API ethics considerations

APIs enable products to share data and functionality with other services. For example, when a fitness app gets your step count from Apple Health, it’s using an API. When you expose your product’s API, you're deciding what data third parties can access, how they can use it, and what controls exist to prevent misuse. Poor API design can enable harm at scale, even if your own product behaves ethically.

Consider what happens when your API gets integrated into products you don't control. Rate limiting prevents abuse, but are your limits appropriate for legitimate use cases? Authentication protects data, but does your system verify that third parties have proper consent to access user information? Documentation guides developers, but does it explain ethical use alongside technical implementation? Many API providers focus solely on functionality without considering downstream consequences.

Establish clear terms of service that define acceptable use. Monitor API usage patterns to detect potential abuse early. Provide granular permissions so third parties only access data they genuinely need. Design endpoints that respect user privacy, like returning aggregated data instead of individual records when possible. Build tools that let users see which third parties access their data through your API and revoke access easily. Ethical API design recognizes that opening your system creates responsibility for how others use it.