Principles that guide our work

The Digital Dignity Alliance is guided by principles that shape how we conduct research, develop educational activities, build collaborations, and communicate our findings. They support rigorous, independent, and responsible work that advances knowledge, strengthens public understanding and contributes to community and public benefit.

A more human digital future, informed by evidence, inclusion and collective insight.

DIGITAL DIGNITY ALLIANCE

Human Dignity

Human dignity is the central normative reference point for DDA’s work, but not a predetermined conclusion.

We examine how artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, and digital technologies interact with human dignity and related concerns, including autonomy, rights, agency, participation, and conditions of life.

We recognise that dignity is a complex and contested concept. Our work therefore examines what dignity may require in different digital contexts, how competing rights, interests, and values should be understood, and whether claims made in the name of dignity are supported by robust evidence and reasoning.

Independence and Intellectual Integrity

DDA seeks to protect the independence and integrity of its research, analysis, and conclusions.

Funding, partnerships, institutional relationships, and commercial interests should not determine our findings. Where relevant, we distinguish between empirical evidence, interpretation, normative judgement, and institutional positions.

We seek to disclose material sources of funding for research and major programmes and, where appropriate, make clear any role funders or partners have had in research design, delivery, analysis, or publication.

Actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest should be identified, declared, appropriately managed, and recorded.

Evidence, Rigour and Open Inquiry

Our research and public contributions are grounded in appropriate evidence, transparent reasoning, and methods suited to the questions being examined.

We seek to distinguish established knowledge from emerging evidence and uncertainty, and we do not present contested questions as settled without adequate justification.

We welcome scrutiny, competing interpretations, replication where appropriate, and reasoned disagreement. Where stronger evidence or analysis warrants it, we revise our conclusions.

Research involving people, personal data, or potentially sensitive contexts should be subject to proportionate ethical consideration, appropriate safeguards, and applicable legal and professional standards.

Interdisciplinarity

The ethical, social, and economic implications of digital technologies rarely belong to a single discipline.

DDA therefore draws, where appropriate, on perspectives from fields including computer and data science, law, economics, public policy, philosophy, behavioural and social sciences, management, and technology governance.

Interdisciplinary inquiry should strengthen analytical quality rather than simply place different disciplines alongside one another. We seek to make relevant assumptions, methods, and disciplinary perspectives explicit and open to examination.

Political Independence and Evidence-Informed Policy Engagement

DDA is independent of political parties and does not exist to advance party-political purposes.

We may undertake research and contribute evidence, analysis, and expertise to debates concerning public policy, regulation and governance where these activities further our research, educational and community-benefit purposes.

Such engagement should be evidence-informed, transparent about its basis, and conducted independently of party-political interests. Our purpose is to contribute knowledge and informed analysis to public understanding and policy discussion, not to promote political parties or candidates.

Global Perspectives and Inclusive Inquiry

Digital technologies operate across societies with different histories, institutions, cultures, and economic conditions. Research that overlooks this diversity can produce incomplete or poorly transferable conclusions.

DDA seeks to engage seriously with scholarship, evidence, and perspectives from different regions and communities, including those historically underrepresented in technology research and governance.

We seek meaningful opportunities for relevant communities and stakeholders to contribute to inquiry and knowledge exchange. Where appropriate, we will explain how such contributions have informed our work.

Inclusive inquiry does not mean treating every claim as equally supported. Perspectives and lived experience can identify important questions, impacts and assumptions, while conclusions remain subject to appropriate evidence, critical examination and reasoned analysis.

Openness, Transparency and Accountability

DDA is committed to transparency in the conduct and communication of its work.

Where legally, ethically, and practically appropriate, we seek to make research outputs accessible, explain our methods and reasoning, disclose relevant funding and conflicts of interest, and communicate significant limitations and uncertainties.

We welcome scholarly scrutiny, constructive criticism, and reasoned disagreement. Where material errors are identified, we seek to correct them transparently.

Transparency also means being accountable for the standards we set ourselves. As DDA develops, we will seek to report appropriately on our activities, community benefit, and the implementation of our institutional commitments.

Public Benefit and Accessibility

DDA’s work is undertaken for community and public benefit.

We seek to advance knowledge and public understanding of artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, and digital technologies and their ethical, social, and economic implications.

Where reasonably possible, research findings, evidence resources, and educational materials will be made publicly accessible. Through publications, educational resources, seminars, workshops, and knowledge-exchange activities, we aim to make rigorous research useful beyond specialist audiences and support more informed engagement with digital technologies.

We seek to understand and, where practicable, evaluate the contribution our activities make to knowledge, public understanding, professional practice, and informed engagement.

Private or institutional interests should not displace the community-benefit purposes for which DDA exists.

Responsible Collaboration and Safeguards

DDA works with researchers, educational institutions, practitioners, community organisations, public bodies, and other relevant organisations where collaboration can advance our purposes and contribute to community benefit.

Partnership does not imply endorsement. We consider prospective collaborations in relation to their contribution to our purposes, research integrity, independence, potential public benefit and relevant ethical considerations.

We seek to identify foreseeable risks and potential harms associated with our research, partnerships, and engagement activities and apply proportionate measures to prevent or mitigate them.

Relevant conflicts of interest should be identified and managed, and collaborations should not compromise DDA’s ability to conduct and communicate its work with appropriate independence.

Putting Our Principles into Practice

These principles are intended to guide DDA’s research governance, collaborations, publications, educational activities, public engagement and institutional development.

We seek to translate them into proportionate policies and procedures covering areas including research integrity and ethics, conflicts of interest, funding transparency, responsible partnerships, safeguarding, data protection, publication standards and corrections.

As DDA develops, we will review these principles and their implementation to ensure that they remain relevant, credible and consistent with our community-benefit purposes.