THE ETHICS OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS

The objective of this research was to identify ethical concerns with the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in educational contexts. The author categorized and analysed current concerns in various branches of moral philosophy, educational philosophy, and machine ethics. The Internet of Things lacks a precise definition, but in general refers to networks of devices connected to the Internet, often through sensors, forming intelligent systems. With the rise of nano-sensors, almost any "thing" can be integrated into a telecommunications network. Due to their inherent vulnerability, children and young adults should be protected from potential harms in educational institutions arising from emerging technologies. One example is the implementation of Internet Control Software in the early 1990s to shield young persons from undesirable content on the Internet such as pornography. Automation, AI, and robotics create one set of ethical issues which overlap with the ethics of IoT, and which have been discussed at length in philosophy and science fiction since the 1940s: worker displacement, existential threat to humanity, dehumanization, and the rights and ontological status of non-sentient beings. IoT raises another set of more specific moral concerns; most prominently, proprietary systems and the lack of IoT interoperability threaten net neutrality and social equality, contrary to an open Internet accessible to everyone. RFID tagging of things could lead to ubiquitous surveillance and abusive control mechanisms. There are also moral consequences to not employing beneficial IoT technologies (negligence). Since modern Western educational philosophy is grounded in the classical liberal arts tradition, and the philosophy of John Dewey, to create well-informed citizens who can take up the responsibilities of democratic societies, IoT ethical issues that may potentially affect social, political, and economic structures should be taught at all levels of education in Western schools.