMATION
WITH LAWS BUT …WILL BE ALL ABOUT SUPERHIGHWAY IS CRITICAL
NO ETHICS… MOVING FAST AND TO PRESERVE HUMAN
BREAKING THINGS… …UNTIL DIGNITY.
EVERYTHING
IS BROKEN.

WE CAN’T PULL
EVERYBODY
OVER.

20 21
 TO CREATE A BRIGHT FUTURE,
WE NEED HARDWARE…

TRUST ME,
YOU’RE GOING TO
LOVE IT!

…AND WE NEED SOFTWARE.

OUR CODE TRANSFORMS

PROBLEMS INTO
SOLUTIONS.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

GRADY KLEIN IS A CARTOONIST, ANIMATOR, AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER WHO SPECIALIZES IN SIMPLIFYING
COMPLEX SUBJECTS. HIS MOST RECENT BOOK IS PSYCHOLOGY, THE COMIC BOOK INTRODUCTION .
SAMPLES OF HIS WORK CAN BE FOUND AT www.gradyklein.com.
YORAM BAUMAN IS A Ph.D. ECONOMIST WHO PERFORMS AT UNIVERSITIES AND CORPORATE EVENTS
AROUND THE WORLD AS “THE WORLD’S FIRST AND ONLY STAND-UP ECONOMIST”.
HIS WEBSITE IS www.standupeconomist.com.
GRADY AND YORAM HAVE PREVIOUSLY COLLABORATED ON THE CARTOON INTRODUCTION TO
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE TWO-VOLUME CARTOON INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS.
BUT WE ALSO NEED MORALWARE. THEIR FOURTH BOOK, THE CARTOON INTRODUCTION TO CALCULUS, IS FORTHCOMING IN 2019.

AS WE WRITE
THE FUTURE…
…LET’S DO IT
RIGHT.

22
 EDPS

www.edps.europa.eu
www.privacyconference2018.org
@EU_EDPS & @icdppc2018
EDPS
European Data Protection Supervisor

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