Ethics Audit
Final Ethics Check
In Module 6, you ran your first ethics audit. Now that your project is polished and ready to ship, run it again. Things change during building — features get added, designs shift, data handling evolves. Your final version might have new concerns that your earlier version didn't.
Running the Full Checklist
Pull out your Ethics Audit Checklist (the same one from Lesson 6.3). Go through every item again:
- Bias & Fairness: any new content or features that could be one-sided?
- Privacy & Data: has your data collection changed since the first audit?
- Potential Harm: could the polished version be misused in ways the rough version couldn't?
- Accessibility: did polish changes break any accessibility features?
- Transparency: is your attribution statement still accurate?
Document any new findings and address them before moving on.
Making Final Adjustments
If the audit reveals concerns:
- For critical issues (potential harm, data exposure): fix before shipping. No exceptions.
- For moderate issues (accessibility gaps, minor bias): fix what you can in the time available. Document what remains for future improvement.
- For minor issues (imperfect attribution, optimization opportunities): note them in your project documentation for future reference.
Ethics Audit Checklist
Download your Ethics Audit Checklist to run the full audit on your finished project:
- Ethics Audit Checklist (PDF) — Complete checklist to verify bias, privacy, harm, accessibility, and transparency
You can also find this and all other resources on the Dashboard Resources page.
Key Concepts
- Run the full ethics audit on your finished project — things change during building.
- Critical issues must be fixed. Moderate issues should be fixed if possible. Minor issues should be documented.
- The ethics audit is the last quality gate before you call your project complete.
Project Checkpoint
- Second ethics audit completed on final version
- Critical findings addressed
- Remaining findings documented
- Project cleared for final documentation
Level Up: Coming Next
Lesson 7.3 — Documentation and Reflection. Write your project summary and document your process for your portfolio.
Continue to Lesson 7.3 →