Some private companies, like Gan Jing World, have adopted an ethics-over-profit approach to developing and providing technology. An example of this ethics-over-profit approach is seen in the platform’s content, which promises and implements an online environment “free from violent, erotic, criminal, and harmful material,” such as those advocating communism.
A similar issue has come to light in the case of Molly Russell, a teenager who died from self-harm after finding harmful content on social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Her father was of the opinion that influences her daughter’s actions, leading her to commit self-harm. The lawsuit filed against Meta, by 42 state attorneys calls out the company for knowingly harming children by making them addicted to its products, all to maximize profits. Meta spokesperson Liza Crenshaw’s response to the lawsuit in October stated that the company is disappointed that the attorneys general have chosen to go down the path of litigation instead of working with the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards.
In response to Meta’s actions, experts have called for a fundamental dissonance between what people want and what big tech wants for them. They state that social media is not designed to help users be social and that there’s an urgent need for companies to develop technologies that better align with people’s intentions.
A proposal by the Collective Intelligence Project suggested a transparency-based model that would open companies building new technologies to public scrutiny. Opening up for scrutiny and then holding oneself accountable would look like giving researchers access to that data. This was inspired by technology ethic organizations that have been calling for that sort of alignment for years.
Among the various technological and ethical companies that have started to change the landscape is Gan Jing World, an online video content platform whose goal is to provide an online community that aspires to traditional culture and the divine. This platform is dedicated to focusing on the users’ intentions leading to many more career-related content. This move by Gan Jing World’s executive vice president of technology, James Qiu, promises to infuse moral considerations into providing their products.