Customer Reviews

Cyberethics: Social & Moral Issues in the Computer Age (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus))

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I read this book as the main text in a third year undergrad class in Information Technology Ethics, and found it to be a useful introductory sampler on the subject. Never having studied ethics before, this collection of essays gave a reasonably well-rounded account of the subject. The book is broken down into four areas of investigation: anonymity and personal identity in cyberspace; personal privacy in the light of the increased storage and dissemination of personal data; ownership of intellectual property and copyright law; and the impact of computers on democracy and community.

Bear in mind that this is a primer, not an in-depth study into any one of the areas mentioned above. The essays are written from varying view points, often contradicting each other, or at least offering different sides of the same issue, which you would expect given the subject matter. The writing styles are not always easy. Some of the contributing authors are more journalistic in their approach, while others are more scientific. Don't expect to read this cover-to-cover in a day or so. The 350+ pages of small type can be hard going, especially if you are a slower reader like myself.

Over all, I felt the book did what it set out to do, offering the reader a basic overview of the differing ethical viewpoint within the four main areas of scope. A fairly good undergraduate text, but not exactly a page-turner.

Nick

This text must be one of the worst books on ethics I've ever seen. The authors start with a basic assumption that information technology changes ethical issues and never examine this fundamentally flawed belief. The essays are extreme and manage to make their own points sound rediculous even when they are reasonable.
There are errors in their references and their interpretation and use of other texts.
This book is painful to read.

The transformation of society brought about by computers has brought with it new moral dilemmas, from the impact of computers on privacy and copyright issues to the involvement of computers in personal lives. Cyberethics offers the reader 26 essays examining these new moral issues and provide thoughtfully reasoned answers to ethical questions.