Introduction

What is it about?

Terrorism, cyberbullying, child pornography, hate speech and cybercrime: along with unprecedented advancements in productivity and engagement, the Internet has ushered in a space for violent, hateful, and antisocial behavior. How do we, as individuals and as a society, protect against very dangerous expressions online? This is the very first book on social responsibility on the Internet. Against the Free Speech Principle, no less important considerations of the responsibilities of the individual, corporation, state and the international community are weighed. This book brings an international perspective to the analysis of some of the most troubling uses of the Internet. Confronting the Internet’s Dark Side urges Netusers, ISPs and liberal democracies to strike a balance between freedom and security, between unlimited license and moral responsibility. This kind of judgment is necessary to uphold the very liberal democratic values that gave rise to the Internet and that are threatened by an unbridled use of technology. The book will be of interest to media professionals, government officials and policy makers, Internet experts and business, lawyers and judges, scholars, teachers and students. Any number of courses in ethics and political philosophy, computer science ‘ethics courses,’ and public policy courses may use this book. At the same time, the book is written in such a way as to be of interest to the general public.

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Why is it important?

It is widely recognized that the dramatic growth of internet technologies are creating a new era in democratic life, a crisis for the established media and possibilities for participatory politics that challenge liberal institutions. The book documents this turning point with urgency and clarity, and in the process makes the need transparent for analyses of this subject. Ithiel de Sola Poole’s Technologies of Freedom (1983 Harvard) has become a classic work defining the information society, with information technology its axis. I consider Confronting the Internet's Dark Side of that quality, as a potential classic that defines for us moral responsibility in the new media age. Clifford Christians, University of Illinois, Research Professor of Communications, Professor of Journalism

Perspectives