Values are beliefs and priorities about what matters, while ethics are ways of judging whether conduct is right, fair, just, or proper. In IB Digital Society, they form one combined concept, values and ethics, shared by SL and HL students.
The syllabus does not establish a rigid boundary between them. Topic 2.7 instead examines how values and ethics guide conduct and decision-making, and shape digital systems, practices, and spaces.
| Term | Meaning in Digital Society | Example question |
|---|---|---|
| Values | Beliefs and priorities about what matters | Does a platform prioritize privacy, safety, profit, or expression? |
| Ethics | Frameworks for judging right and wrong, fairness, and justice | Is collecting user data without meaningful consent acceptable? |
| Values and ethics | Concept used to analyse decisions, systems, and consequences | Whose values shape the system, and are outcomes fair? |
Values influence ethical judgments. If a company values rapid innovation, it may accept greater privacy risks; if regulators value autonomy, they may require informed consent and data protection.
System: The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulates how organizations process personal data. Example specifics: Applied across the European Union since 2018, it requires legal grounds for processing, transparency, and protections for data subjects. Impacts and implications: Organizations changed data practices, while users gained stronger rights; however, compliance creates costs and consent notices may not produce meaningful understanding. Concepts: Privacy and autonomy become ethical principles and laws, redistributing power between organizations and individuals.
A common misconception is that values are merely personal opinions while ethics are universally agreed rules. Both can be personal, shared, collective, or professional, and ethical frameworks may conflict.
In an exam response, do not simply label an issue "values and ethics." Explain which values compete, identify affected people and communities, and evaluate whether the decision is fair, justified, and ethically acceptable.
