Section I: Theoretical Concerns

Chapter I: The Moral Status of Information and Information Technologies: A Relational Theory of Moral Status / Johnny Hartz Søraker

The purpose of this chapter is to explore whether information and information technology in certain cases ought to be valued as ends in themselves, rather than as mere means to other ends. A theory of moral status is proposed; this is a theory of who or what has moral status in the sense that we, as moral agents, have an obligation to take their well-being into consideration when making ethical judgments. The theory draws on insights from both classical Western and East Asian philosophy in order to question the exclusion of all nonliving entities in most theories of moral status. The relational properties of constitutivity and irreplaceability are singled out as ethically relevant, and suggested as one possible way to ground the moral status of information and information technologies.

Chapter II: Online Communities, Democratic Ideals, and the Digital Divide / Frances S. Grodzinsky and Herman T. Tavani

We examine some pros and cons of online communities with respect to two main questions: (1) Do online communities promote democracy and democratic ideals? (2) What are the implications of online communities for information justice and the digital divide? In examining these questions, we also consider the effects of the Internet for community life at both the local and global levels.

Chapter III: The Mediating Effect of Material Cultures as Human Hybridization / Lorenzo Magnani

We already are hybrid humans; we all are constitutively natural-born cyborgs, that is biotechnological hybrid minds. Our minds should not be considered to be located only in the head. The chapter also illustrates the interplay between cultures and distributed cognition taking advantage of the so-called disembodiment of mind and stresses the problem of the co-evolution between brains and cultures. The second part of the chapter is related to the analysis of the interplay between cultures and cognition and of some consequences concerning the problem of intercultural communication in the light of the role of moral mediators, docility, and cyberprivacy.

Chapter IV: Culture and Technology: A Mutual-Shaping Approach / Thomas Herdin, Wolfgang Hofkirchner, and Ursula Maier-Rabler

The chapter aims at discussing the mutual influence between culture and technology on a broad inter- and trans-cultural level. We aim for a model which incorporates cultural as well as technological factors in order to provide a basis for future ICT-research which goes beyond both technological determinism and social constructivism. At the same time we are well aware that the loose notion and imprecise definition of the concept of culture allows for the exploitation of the term in empty political and techno-economical policies. Thus, we attempt to introduce the concept of culture into the socio-responsible ICT research on equal terms with technology, economy, and society.

Chapter V Mobile Phone and Autonomy / Theptawee Chokvasin

Stemming from philosophical analyses by Habermas and Heidegger, this chapter aims at showing how our latest hi-tech devices of communication (e.g., the mobile phone) affect our autonomy in the mobilization era. It seems that mobile phone systematization needs its own conception and understanding of what individuals are, and that conception is not similar at all to what we are familiar with through our cultural and philosophical reflections.

Chapter VI: Invisibility and the Ethics of Digitalization: Designing so as not to Hurt Others / Maja van der Velden

How do we deal with diversity and difference in information technology? In this chapter two cases are explored in which dealing with difference is a particular political and ethical concern. The designs of Indymedia, an Internet-based alternative media network, and TAMI, an Aboriginal database, are informed by the confrontations over different ways of knowing. They translate difference without sacrificing diversity, providing clues for building credible and sustainable design alternatives that will not hurt others.

Chapter VII: Privacy and Property in the Global Datasphere / Dan L. Burk

Adoption of information technologies is dependent upon the availability of information to be channeled via such technologies. Although many cultural approaches to information control have been identified, two increasingly ubiquitous regimes are battling for dominance in the international arena. These may be termed the utilitarian and the deontological approaches and may be roughly identified with, respectively, the United States and the continental European tradition. Absent a drastic shift in international treaty dynamics, these dominant conceptions will likely curtail the development of alternate approaches that might otherwise emerge from local culture and tradition.

