Ethical Issues

Privacy Expectations

• User's private information (including schedule and other protected information) will be protected from public view using secure authentication
• User's will be made aware about what information is collected, how their data will be used, and how it will be stored
• Information pertaining to how data is collected will be communicated to the user
• Details about who will have access to personal data will be communicated to the user
• Information will be updated regularly (semesterly) to reflect new changes to courses and locations to ensure users will not be relying on incorrect, or false (outdated), information
• Personal data, and accounts, can be deleted at any time - no information relating to that user will remain in the database upon deletion
• Changes to our privacy policies will be sent to the user's for approval immediately
• Personal data will not be shared with third parties for non-essential purposes, such as marketing or advertising, without user consent

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Cocky’s Way does not discriminate against any groups or protected classes of individuals. Our app is committed to being accessible and inclusive for everyone at the University of South Carolina, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or any other protected status.

Our commitment to inclusivity includes:

• Accessibility: Our app will be able to be read by screen readers by utilizing alternative text to ensure that images can be described without being seen
• User Centered Design: The app will be designed in such as way that is easy to understand and navigate, ensuring that the most important information is displayed first, and privacy options (such as deleting an account) are not blocked behind multiple different screens
• Equal Access: Every student, staff, and visitor can use the app with full access to features, regardless of personal background or identity.
• User Feedback: Cocky’s Way will continuously work on improving the platform by actively listening to user feedback. We encourage students, staff, and visitors to share their experiences, suggestions, and concerns to help us identify areas for improvement

Software Abuse and Mitigation

While a simple navigation and scheduling app may not appear to have much room for software abuse, there still do exist some possible vectors that some users may take advantage of to cause harm to others:

• Data privacy: Some users may inadvertently share personal information such as class schedules without consent, which could lead to stalking or harassment.
• Disruption: Since data for each class is publicly made available to students through the classes.sc.edu API, it is possible that students can coordinate together in order to engage in disruptive behavior around campus.
• Impersonation: Students could create fake accounts impersonating other students, which could lead to confusion and headaches with class scheduling.
• Location privacy: As Cocky's Way utilizes a device's live location in order to give accurate navigational instructions, other students could use this information in order to stalk victims.

In order to mitigate these dangers so as to protect the well-being of our users, we can implement the following steps to ensure student safety:

• Location opt-in/out: When utilizing the navigation features that require a user's location in order to function best, the user will always be asked firsthand for permission to access their precise location. If granted permission, the user's location will only be tracked for the app's current session and while the navigational component is being used. Whenever the app is closed or the navigational component is not in focus, locational data will be erased and not tracked anymore until the navigation requires it once again.
• Account filtering: To mitigate student impersonation, we can require that only emails with the email.sc.edu suffix may be able to register as a user in the app in order to use the app's functionality to the fullest. This will ensure that user accounts will be unique to their current enrollment at USC, and will prevent duplicate fake accounts from appearing.
• Account reporting: As a second precaution to preventing fake, duplicate accounts, we can implement a report feature that allows students to fill out a simple and accessible form to inform administrators of fake accounts that have the potential to cause harm to other users or spread misinformation. From there, the affected users can have the duplicate accounts erased by admins in order to ensure data integrity and student safety.
• Privacy: As customary, only necessary data that is needed in order to ensure the app's complete functionality will be made public to users. We will encourage users to only share data that they are comfortable with and educate them about the importance of privacy.