• Mathematics isn't just about solving problems and equations. With its application in various domains such as data science, finance, and even politics, it's now facing ethical challenges.
• Example: In a 2016 scandal, a company called Cambridge Analytica manipulated people's opinions for political campaigns using mathematics and data science.

Real World Example: Think about targeted advertisements online. Algorithms (based on mathematics) track our online behavior, gather data, and present us with personalized ads. Is this ethical or an invasion of our privacy? You decide!

• To deal with such ethical challenges, a project called "Ethics in Mathematics (EiM)" was initiated by scholars Maurice Chiodo and Piers Bursill-Hall from Cambridge University in 2018.
• They designed a course called "Ethics for the working mathematician" to promote ethical practices in mathematical applications.

Real World Example: It's like training journalists in ethics to prevent the spread of fake news. Similarly, the EiM project aims to guide mathematicians in ethical decision making.

• Professional math organizations publish ethical guidelines and codes of conduct, but these typically focus on academic practice, not ethical implications of math's applications.
• These codes often fall short when dealing with controversies such as the Perelman affair, raising the question about whether ethical issues in math are specific to individuals, the community, or a general issue of academic practice.

Real World Example: It's like doctors adhering to the Hippocratic Oath, which sets ethical standards for the medical profession. However, what if a brilliant but reclusive doctor discovers a new treatment but doesn't share it with the world, like in the case of mathematician Grigori Perelman?