Are 'Nudging Technologies' Ethical?

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers are debating the ethics of so-called 'nudging technologies' — ambient technology systems designed to shape or influence human behavior, such as an installation which encourages people to take the stairs rather than the lift by using hanging colored balls to represent stairs vs lift usage. A researcher on the project said: 'Most people, when we asked them, "Do you think this has changed your behavior," they said no. But the data showed that it had actually done that.'"

Comments

Is this actually a question?

[RoverDaddy]

It's not even really a question in the study being described. From TFA:

"There's lots of discussion about nudging technologies - whether it's ethical, whether it's not - but people still get to choose,"

There, that's as much as TFA talks about ethics.
How about asking whether -advertising- is ethical? At least these 'nudging technologies' are intended to -help- the person affected.

Classic example: fly in urinal

[hayne]

I guess the fly in urinal is a classic example of nudging technology.

Re:Marketing packaged into a PhD thesis

[sconeu]

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill

(Courtesy of Rush)