The emergence of digital ecosystems presents both opportunities and challenges. Their existence provides managers and organisations with the opportunity to conduct research about their end- users and to create new products and services. While end-users can also personalise and even co- create value via their interactions with the services they receive. At the same time the digital platforms, data flows, technical and social systems that constitute a digital ecosystem, raise a host of accountability and ethical challenges arising from the diversity of stakeholders and perspectives involved. These include managers responsible for the development and implementation of data-driven services, academic researchers, software and solutions providers, platform owners, government law-makers and regulators, the public and end-users. The Accountability and Ethics Challenge Working Group (ACCEDE) is working with key stakeholder groups to:

• Advance knowledge and understanding of the accountability and ethical challenges that arise when working with data in real-world practical contexts of application.
• Assess how these challenges are currently being addressed.
• Provide suggestions for how stakeholder responses to the accountability and ethics arising from the emergence of digital ecosystems can be improved and governed more effectively.

Here is the brief pre-recorded introduction to the leadership of the Accountability & Ethics in a Digital Ecosystem Challenge Working Group that was presented at the recent Virtual SPRITE+ event on 11th May 2020.

The Accountability & Ethics in a Digital Ecosystem Challenge Working Group hosted their first virtual workshop on 9 June. Attendees helped set the future direction of the group by identifying the most pressing challenges in this area and understanding why these issues have arisen. Read more about the workshop here.