Information Ethics and Policy

Adam D. MooreDepartment of Philosophy

& Information School

http://www.aclu.org/pizza/

https://www.privacyinternational.org/article/leading-surveillance-societies-eu-and-world-2007

What’s wrong with WikiLeaks??

Nothing to hide… “just trust us” Why not trade privacy for security?…technology

makes it easy.

Power tends to corrupt….absolute power corrupts absolutely…

Wiki leaks on the government……and coming soon…

Wiki leaks on big business…

WikiLeaks The Wikileaks movement has started a “wild west” of

information sharing where the playing field has been (or will be) leveled…perhaps this is a good place to start.

Two questions: First, in connection to other citizens, government

agencies, corporations, etc….what kinds of information do we have a right to access…what is an appropriate level of access?

Second, what do we owe each other in terms of

information sharing? I would argue that a fruitful starting place would be to begin with the notion of “self-government” and the information sharing necessary for promoting the stability of democratic institutions.

Information Ethics

Ethical Theory Security Free Speech Intellectual Property Privacy Policy, Law Ethical IT design Etc.

Ethical Theory A Theory of Moral Value: What is moral

value? What is good or bad? What has value in the realm of human experience?

Hedonsim, eudaimonism, desire satisfaction

A Theory of Moral Obligation: What makes an action right or wrong? Where do rights come from?

Consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics?

Two test cases: Trapped in an Underwater Sea-Cave, The Case of Reluctant Donation

Government and Corporate control of information

http://www.aclu.org/pizza/

Controlling data…• Choice Point, Axicom• Event Data Recorders (EDRs)• GPS, employee tracking• Google Search• Facial recognition technology• bio-implants, RIFDs Radio-frequency identification

• store loyalty cards• video surveillance

Ethical Dimension: Imposed or Chosen?

Government Surveillance:The USA Patriot Act

FISA Courts Administrative subpoenas TIA – Total Info Awareness TIPS --Terrorism Information

and Prevention System Secret wire-taps Government

transparency Nothing to hide?

Can you think of any ethical problems or issues related to this picture?

…or more recently the Craig's list experiment?

Free Speech Justifications for Freedom of Speech

Check on power (government and corporations “truth” discovery Personal growth and individuality Anonymity protects privacy Necessary for stable democratic institutions

Accuracy – “I just said ‘thanks but no thanks to that bridge to no-where”

Spin – bias Yale cultural cognition project (more info does not help…an

individual’s world/cultural views largely determines what she believes….individualist, hierarchist, solidarist/communitarian, egalitarian)

Intellectual Property

What is IP?Copyright, patent, trademark, trade secretTRIPS agreement

The Justification of IP rights? Incentives-based social progress argumentDeontological argumentsPersonality-based arguments

Privacy

Defining privacy

The value of privacy

Justifying privacy rights

Privacy protections in the law. 4th Amendment, torts, etc.

Tensions with Speech and IP

Privacy v. Free Speech If individuals have informational

privacy rights then these rights may restrict freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Privacy v. Intellectual Property If individuals have informational

privacy rights then these rights may limit intellectual property rights.

Discussion Case: Intellectual property v. Privacy v. Free Speech

Cape Publications, Inc. v. Bridges, Florida 1982: A women is kidnapped, taken to an apartment, stripped, and terrorized. The police — and the media — surround the apartment. The police eventually overcome the kidnapper and rush the woman, who clutches a dish towel in a futile attempt to conceal her nudity, to safety. A photograph of her escape is published in the next day's newspaper. She sued for invasion of privacy and eventually lost the case.

More Cases

Suppose, for example, that Mr. Friday buys a painting at a garage sale—a long-lost Crusoe original. Friday takes the painting home and alters the painting with a marker, drawing horns and mustaches on the figures in the painting. The additions are so clever and fit so nicely into the painting that Friday hangs it in a window on a busy street.

Net NeutralityE-mail Monitoring

P1. It is morally permitted to trespass on the property of others as long as one’s motives are good and no harm is done.

P2. Many hackers have good intentions and do no damage.

C3. Some hacking should be permitted