Ethics and ICT: Why all the fuss?
| Published date | 09 May 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-12-2015-0043 |
| Date | 09 May 2016 |
| Pages | 167-169 |
| Author | Matthew Warren,Richard Lucas |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information & communications technology |
Ethics and ICT: Why all the fuss?
Matthew Warren
Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics,
Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, and
Richard Lucas
University of Canberra, Bruce, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to introduce a special section based on papers from Australasian
Conference for Information Systems 2014.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper comments on key contextualisation moments in
relevant history.
Findings – This paper describes the initiative in Australia to widen Information and Communication
Technology ethics awareness.
Originality/value – This is a new attempt to bring Ethics and Information Systems academics closer
together.
Keywords ETHICOMP, AiCES, ICT ethics
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Almost 250 years ago[1], a famous philosopher once said: […] ordinary human reason […]
knows well how to distinguish what is good, what is bad […] neither science[2] nor
philosophy is needed to know what one has to do to be honest and good, and even wise and
virtuous.
Almost 50 years ago[3], two studies examined the effect on privacy of new-fangled
technology called computers. They were worried about the increasing use of computers
for record-keeping.
And 20 years ago (1995), two concerned academics thought that not enough had been
done, since 1972, by academic Information Systems (IS) researchers, about the emerging
ethical problems in the eld of information and technology. Simon Rogerson and Terry
Bynum started ETHICOMP, a conference designed to get more academics involved in
solving these problems.
If Kant was right, why was the second necessary and the third created? Well, it turns
out that it is not straightforward for the technologically literate, never mind the ordinary
person, to be able to work out the ethical problems that arise when using this
new-fangled technology. Sometimes the problems are out in the open, but with modern
computers that have become part of the fabric of society, they become unnoticed. Hence,
the start of computer ethics by those paying attention. But even this is not enough.
In ongoing research by one of us it is clear that, while the ETHICOMP series[4]isa
vital and necessary part of bringing awareness of the ethical problems of Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) to light, there is little in the way of transfer
between the specialist computer ethics researchers and the wider IS eld. On the whole,
very few researchers have feet in both camps. Equally, very few articles from the best
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
Ethics and
ICT
167
Received 18 January 2016
Accepted 18 January 2016
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.14 No. 2, 2016
pp.167-169
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-12-2015-0043
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