National Digital Ethics Public Panel: Insight Report

The 2019-20 Programme for Government committed to explore Scotland’s ambition to become an ethical digital nation, and from this the National Digital Ethics Expert Group was established.

Carnegie UK was awarded funding from the Scottish Government to project manage a parallel process of public engagement, bringing in Involve as a delivery partner.

This report draws together the themes explored by the National Digital Ethics Public Panel and presents the panels conclusions and expectations of what an ethical digital Scotland should look like.

Key recommendations include:

• Putting in place a digital ombudsman or National Digital Guardian
• Citizen-led participation, to involve users meaningfully in digital innovation processes
• An effective legal and regulatory framework to ensure privacy, safety and accountability
• Honest conversations about the trade-offs between the benefits of digital innovation and the carbon footprint of data

This report should be read in conjunction with the Digital Ethics Expert Group Report: Building Trust in the Digital Era