This post is a compiled snippet from a Twitter thread that I've transported over here for posterity. The original thread started here: https://twitter.com/b_cavello/status/1239277606249197568

I feel like we need to create better language for describing types of externalities

Externalities are, admittedly, by definition the unaccounted for effects of a process or action, so giving language to them can be challenging as there may be so many subtle different categories, it’s difficult to identify the buckets

I discussed this with some of my colleagues at @PartnershipAI through a couple of examples:
- someone talking on the phone while visiting a relative whose home has a smart speaker
- one’s relative shares DNA with a sequencing company that works with police/law enforcement

Are there ways to describe these relationships?
What name could we use for the role of the person on the other end of the phone call? What is the relationship between one’s self and the law enforcement using the relatives DNA information?

See also: Describing distance from agency