Ethical Digital Technology in Practice

This is an important book. Ethics is not an easy topic, and arguably the ethics of IT is less so—not leastdue to its potential for developing and evolving in ways that are either unforeseen or unimaginable . . . . Use this book as a practical resource, an informative and educational source of material in developing expertise, but also as an invaluable toolkit to support practical application of ethical thinking. —Declan Brady, President of the Irish Computer Society and a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies Digital technology is about people. It is about those who plan, develop and implement applications which other people use and are affected by. It is about the impact on all these people as well as on the world at large. Ethical Digital Technology in Practice takes a real-world perspective to explore these impacts over time and discover ways in which to promote ethical digital technology through good practice. It draws upon the author’s published articles in trade magazines, professional journals and online blogs. These are synthesised into a blueprint which addresses, in a practical manner, the societal issues surrounding the increasing use and abuse of digital technology. It is a follow-up book to the author’s book The Evolving Landscape of Ethical Digital Technology, which has a researcher’s perspective. This book is a hands-on account of the computer revolution from 1995 to the current day when the world is increasingly dependent on digital technology. It explores some of the social and ethical issues that are part of this revolution. This is not a book about deep philosophical and technical concepts. Nor does it claim to be comprehensive. It is the author’s personal account of technological change and its effects on people. It is written by a boy who was smitten by computer technology at the age of 15, became a computer professional and subsequently spent many years showing young people how to develop and use digital technology in a good way. It is a book based upon the author’s engagement with practitioners, academics and students during the period as well as his continued fascination with this fantastic technology. Ethical Digital Technology in Practice is a book about the real world, of what has happened and what might happen as digital technology continues to pervade.

1 Setting the SceneThe Beginning of My Digital Technology OdysseyThe First ETHIcolEthics ManMaking a DifferenceENIGMAOutline of the Book 2 Data and InformationHow to Create Waffle!Information for AllInformation ProvenanceInformation Integrity in the Information AgeTrustworthy PublishingThe Data ShadowGuernica Info 3 Systems and ApplicationsInformation SuperhighwayMaking BPR a SuccessPeople IssuesSmart CardsSurveillanceElectronic CommerceIdentity Crisis OnlineKeeping Records SafeHealth WarningFacing Up to the IssuesClear and Present DangerAt Cross PurposesMatching CasesGoing, Going … Gone!Playing Your Cards RightTrusting the SystemWhat is Wrong with Mobile Phones?Market~ing ForcesTag EthicsA Lesson from HistoryLet the Games BeginEthics of the BlogosphereVoicing ConcernEthics of the StreetEnsuring Ethical InsuranceThe Social Side of WirelessThe Way to Healthy ICT?Ethical RobotsEthics Omission Increases Gases EmissionPeople are Data in the Connected WorldHospital Safety 4 Practice and MethodTraining for EthicsSocial ResponsibilityNew HorizonsWomen in ITIS in the workplaceCloser to Y2KUse and AbuseE-mail EtiquetteDoing One’s Civic DutyIntegrity and KnowledgeMake Your Actions CountRisky BusinessAll-inclusive OpportunitiesWomen in the IT Industry TodayFraming up to EthicsThe Need for Ethical LeadershipEthical DilemmasCoding Ethics into Technology 5 Regulation and PolicyData MatchingPrivacyCorporate IssuesData Protection for the PeopleServing Two MastersNew Code of EthicsPolice Intelligence?Justice for AllWaking Up to a Surveillance SocietyThe Ethics of E-InclusionData Profiling in the European Information SocietyEthics and ICT GovernanceThe Surveillance SocietyIdentity and DNAResponsibilities in Product CreationEthics of ICTEthics and the IT ProfessionReferences 6 Practical ConsiderationsTeleworkingAlternative ViewsUnderstanding in the CommunityInternet Ethics are Not Optional at Business or at HomeBeware of False GodsA Week is a Long TimeStudent RightsA Global Phenomenon?Safety on the ‘netReflections from ChinaDigital SlaveryInclusive ICTThat Was the News that Was!Assessing All the RisksAcademic Publishing in theInformation AgeDigital Outcasts & COVID-19Is the Digital Divide of the Past, Present or Future?References 7 SynthesisComputers and Human ValuesPractice and Virtual BehaviourIS IT Ethical? 1998 ReportThe Impact of ChangeIS IT Ethical? 2000 ReportIS Staff and Privacy and Data ProtectionHuman Rights in the Electronic AgeIS IT Ethical? 2002 ReportIS IT Ethical? 2004 ReportIS IT Ethical? 2006 ReportBeyond TechnologyDirection of ChangeIS IT Ethical? 2010 ReportSocial Impact of Social NetworksAn Ethics Progress Litmus TestComputing by Everyone for EveryoneDigital Ethics is The Paradigm ShiftRebooting Ethics Education in the Digital Age

Simon Rogerson has an industrial and academic background. He became Europe’s first Professor in Computer Ethics in 1998 and in 2010 became lifetime Professor Emeritus in Computer Ethics at De Montfort University, UK. He was the founding Director of the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR), launching it in 1995 at the first ETHICOMP conference which he conceived and co-directed until 2013. He was the founder and editor until 2021 of the Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society. He sits on several international ICT-related advisory boards and has served on governing bodies in education and ICT.