For example, how do we truthfully promise our clients that their information and stories will remain confidential when everything is being sent and saved online? How many of us have really considered the security of our emails and computers to protect confidential information from being stolen? Thinking further ahead, ODR, like all other areas of technology, will only advance. The idea of the “fourth party,” a metaphor for how ODR manages the communication and processing of information at the heart of every ADR process, also suggests that with advancements in software and AI new technologies could assist and possibly even take over increasingly complex mediations and negotiations. What are the ethical issues that will arrive with such changes?

This webinar provides a brief overview of some general ethical concerns in mediation, how the ethical landscape is changing with the rise of ODR and the new questions we need to consider as mediators, and finally, what we need to consider moving forward.