Code of Ethics: Gowen — The Ethical Way (2025 Edition)

Why an update?
The original 2019 PDF (still available below for transparency) was written when GowenPlaces operated as a traditional consulting shop. Today the website functions as an open innovation lab running rapid-fire experiments in fintech, elder-tech, AI, and marketplace design.

New work modes—remote contractors, data-driven prototypes, AI tooling—introduce fresh ethical considerations, so we’re publishing this concise 2025 addendum. The 2019 document remains the foundation; everything here extends or clarifies it, not replaces it.

Guiding Principle:
“Profitable + Responsible” is non-negotiable.
If a business model can’t earn money and strengthen the communities it touches, we don’t pursue it.

Core Values (2019 Foundations → 2025 Nuance)

  • Honesty– We publish plain-English summaries of every experiment, including failures, so stakeholders always see the real data—not marketing spin.
  • Responsible Ownership– Whether you’re a full-time employee or a one-off contractor, you own the ethical impact of the code, copy, or research you ship.
  • Continuous Improvement – Each two-week sprint ends with a short “ethics retro” where we ask: Did we introduce bias? Did we over-collect data? Then we fix it.
  • Collaboration – We share prototypes, playbooks, and findings with participants and partner orgs. Open knowledge > proprietary secrecy.
  • Inclusion– Beta-tester pools are intentionally diverse in age, income, and ability; product copy and UX follow accessibility guidelines from day one.
  • Customer Experience – We treat users as participants, not “leads.” Their consent, time, and privacy outrank any growth metric.

New Commitments for the Experiment Era

  1. Experiment Integrity

    • Obtain explicit, written consent before interviews or prototype tests.
    • Publish a plain-English summary of findings (minus PII) within 30 days.

  2. AI Responsibility

    • Document data sources, prompts, and model limitations for any AI feature.
    • Audit outputs for bias; provide a human-override path.

  3. Data Stewardship

    • Collect only the data an experiment truly needs (“minimum viable data”).
    • Encrypt at rest & purge within 90 days unless the user opts-in for longer retention.

  4. Conflict-of-Interest & Insider Rules

    • No trading on macro-insights produced by our own research until they are public.
    • Contractors sign the same non-bribery, fair-competition, and IP clauses as employees.

  5. Open Door Reporting

    • ethics@gowenplaces.com for anonymous concerns.
    • Issues acknowledged in 48 hrs; investigated by the Ethics Officer within 7 days.

  6. Training & Review Cadence

    • New joiners complete a micro-course on this Code within their first week.
    • Quarterly 15-question refresher quiz; score < 80 % triggers a coaching session.
    • Annual, public “Ethics & Impact Report” summarises metrics and any breaches.

Legacy Document Access

Download the full 2019 “Gowen The Ethical Way” PDF for detailed procedures on bribery prevention, asset protection, and continuous-improvement auditing. Those policies remain in force where they do not conflict with the 2025 addendum.

Code of Ethics 2019 - Full - (pdf)
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