Introduction
The Digital Revolution is visible at all levels of society.
Acting as moral agents, we see a complex network of interrelated questions emerging in the light of Information Ethics (IE). Whereas there are many fields of ethics known, Information Ethics gives us the broadest perspective.
At the macro level, we may think about ways of good governance and civic society empowerment. At the micro level, sharing knowingly or unintentionally intimate knowledge is an ethical question. In between, an abundance of topics touches the sphere of IE.
Communication, Truth And Influence
In an interconnected world information exchange is easier than ever. Participation is potentially limitless. Whether and when, and to what extent, though, is a question of Digital Equity.
Trust, Privacy And Anonymity
Given an ideal world that counts on universal human rights, self-reliant, respected and respectul citizens, as well as on personal freedom, drawing the line between state and individual is one of the most urgent ethical questions of our times.
Trust is factual and conceptual in the Information Age, not an emotion. Privacy is a sensitive question, not only personally, but also for groups discriminated by a given set of attributes. Anonymity is a central instrument of protection.
Selected Topics Of Information Ethics
Data Usability
- Data Access and Open Access
- Data Donation
- Data Sovereignty
- Data Ownership
- Data Protection
Artificial Intelligence
- Principles for responsible stewardship of trustworthy AI (OECD guidelines on data protection and on AI)
- ACM Code Of Ethics
- Robot Rights
- Transhumanism
Good Governance
- Law And Ethics
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Digital Commons, e.g. public licences like the European Union Public Licence (EUPL)
- Inclusion
Security
- Complexity
- Logical Fallacies
- Trust and Blockchain
Privacy
- Group Privacy
- Protection
- Encryption
- Anonymity
IoT
- Internet anytime and anyplace
- Distributed System and Digital Agents
- Tracking
- Policing
Design
- Knowledge and Information
- Algorithmic Bias and Standards
- Ethically Aligned Design Principles (IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems):
- Human Rights
- Well-being
- Data Agency
- Effectiveness
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Awareness of Misuse
- Competence
