Digital responsibility: what it is and examples

Digital responsibility refers to the obligation of people to use and share technology in a responsible, ethical and safe way.

The access and consumption of new technologies such as the Internet has such a weight in our daily lives that more and more we need to be aware that responsible consumption, education and digital ethics are something to which we must dedicate time. 

In this article we talk about what digital responsibility is and show you a series of examples so you can see more directly the scope of this attitude.

What is digital responsibility?

Digital responsibility is the commitment to use and share digital technologies under premises of security, ethics and responsibility in order to protect yourself and others. 

In fact, protecting your digital privacy is more important now than ever in the face of the ever-increasing risks of attacks, cybercrimes and inappropriate behaviors using new technologies as leverage. 

It is important to be aware that incorrect use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technology) in aspects such as respect, privacy, right to disconnect, security, ethics or prudent sharing not only affects you when you make use of technologies, but also directly affects people who have, for example, copyrights that can be violated. 

In addition to the above, those users who consult the content you share and who may believe that it will provide them with a value that, in the end, is not fulfilled, are also exposed. In this sense, digital ethics focuses on promising what you can really offer. 

At this point, it is important to note that digital responsibility does not only affect private individuals, but can also have an effect on companies that see the need to work on their digital information management in a proactive and sustainable way and also organizations that collect data and has to implement a correct use of anonymization.

Core digital responsibilities

To narrow down the topic before moving on to examples, we want to share with you a list of key digital responsibilities that help establish ethical and secure information exchanges. 

• Use language and behave correctly and appropriately when interacting with others. This has a direct and fundamental influence on situations such as cyberharassment. 
• Be respectful of other people’s opinions and ideas. It is important to take the time to listen and analyze in depth and calmly the opinions of others before issuing an opinion that may be biased. 
• Be aware of and respect all intellectual property laws so that no professional can see the digital rights related to their creations infringed. 
• From the previous point we can deduce the obligation to ask permission and prior consent to the legitimate intellectual owner before making use of their work. In this sense, review everything related to GDPR.
• Respect the rules of conduct and behavior of each Internet site.
• Report cyber threats that you detect, as well as any inappropriate use of digital resources. 
• Know and apply cybersecurity measures in gadgets, devices and broadcasting channels: email, social networks, websites, etc. 

10 digital responsibility examples  

Being digitally liable is everybody’s business, that’s why digital responsibility examples cover a wide range of fields of action and situations with individuals, companies and institutions as main actors. 

In order not to extend too much, we have extracted a series of examples to be put into practice that will help you to become aware and to see this topic in a closer and more practical way. 

1. Request prior consent to obtain and process data from third parties. 
2. Inform users of the purposes of data processing in a clear, transparent and understandable manner. 
3. Set limits on the use of automated data processing. 
4. Promptly notify affected users if their data has been compromised. Provide them with instructions on the actions to be taken to restore their security.
5. Create and improve existing legislation that has gaps or where it leaves loopholes and enforce the law effectively. 
6. Repair damages caused by inappropriate or risky technological actions.
7. Create plans for prevention and resolution of problems caused by risky technological actions.
8. Promote public debate on the purposes of scientific-technical research and the use of technology. 
9. Limit and control technological research that may have harmful effects on the rights of citizens.
10. Inform about the risks of potentially dangerous research programs. 

Finally, it is important to note that individual digital responsibility must be supported by a global digital system that encompasses economic, political, legal, cultural and other institutions in order to create a safe, ethical and responsible global digital ecosystem.

Let us not forget that it is everyone’s obligation to create a foundation of digital responsibility that supports proactive and sustainable information management. 

At SMOWL we are concerned that our products comply with the premises of digital responsibility and for this reason we have developed proctoring plans to provide you with online supervision systems for your educational and training strategies to ensure your users’ safety and privacy.Request a free demo to see all the solutions we can offer to improve the security of your brand and of your project.