The headlines have recently been flooded with the news that Facebook and OKCupid have been conducting experiments on their users in an effort to collect data and improve the overall user experience.

Analysts and commentators from the public at large have raised the same concerns: is this ethical? Does running certain types of testing violate user trust, especially when the impact is carried off your website and into the “real world?” Where do companies draw the line?

While you shouldn’t let fears dominate your testing agenda, it’s helpful to have a clear idea of where your company stands on these issues and how that impacts what you disclose to customers and website visitors. Here’s a closer look at some of the ethics of testing and what these recent case studies can teach us.
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