Not Just Unethical
We aren’t saying that companies shouldn’t do experiments. We’re just saying that when companies do experiments, they must do them ethically. Informed consent and IRB review aren’t just the right thing. They’re the law.
This is a must-read article on why Facebook’s and OkCupid’s psych experiments on their users were not only unethical, but illegal.
As a former product guy, I’ve seen through the strawman reasoning from companies trying to convince us that this is all normal A/B testing. It is not.
Now here is the legal reasoning why it’s illegal:
Illegal, unethical, and mood altering
I hope that every board member, C-suite exec, and Product Manager takes the time to read the article linked above. It’s time for companies to educate themselves on what responsible research looks like and what the law permits.
