Glossary entry

Drift (system drift)

Definition

The tendency of systems to drift toward harm over time when incentives, data, or constraints shift. Without protective friction and halt, reversal, and challenge measures, drift quietly erodes safeguards and accountability.

Diagnostic

Tests that show it is in place

  • Performance metrics are reviewed beside harm and complaint trends, and a divergence opens a review.
  • Controls are reviewed whenever data, vendors, or policies change.

Related terms

Authority drift
Cite this glossary entry · v1.17.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

APA

Ethotechnics Institute. (2026). Drift (system drift). Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/drift

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute. "Drift (system drift)." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/drift.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute. "Drift (system drift)." Ethotechnics glossary. Oct 6, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/drift.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_drift,
  title={Drift (system drift)},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/drift},
  version={v1.17.1}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Drift (system drift)
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/drift
ER  -

Authorship

Contact: hello@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Oct 6, 2026
  • Version: v1.17.1

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title and version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive: Wayback Machine history

Latest change

v1.17.1 · Oct 6, 2026 — Editorial revision. Titles are in sentence case. Pasted spec blocks are replaced with prose and worked examples, 79 operational tests are rewritten as pass conditions, 22 origin notes are rewritten or sourced, and unsourced superlatives are cut. No terms were added or removed, and permalinks are unchanged.

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