the development of technology is often far advanced and its trajectory is difficult to change (Collingridge, 1981, p. 11). While Collingridge’s argument was developed with a view to the large centralised and largely state-controlled technologies of the 1960s and 1970s (notably nuclear power and military technology), it stands to reason that the Collingridge dilemma may be even more severe in modern ICT-based societies. Understanding of capabilities of emerging technologies in decentralised and profit-oriented technology development settings is limited to very few individuals. These are normally not in a position to engage with societal consequences in any serious form. Diffusion of technology is mostly left to markets, which makes it difficult if not impossible to foresee which technologies are going to be successful and even more difficult to know what the social consequences of wide-spread use will be. These brief thoughts indicate that a more encompassing approach to addressing consequences of technology development is required. The present paper introduces the ethical issues of emerging ICT applications (ETICA) project that aims to contribute to such a broader understanding of the consequences of emerging technologies.