ethics - ms008a - kirsten ribu - hio - 20051 intellectual property. censorship and freedom of...

Ethics - MS008A - Kirsten Ribu - HiO - 2005 1

Intellectual Property. Censorship and Freedom of Speech. Privacy

19.10. 2005


Today

Intellectual property Censorship – Internet censorship Privacy


But first …..

A Home Computer http://users.net1plus.com/scottm/

HomeComputer.jpg


Intellectual property

Intellectual property rights Protecting intellectual property Restictions on Use Protection for software Morality of copying software


What is intellectual property

Any unique product of the human intellect that has commercial value: Songs, books, films, paintings, inventions,

software. Source: (The university of Texas – Intellectual

properties: www.uta.edu/tto/ip-defs.htm)

Can one own intellectual property? Discuss


Property rights

John Locke (1632-1704) developed a theory of Property rights:

The Second Treatise of Government People have a right to property in their own

person Nobody has the right to the person of

anybody else People have the right to their own labour People have the right to things they have

removed for Nature through their own labour


Is there a natural right to intellectual property?

Locke: Physical objects Today: Ideas


Fair use

It is legal to reproduce a copyright work in some cicumstances: Educational use Use of non-fiction rather than fiction Parts rather than whole chapters Use of out-of-print material


Censorship

What is censorship? Discuss

Case: Revenge on the Internet


What is censorship?

’The attempt to supress or regulate public access to material considered offensive or harmful.’

Excercised by governments and religious institutions

Example: Government monopolization: The Soviet Union: suppressed flow of information and freedom of speech

Possesion of child pornography


The Internet: Challenges

Many-to-many communications Difficult to censure compared with

newspapers and Television The Internet is dynamic, large

More….discuss


Cases described in Dagbladet (Magasinet)

Revenge on the Internet Revenge by e-mail

Slander about the love life of a well-known lawyer

Not just in the office, but in all cyberspace (!)

Usenet discussions - Difficult to stop e-mail campaigns


Ethical problem:

Chain letters (e-mails) describing people in a negative way.

Not necessarily illegal Unethical? Protection of privacy vs. freedom of

speech? Discuss


Example

Information about private things must be of interest to the public

For instance: A politician for the Christian Democratic

Party (KrF) who publically advocates a moral view and in private does something completely different


Ethical Views on Censorship

Kant’s view: Have courage to use your own reason Obstacles to using own reason were

removed in the Enlightenment Kant opposed censorship


John Stuart Mill

Freedom of expression Good ideas prevail over bad ones Applied to the www: supports the free

exchange of opinions and oppose all government censorship


Priniciple of harm - John Stuart Mill

’The only ground on which intervention is justified is to prevent harm to others, the individual’s own good is not a sufficient condition’.

Excercise Write down examples of censorship that

are based on this principle.


Freedom of Expression

A constitutional right An absolute right?

Discuss


INTERNET FREE EXPRESSION ALLIANCE

http://www.ifea.net/ Quote: ’The Internet is a powerful and

positive forum for free expression. It is the place where "any person can

become a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox,"


Cont.

’Internet users, online publishers, library and academic groups and free speech and journalistic organizations share a common interest in opposing the adoption of techniques and standards that could limit the vibrance and openness of the Internet as a communications medium.

Indeed, content "filtering" techniques already have been implemented in ways inconsistent with free speech principles, impeding the ability of Internet users to publish and receive constitutionally protected expression. ’


Freedom in Cyberspace

Discuss these views: The Internet is a common area, a public

space like a village square, except that it is the largest common area that has yet existed.

This world-wide community is as large and diverse as humanity itself. Therefore, no one community's standards can govern the type of speech permissible on the Internet.


Continued….

