Ethics of Electronic Information in the Twenty‐First Century 2004
| Published date | 01 December 2004 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050410577532 |
| Pages | 9-10 |
| Date | 01 December 2004 |
| Author | Dick Kawooya |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Ethics of Electronic Information in the
Twenty-First Century 2004
Dick Kawooya
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 10 2004, pp. 9-10, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050410577532 9
The Electronic Information in the
21st Century (EEI21) symposium
convened for the eighth consecutive
year at the University of Memphis from
October 13-16, 2004. Started in 1997 by
the former Dean of Libraries at the
University of Memphis, Les Pourciau,
EEI21 is an internationally recognized
ethics meeting attracting scholars,
practitioners and students interested in a
wide range of information ethics and
related topics. The symposium
recognizes that whereas the digital
revolution created unprecedented
access to information and civic
participation, a plethora of ethical
challenges are already prevalent in the
digital environment. In-depth analysis
of such issues helps to shape research
agendas and policy processes with the
ultimate goal of creating equitable and
ethically responsible society in the
twenty-first century.
For the first time the symposium met
in the new ultra-modern FedEx Institute
of Technology facility a gift to the
University and greater Memphis
community from FedEx and other
corporate partners. The Institute hosted
the morning sessions whereas
McWherter University Library hosted
the afternoon sessions. The EEI21
tradition of thematic focus areas
continued with intellectual property
rights as the special topic for 2004.
Symposium delegates came from
five different countries including:
Iceland, New Zealand, South Africa,
Uganda and the USA, hence diversity
of scholarly tradition and socio-cultural
environment provided by the meeting
despite the small number of
participants. The symposium started
with the traditional opening reception
on Wednesday evening at the FedEx
Institute where Tom Mendina,
symposium organizer and host, warmly
welcomed participants to EEI21-2004
and University of Memphis. Sylerna V.
Ford, Dean of Libraries at the
University of Memphis and Les
Pourciau, symposium founder, also
attended the function.
The first business day kicked off
with a morning session where Wallace
Koehler, Valdosta State University,
presented an exploratory study
co-authored with Simon Newman of
Queen Mary University of London,
focusing on the historical evolution of
intellectual property rights and
contemporary copyright traditions
citing the Anglo-American and
continental European doctrines. The
presentation paved way for other IP
focused presentations including: The
Double Edged Sword of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act by Kannesse
Woods, University of Memphis; Public
Protest of Changes in Copyright Law: A
Content Analysis of Political Speech on
Web Sites Posting the DeCSS Code by
Kristin R. Eschenfelder, Robert Glenn
Howard and Anuj C. Desai, all from
University of Wisconsin at Madison,
and Intellectual property rights versus
public access rights: Ethical aspects of
the DeCSS decryptation program by
Robert Vagaan, Oslo University
College. Highlighting key provisions of
the overarching Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA), the
presentations noted pros and cons of the
legislation
To promote innovation in the digital
environment. The Wisconsin group
extended the discussion by offerings
insights into the moral dimension of
DMCA protests based on a study
conducted by the group.
Other presentations included:
Academic Libraries React to the
patriotic Act by Christopher Matz,
University of Memphis Libraries; The
Reality of New Zealand and the
imagery of Middle Earth by Alan
Smith, Victoria University of
Wellington; Post-Modern Intellectual
Honesty by Vibian Bowman and John
Gibson, Rutgers University, Luis
Rodriguez, Montclair State University
and Nick Cvenkovic, NBC Computer
Associates. Wayne and Dale King,
LeNoir-Rhyne University, made the
day's last formal presentation on the
topic, Proprietary Information: A
Business Right to Privacy vs a
Stockholder's Right to Know before
Netiva Caftori of Northeastern Illinois
University and EEI21 veteran attendee
shared pictures from her 2003 Fulbright
Scholarship visit to Benin. Her
presentation set the stage for the women
in computing panel discussion that was
featured the next day.
Shana Ponelis, University of
Pretoria, started day two's presentations
by focusing on the privacy concerns
arising from customer-centric data
warehousing. She reiterated the need
for integrity of customer information to
support decision-making in corporate
settings. Johannes Britz, University of
Wisconsin, led a stimulating discussion
on technology, effective
communication and knowledge
attributing poor knowledge sharing
skills to technological hindrances.
Fannie De Beer, University of Pretoria,
whose philosophical engagement of
Cyborgs drew participants in a heated
debate on whether human
consciousness could be downloaded
into machines in the post-human era.
Johanna Gunnlaugsdottir, University of
Iceland, focused on the role of
groupware in managing knowledge and
human resources with emphasis on
leveraging organizational resources.
Coetzee Bester, former Member of
Parliament South Africa and Elsabe
Coetzee, Tshwame University of
Technology, presented a paper
questioning cultural appropriateness
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