Moral metrics: Are corporate algorithms becoming our new moral authorities?

Scores are ubiquitous today, from data in parenting apps to fitness monitors. For some users, those scores start to shape a sense of right and wrong.

By: Beth DuFault, University of Portland, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 19, 2026

Words: 1,358

Last Updated: 1 day, 18 hours ago

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By Beth DuFault, University of Portland

You check your credit score before applying for an apartment. Your fitness watch tells you whether you slept well enough. A workplace dashboard measures your productivity. Parents can buy devices that track their baby’s breathing and heart rate while they sleep.

Increasingly, numbers tell us how we are doing.

These systems promise something appealing: clear feedback about whether we are behaving well. They appear objective, neutral and data-driven. But they …

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