In the words of John Gilmore, a founding member of the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) "The Internet interprets censorship as

damage, and routes around it." Because of the Internet's robust design, it is

impossible to completely block access to information except in very limited and controlled circumstances blocking access to a specific site from a home

computer using a firewall to block certain sites from

employees on a workplace network. http://livinginternet.com/i/ip_speech.htm


Freedom of Speech and Press on the Internet

The Free Software Foundation supports the freedoms of speech, press, and association on the Internet.

Save the Web is a movement dedicated to ensuring that the highest priority of Internet law in Europe is to protect individual Internet users' rights.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/basic-freedoms.html


Red Alert

The digital copyright threat : The most dangerous new proposed law is being pushed in Brussels by powerful multinational film, music and software companies. They are telling EU politicians that the Internet will turn us all into thieves, and want sweeping new laws that extend their rights on the Internet. If succeeds, they will destroy the Web as we know it. But they didn't succeed in America, and we can still stop them in Europe . But we have to act now.

Threats to privacy : A wide range of businesses, governments, and law-enforcement agencies want to watch what we do on the Internet. We will lose our rights to privacy if we don't defend them.


Organizations that work for freedom in computer development and electronic communications

openrevolt.org This site is devoted to providing information about the European Copyright Directive and similar legislation.

OpenCores The OpenCores project exists to further the aims of the Open IP Core definition,

chillingeffects.org Chilling Effects is a collection point for cease and desist notices concerning online activity -- we invite visitors to enter C&Ds they have received or sent. The website collects the C&Ds in a searchable database and hyperlinks them to explanations of the legal issues.

The League for Programming Freedom The League for Programming Freedom is an organization that opposes software patents and user interface copyrights.


Cont Free Protocols Foundation The Free Protocols

Foundation (FPF) is an independent public forum, dedicated to the support of patent-free protocols.

Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a non-profit, non-partisan organization working in the public interest to protect fundamental civil liberties, including privacy and freedom of expression, in the arena of computers and the Internet.

Electronic Privacy Information Center EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values.


Cont…. Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility CPSR is a

public-interest alliance of computer scientists and others concerned about the impact of computer technology on society. We work to influence decisions regarding the development and use of computers because those decisions have far-reaching consequences and reflect our basic values and priorities.

Global Internet LibertyCampaign The GILC comprises of members from American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Human Rights Watch, the Internet Society, Privacy International, the Association des Utilisateurs d'Internet, and other civil liberties and human rights organizations. They advocate the prohibition of censorship of on-line communication, and insist that on-line free expression should not be restricted by indirect means such as excessively restrictive governmental or private controls over computer hardware or software, telecommunications infrastructure, or other essential components of the Internet.


Protection of Privacy


Electronic surveillance The Internet poses threats to personal security and

privacy. Sensitive information is circulating in electronic

form, including telephone conversations, FAX messages, electronic mail, fund transfers, trade secrets and health records.

The same technological advances that have brought enormous benefits to humankind also make us more vulnerable than ever before to unwanted and potentially dangerous snooping by Governments business competitors Terrorists Nosy neighbors Hackers thieves.


Harms and benefits of privacy

Illegal and unethical acvtivities Privacy – A Necessary right?

Discussion


Laws

§2 – ’The Law of Personal Privacy’ – ’Lov om personvern’ – Norway

US law – Privacy Act of 1974


The Center for Democracy and Technology – On spyware

CDT is working on several fronts to combat the "spyware" problem. http://www.cdt.org/mission/

’We believe a complete solution will require a combination of better enforcement of

existing laws, anti-spyware technologies, self-regulatory policies, and possibly new legislation.’

Yes?


Privacy International

Privacy International (PI) is a human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations.

PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C.

PI has conducted campaigns and research throughout the world on issues ranging from wiretapping and national security, to ID cards, video surveillance, data matching, police information systems, medical privacy, and freedom of information and expression.

http://www.privacyinternational.org/

ethics - ms008a - kirsten ribu - hio - 20051 intellectual property. censorship and freedom of...

Documents

ethics ms008a

kirsten ribu hio

internet slide

labour slide

print material slide

theory of property rights

property rights john

internet revenge