Global Information Technologies: Ethics and the Law

This book uses the latest legal cases, statutory developments, and mass culture references to apply computer ethics in a global setting. Computer law and ethical dilemmas are presented in an applied format, using concrete legal disputes, regulatory actions, and court decisions to demonstrate that law is codified ethics. This thoroughly updated Second Edition addresses legal and ethical dilemmas created by advances in artificial intelligence, smart contracts, biometrics, drones, robotics, 3D printing, crypto currencies, smart contracts, the Internet of Things, and other evolving information technologies. Five leading ethical approaches: (1) Consequentialism, (2) Virtue and Duty Theory, (3) Conflict Perspective, (4) Social Contract Theory and (5) Libertarianism are operationalized in every chapter by applying them to recent legal developments.

The ethical perspectives provide practical guidance on how to apply ethics and the law to diverse activities such as negotiating or litigating computer contracts, introducing software products into the marketplace, protecting website users from crimes and torts, and safeguarding online intellectual property rights. This is the first book to highlight the intersection between law and ethics in torts, cybercrimes, privacy, contracts, and all four branches of intellectual property law. Each substantive chapter ends with thoughtful review exercises to help the reader analyze the ethical and legal dilemmas posed by topics such as Internet monitoring, privacy, and intellectual property rights. Case studies are based upon legal opinions and regulations from the United States, the European Union, China, and the rest of the world. See more