Available at: https://ethicalos.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ethical-OS-Toolkit.pdf. When I checked in 2023 it was no longer available and I found it using this archive link. To avoid further hassle I also made a local copy for easier access

Scenarios in tool 1 are really cool. Could I somehow discuss them with colleagues?

As you review each future scenario, CONSIDER: • What is your greatest worry in this scenario? • How might different users be affected differently by this future? • What actions would you take to safeguard privacy, truth, democracy, mental health, civic discourse, equality of opportunity, economic stability, or public safety? • What could we be doing now to get ready for this risky future?

Picking out Scenario 14:

Self-driving vehicles become vulnerable to a new type of realtime ransomware. Hackers access the car remotely, turn off the engine, and refuse to start the car again until the driver pays a ransom. Typically this is a minor, commonplace inconvenience for small amounts of money. At worst, these attacks are timed and staged at dangerous locations—such as on train tracks, shortly before a train is scheduled to approach—for much larger ransoms.

  • My biggest worry is human loss of life and injuries
  • A wave of folks will die due to engine shutoffs in dangerous circumstances
  • A new wave of survivors will need mental health resources
  • Technophobia may explode in popularity, as people feel terrified at the near-death experiences they could not control
  • These attacks will probably be driven by hackers from less affluent countries, targeting faraway affluent users, as that’s the most efficient way to set up the system for them (money-wise, regulation-wise, community-wise). The backlash may create a wave of xenophobia, as it’s easier to blame the “Chinese hackers” than the bad security of “American Self Driving Vehicles”

Actions that can be taken then:

  • Immediate mass recall of the commercial product
  • Offensive cybersecurity against the hackers (e.g disabling their C&CCs)
  • (Sounds hard) Freeze the payment systems used?

Actions that can be taken now:

  • Build stronger, easier to use security systems
  • Research additional defensive security measures
  • Build kill switches that disable all “remote” functionality into these smart devices
  • (Unsure) Increase friction on some of the completely anonymous systems used for payments now?