On the timely heels of the Games for Change conference (which was covered so well by Beth and Marc) comes an article from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab on the ethics of captology, the design of computerized persuasive technologies.
They lay out some principles to follow in designing these technologies:
The equivalency principle suggests that if something is unethical in the context of traditional persuasion, it is also likely to be unethical in the context of persuasive technology. This applies to motivations, methods and outcomes.
The reciprocal principle suggests that the creators of a persuasive technology should never try to persuade a user of something they themselves would not consent to be persuaded of. They must also regard users’ privacy with as much respect as they regard their own .
The big brother principle suggests that any persuasive technology which relays personal information about a user to a third party must be closely scrutinized for privacy concerns. This distinguishes between “big brother” technologies, which share information, and “little sister” technologies, which do not. A big brother might be a web site that transmits your purchasing history to a telemarketing firm, while a little sister might be a motivational scale that keeps your weight private while encouraging you to reach your weight loss goal.
The disclosure principle suggests that the creators of a persuasive technology should disclose their motivations, methods and intended outcomes. This allows users to assume their share of the responsibility for these outcomes, and reduces their vulnerability to persuasion that they might not otherwise notice.
In addition, the reasonably predictable principle reemphasizes that the creators of a persuasive technology must assume responsibility for all reasonably predictable outcomes of its use.
The article then applies these principles to case studies of the Amazon Gold Box, the Real Care Baby, the “Relate for Teens” software program and the US Army’s online shooter game that’s used for recruitment. For those thinking about using interactive technology to bring about health or social change, this article is must reading.
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
