Welcome to the fourth instalment of our blog series showcasing Open Data Manchester’s decade of data-driven change. In this series, we’re diving into eight case studies that demonstrate the real-world impact of our projects.
Today, we’re exploring our involvement in the ‘Ethical Dilemma Cafe’, an innovative initiative that challenges participants to question the true cost of ‘free’ services in the digital age.
Ethical Dilemma Cafe: Making Data Ethics Tangible
As our digital footprint grows, so do concerns about data privacy and ethics. The challenge was to create an engaging, interactive experience that would help the public understand and critically engage with complex data ethics concepts.
What is the Ethical Dilemma Cafe?
The Ethical Dilemma Cafe is an interactive pop-up exhibition that challenges participants to question the true cost of ‘free’ services in the digital age. It operates as a simulated cafe environment where visitors are offered ‘free’ goods or services in exchange for personal data, mirroring the often hidden data collection practices of many digital platforms.
Some of features of the Ethical Dilemma Cafe include:
- Free Coffee with a Catch: Visitors are offered free coffee but must answer increasingly invasive personal questions to receive it, illustrating how digital services often extract more information than users initially realise.
- Data Collection Games: Activities like a ‘spin the wheel’ game demonstrate how seemingly harmless online activities can lead to cycles of data disclosure.
- Interactive Exhibits: Various stations explore different aspects of data ethics, such as the environmental impact of data use and accessibility in technology.
- Evolving Themes: The cafe adapts its focus to address current data ethics issues, recently shifting towards AI ethics in response to public debates.
Our Exhibitions
Since 2022, Open Data Manchester has been collaborating with BBC R&D, Mozilla, and the Victoria & Albert Museum on this ongoing project, creating engaging exhibitions that foster public discourse on data ethics. Our contributions include:
- The Happiness Index: Participants place coloured Lego bricks on a map to show where they’re happiest, encouraging reflection on the collection and use of emotional data.
- The Data Loom: This physical demonstration weaves participants’ “personal data” into fabric, illustrating how seemingly innocuous information can be combined to create detailed profiles.
- Lost in Translation: Visitors read prepared texts about surveillance, which are then transcribed by AI, highlighting the limitations and potential biases in voice recognition technology.
- Are You Listening?: This exhibit captures snippets of conversation and projects them onto the ceiling, demonstrating the intrusiveness of audio surveillance.
Impact
The Ethical Dilemma Cafe, showcased in Manchester, London, and Amsterdam, has significantly increased public awareness of data ethics issues. By making abstract concepts tangible, it encourages participants to critically examine their relationship with personal data and digital services.
“Open Data Manchester have been a fantastic partner, not only bringing their exhibits to the Ethical Dilemma Cafe framework and events but also helping BBC R&D and Mozilla to realise what is possible physically and technically.” – Ian Forrester, BBC R&D.
As data becomes increasingly central to our lives, initatives like the Ethical Dilemma Cafe can play a crucial role in fostering a more informed and critically engaged citizenry. By continuing to evolve and adapt, the project can address the most pressing issues of our digital age, empowering individuals to make more informed choices about their data and helping to build a more data-aware society.
Read more posts in this series, where we explore more impactful ODM projects. Together, these case studies showcase our commitment to using data and user research for positive change and building a more informed, ethical, and data-empowered future.
If you want to learn more about how ODM can support your organisation’s data strategy, get in touch.