Cyborg Perspectives on Computing Research Reform

Recent exposures of extant and potentially discriminatory impacts of technological advancement have prompted members of the computing research field to reflect on their duty to actively predict and mitigate negative consequences of their work. In 2018, Hecht et al. proposed changes to the peer-review process attending to the computing research community's responsibility for impacts on society. In requiring researchers and reviewers to expressly consider the positive and negative consequences of each study, the hope is that our community can earnestly shape more ethical innovation and inquiry. We question whether most researchers have sufficient historical context and awareness of activist movements to recognize crucial impacts to marginalized populations. Drawing from the work of feminist theorists and critical disability scholars, we present case studies in leveraging "situated knowledges" in the analysis of research ethics.