Computer and Information Ethics

“Computer and information technologies are now such a central part of our culture that ethical questions and dilemmas concerning them are unavoidable. Ethics is about human conduct, and the use and development of computer technology is part of human conduct” (p. ix). With these words the two Australian authors of Computer and Information Ethics justify their work, which sets out to analyse a range of issues in computer and information ethics that ought to be of concern to both students and information professionals.

One would expect a book such as this to include sections on intellectual property rights, censorship, privacy, computer crime and accountability ‐ this it does, and more. The eleven chapters open with two framework‐setting discussions, on the meaning of ethics and on professional ethics respectively. These are followed by four practice‐based chapters on freedom and information, censorship on the Internet, intellectual property, and privacy; all of these have direct bearing on the day‐to‐day work of information professionals. The final five chapters turn to more general issues of information generated by computers (looking at responsibility for software failure, artificial intelligence and expert systems) and the environment in which computer systems exist (discussion quality of work, virtual reality, and the ‘rights’ of machines).

Each chapter opens with a provocative quote from either a key philosopher (Hobbes, for example) or current thinker in the field (Weizenbaum, Leinfuss). This sets the tone for the ensuing discussion, in which the authors consistently seek to set forth general principles followed by specific applications, drawing on issues in the fields of information technology, computing and librarianship. For example, the chapter on privacy begins with an examination of relative value of privacy and disclosure, independent of any technological context. It then focuses on issues of privacy in the context of information technology: personal data, hacking and surveillance. This discussion is given a practical focus with reference to statements on privacy by the American Library Association and the Australian Computer Society. (In other chapters Weckert and Adeney reflect their Australian focus with references to The Australian and The Age newspapers.) Each chapter concludes with a brief summary and suggestions for further reading. Perhaps what I like best is that throughout the book Weckert and Adeney’s opinions are neither adamant nor prescriptive, which is to be expected when one of them is said to be philosophically objectivist and the other relativist.

The touchstone position of the authors appears in chapter 3 (“Freedom, Information and Images”). Here the writings of John Stuart Mill on liberty and utilitarianism are enlisted to highlight the principle that power may only rightfully be exercised over someone against his or her will, to prevent harm to others. Mill’s work is referred to several times throughout the book, and one wonders why this discussion was not placed at the beginning of the work. Also, chapter 10 (“Virtual Reality”) is substantially the authors’ article on virtual sex previously published in Res Publica. This offers a comparison between what are styled symmetrical virtual sex (where there is a co‐participant with similar intentions) and asymmetrical virtual sex (where the intention is one‐sided). This discussion leads to a useful analysis of pornography and virtual prostitution, which is entertaining but is more concerned with the acceptability of virtual sex per se than it is with the information issue of availability.

Although the bibliography has not caught up with some of the more recent literature in the area, Computer and Information Ethics makes a refreshing and excellent contribution to the ethics debate for information professionals; it will be useful in ethics courses for such people, and it is a worthwhile read for those already in the information professions.