Chapter VIII: Analysis and Justification of Privacy from a Buddhist Perspective / Soraj Hongladarom

Perspectives of various Buddhist traditions are considered on the topic of analysis of the concept of privacy as well as its justification. The chapter begins by outlining the major literature in the West dealing with the issue. Then the thoughts of two Buddhist thinkers, representing two major Buddhist traditions, are presented. The two Buddhist traditions agree that the concept of privacy is a construct. However, this does not mean that there can be no analysis and justification of privacy in Buddhism. Instead, the concept is there and is justified through its usefulness in realizing goals.

Section II: Specific Viewpoints

Chapter IX: Information Privacy in a Surveillance State: A Perspective from Thailand / Pirongrong Ramasoota Rananand

This chapter examines information privacy as manifested and understood in Thai society. Multidisciplinary perspectives—philosophical, anthropological, historical, legal, policy-oriented, and communicative—are used to explore information privacy, which is arguably emerging as an ethic in Thailand. While the diffusion of ICTs along with the country’s aspiration toward an information society may have given rise to this conceptual emergence, the long-standing surveillance that characterizes the Thai state is reckoned to be a major hindrance to a meaningful realization of this ethic in Thai society.

Chapter X: Interactions among Thai Culture, ICT, and IT Ethics / Pattarasinee Bhattarakosol

Information and communication technologies have both positive and negative impacts on Thai society. It is the ethics of the user that determine how the technology is used. This chapter examines the relations among Thai culture, ICT, and IT ethics, where all impacts are considered and described. There are various factors related to development of IT ethics, but the main factor is family background. Thus, in order to increase the ethics of users in an ICT world, the proposed solution is to create a strong family and instruct children in their religion. Although this method is long term, the outcome is worth the wait.

Chapter XI: We Cannot Eat Data: The Need for Computer Ethics to Address the Cultural and Ecological Impacts of Computing / Barbara Paterson

As information and communication technology (ICT) is increasingly pervading more and more aspects of life, ethical issues will increasingly be computer-related. This view is underpinned by the assumption that progress is linear and inevitable. This notion ignores the cultural origin of computing. Computer technology is a product of the Western worldview and consequently the computer revolution is experienced differently by people in different parts of the world. This chapter argues that computer ethics must critically analyze the links between computing and its effects on cultural diversity and the natural environment. It also proposes that the Earth Charter can function as a framework for such holistic research.

Chapter XII: Current and Future State of ICT Deployment and Utilization in Healthcare: An Analysis of Cross-Cultural Ethical Issues / Bernd Carsten Stahl, Simon Rogerson, and Amin Kashmeery

The ever-changing face of ICT can render its deployment as rather problematic in sensitive areas of applications, such as healthcare. The ethical implications are multifaceted and have diverse degrees of sensitivity from culture to culture. Our essay attempts to shed light on these interplaying factors in a cross-cultural analysis that takes into account prospective ICT development.

Chapter XIII: Business Ethics and Technology in Turkey: An Emerging Country at the Crossroad of Civilations / Gonca Telli Yamamoto and Faruk Karaman

Turkey lies at the crossroad of civilizations; hence, it is difficult to define it through a generally accepted set of ethical principles. Western, Islamic, and Turkish cultures are in competition with each of them, and a synthesis is not achieved yet. This disagreement causes proliferation of unethical behavior such as the illegal copying of software. The majority of the highly-educated technical people in Turkey approve of the illegal copying of software if it is necessitated by the interests of the country. This shows that we have a long way to go to reach global ethical standards, and country-specific differences cannot be eliminated in the short term.

Chapter XIV: The Existential Significance of the Digital Divide for America’s Historically Underserved Populations / Lynette Kvasny

The U.S. has witnessed a massive infusion of computers and Internet access into homes, schools, libraries, and other neighborhood institutions. This has significantly increased citizens’ physical access to information and communication technology (ICT) artifacts and enhanced citizens’ opportunities for acquiring and strengthening technical skills. Does the increased physical access and technical skills signal closure of the digital divide? In this chapter, I address this question by describing the preconstructed ways in which the digital divide is conceptualized by academics and policymakers, and inferring what these conceptualizations suggest about the existential significance of the digital divide as experienced by historically underserved groups in the U.S.