Information Ethics

This anthology focuses on the ethical issues surrounding information control in the broadest sense. Anglo-American institutions of intellectual property protect and restrict access to vast amounts of information. Ideas and expressions captured in music, movies, paintings, processes of manufacture, human genetic information, and the like are protected domestically and globally. The ethical issues and tensions surrounding free speech and information control intersect in at least two important respects. First, the commons of thought and expression is threatened by institutions of copyright, patent, and trade secret. While institutions of intellectual property may be necessary for innovation and social progress they may also be detrimental when used by the privileged and economically advantaged to control information access, consumption, and expression. Second, free speech concerns have been allowed to trump privacy interests in all but the most egregious of cases. At the same time, our ability to control access to information about ourselves--what some call "informational privacy"--is rapidly diminishing. Data mining and digital profiling are opening up what most would consider private domains for public consumption and manipulation. Post-9/11, issues of national security have run headlong into individual rights to privacy and free speech concerns. While constitutional guarantees against unwarranted searches and seizures have been relaxed, access to vast amounts of information held by government agencies, libraries, and other information storehouses has been restricted in the name of national security.

As discussions about the roles played by information in economic, political, and social arenas continue to evolve, the need for an intellectual primer on information ethics that also functions as a solid working casebook for LIS students and professionals has never been more urgent.

Rapid technological advancement has given rise to new ethical dilemmas and security threats, while the development of appropriate ethical codes and security measures fail to keep pace, which makes the education of computer users and professionals crucial. The Encyclopedia of Information Ethics and Security is an original, comprehensive reference source on ethical and security issues relating to the latest technologies. Covering a wide range of themes, this valuable reference tool includes topics such as computer crime, information warfare, privacy, surveillance, intellectual property and education. This encyclopedia is a useful tool for students, academics, and professionals.

Luciano Floridi develops the first ethical framework for dealing with the new challenges posed by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). He establishes the conceptual foundations of Information Ethics by exploring important metatheoretical and introductory issues, and answering key theoretical questions of great philosophical interest.

Severson begins with an introductory chapter in which he presents his model of principled ethics, followed by four chapters on each one of these guiding principles: respect for intellectual property; the principle of fair representation; privacy; and the principle of nonmalificence. The book is written in an accessible manner, avoiding the technical jargon of ethics, and making a simple, straightforward case for the supportive value of ethical principles in the sometimes confusing moral world of the information age. Includes many illustrations and case studies.

Information Ethics provides an up-to-date discussion of the main ethical issues that face today's information-intensive society, including the areas of intellectual property rights, privacy, accessibility and censorship.

Foreword by Robert Hauptman As discussions about the roles played by information in economic, political, and social arenas continue to evolve, the need for an intellectual primer on information ethics that also functions as a solid working casebook for LIS students and professionals has never been more urgent. This text, written by a stellar group of ethics scholars and contributors from around the globe, expertly fills that need. Organized into twelve chapters, making it ideal for use by instructors, this volume from editors Burgess and Knox thoroughly covers principles and concepts in information ethics, as well as the history of ethics in the information professions; examines human rights, information access, privacy, discourse, intellectual property, censorship, data and cybersecurity ethics, intercultural information ethics, and global digital citizenship and responsibility; synthesizes the philosophical underpinnings of these key subjects with abundant primary source material to provide historical context along with timely and relevant case studies; features contributions from John M. Budd, Paul T. Jaeger, Rachel Fischer, Margaret Zimmerman, Kathrine A. Henderson, Peter Darch, Michael Zimmer, and Masooda Bashir, among others; and offers a special concluding chapter by Amelia Gibson that explores emerging issues in information ethics, including discussions ranging from the ethics of social media and social movements to AI decision making. This important survey will be a key text for LIS students and an essential reference work for practitioners.

"This book is the first publication that takes a genuinely global approach to the diverse ethical issues evoked by Information and Communication Technologies and their possible resolutions. Readers will gain a greater appreciation for the problems and possibilities of genuinely global information ethics, which are urgently needed as information and communication technologies continue their exponential growth"--Provided by publisher.