4

Texts
Ethics in the Information
Society: The Nine ‘P’s
A Discussion Paper for the
WSIS+10 Process 2013-2015
Ethics in the Information Society
The Nine ‘P’s

A Discussion Paper
for the WSIS+10 Process 2013-2015

Globethics.net Texts 4
This discussion paper was developed by the Globethics.net staff Prof. Dr. Chris-
toph Stückelberger, Executive Director and Founder, Dr. Stephen Brown, Pro-
gramme Executive Global Theological Library and Journalist, John Miller, Sen-
ior Librarian African Law Library and former Chief Librarian of UNESCO.

The Globethics.net Board of Foundation discussed and acknowledged the

issue paper on 5 May 2013 and invites all interested and concerned persons
and institutions to discuss it and send their feedback and proposals for im-
provements.

Website: www.globethics.net
Contact: [email protected]

Impressum

Title: Ethics in the Information Society: The Nine ‘P’s.

A Discussion Paper for the WSIS+10 Process
Collection: Globethics.net Texts 4
Publisher: Globethics.net
Year: 2013
Copyright: © 2013 Globethics.net
ISBN: 978-2-940428-34-2 (online)
978-2-940428-35-9 (print)

This text can be downloaded for free from the Globethics.net Library, the lead-
ing global online library on ethics: www.globethics.net.
© The Copyright is the Creative Commons Copyright 2.5. It means: Globeth-
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 Ethics in the Information Society 3

Contents

Preface ..................................................................................................... 5

Introduction ............................................................................................. 6

The Nine 'Ps

1 Principles: Ethical Values..................................................................... 8
2 Participation: Access to Knowledge for All ....................................... 10
3 People: Community, Identity, Gender, Generation, Education .......... 12
4 Profession: Ethics of Information Professions ................................... 14
5 Privacy: From Dignity to Data Mining ............................................... 16
6 Piracy: Intellectual Property and Cybercrime..................................... 18
7 Protection: Children and Young People ............................................. 20
8 Power: Economic Power, Technology, Media and Consumers .......... 20
9 Policy: Ethics of Regulation and Freedom ......................................... 24

[ITU and] Globethics.net:

International Call for Ethics in the Information Society........................ 26

Sources .................................................................................................. 29
 Ethics in the Information Society 5

PREFACE
Information, communication and knowledge are key drivers of devel-
opment in globalized, multicultural, knowledge-based societies. How
can they be used in order to strengthen ethical development and avoid
unethical consequences?
The “World Summit for Information Society” – WSIS – is the broadest
platform for work on these issues. The “First WSIS+10 Review Event”
on 25-27 February 2013 in Paris in its final statement “invites all Stake-
holders to … encourage international and interdisciplinary reflection and
debate on the ethical challenges of emerging technologies and the in-
formation society.” Globethics.net as a global network of persons and
specialists engaged on ethics contributes to this reflection with this dis-
cussion paper.
This text on the ethics of information and knowledge societies calls for
value-based decisions and actions for the development of information,
communication and knowledge. It is based on seven core values: equity,
freedom, care and compassion, participation, sharing, sustainability and
responsibility. These values are exemplified on nine core topics of the
information society, the “Nine P’s”: principles, participation, people,
profession, privacy, piracy, protection, power and policy.
The Globethics.net Board of Foundation acknowledged the issue paper
on 5 May 2013 and invites all interested and concerned persons and in-
stitutions to discuss it and send their feedback and proposals for im-
provement.

Geneva, 5 May 2013

Globethics.net Foundation
Walter Fust, President of the Board
Christoph Stückelberger, Executive Director and Founder
6

INTRODUCTION
Ten years after more than 11,000 participants gathered in Geneva in
2003 for the opening session of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS), a UNESCO meeting in Paris at the end of February
2013 met to take stock of what has been achieved since then and to set
out challenges for the future.
The recommendations from this first WSIS +10 review meeting will
feed into further United Nations deliberations and into the review of the
Millennium Development Goals.
WSIS – which met in two sessions in Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) –
aimed to promote access to information and knowledge through new
communications technologies and to tackle the global digital divide sep-
arating the northern hemisphere from the global South. At the same time
it highlighted the ethical dimensions of the Information Society, and
underlined the need for measures to safeguard cultural and linguistic
diversity and identity, to avoid local content being overshadowed by
vested global interests.
The idea for Globethics.net was born during WSIS in 2003 by Christoph
Stückelberger, then General Secretary of the development agency
“Bread for all”, being an ethicist and involved in WSIS. Representatives
from the global South identified the need to strengthen ethical institu-
tions, especially in developing and transition countries, through
strengthening the production and dissemination of, and access to, infor-
mation and knowledge using Information and Communication Technol-
ogies (ICTs). Bread for all needs information for all. This led to the
creation of the Global Digital Library on Ethics, as well as the network-
ing and workgroup facilities of Globethics.net.
A decade later, as UNESCO has noted, there is intense public debate
over the future development of the Internet, shaped by the defence of the
right to freedom of expression and freedom of information online, the
growth of multilingualism on the net and the ever-increasing influence
 Ethics in the Information Society 7

and impact of communications technologies on all aspects of people's

lives. Such issues are too important to be left to governments alone. Civ-
il society is an indispensable part of the "ethical space" within which a
global communication ethic needs to be elaborated, alongside the insti-
tutional political system of government and the institutionally orientated
political society.
At the same time, research commissioned for the UNESCO meeting in
Paris underlines that information ethics needs to address the challenges
and implications of the information society in developing regions, par-
ticularly in terms of inter-cultural information ethics.
Globethics.net emphasises that most of the “Final Recommendations” of
the first WSIS+10 Review Event in Paris on 25-27 February 2013 are
relevant for the implementation of ethical values.

Globethics network with its 80’000 registered participants from 200

countries and territories can make a contribution for the WSIS+10 pro-
cess 2013-2015. Globethics.net seeks to promote a truly global conver-
sation on the Ethics in the Information Society.
8

1
PRINCIPLES:
ETHICAL VALUES

Knowledge societies can be sustainable, coherent, innovative and

integrative if they are based not only on pragmatic opportunities or
political or financial interests, but on ethical values. In a globalized
multicultural world these values have to be global values while at
the same time respecting the diversity of contextual values.

The “Globethics.net Principles on Sharing Values across Cultures and

Religions” (2009/2013) stated: “Global ethics is an inclusive approach
to common binding values, guiding principles, personal attitudes and
common action across cultures, religions, political and economic sys-
tems and ideologies. Global ethics is grounded in the ethical recognition
of inalienable human dignity, freedom of decision, personal and social
responsibility and justice. … Global ethics identifies trans-boundary
problems and contributes to their solution.
Global ethics promotes public awareness of those fundamental values
and principles. They are the foundation on which the universal consen-
sus on human rights is built. Human rights are the most tangible and
legally binding expression of this ethical vision. Global ethics fosters
trust among human beings and strengthens caring and action for global
environmental protection.
Contextual ethics takes seriously the identity of people and institutions
in their local, cultural, religious, economic and political contexts. Global
ethics needs to be local and contextual in order to have an impact on
individual action and social structures. On the other hand, contextual
ethics becomes isolationist if it remains local and is not linked to global
ethics. Contextual ethics appreciates and respects diversity in its differ-
ent forms as social, political, cultural, religious, and bio-diversity. There
is an enormous richness in diversity. It may decrease vulnerability and
 Ethics in the Information Society 9

be a source of sustainability. Contextual ethics contributes to global eth-

ics. Together they can lead to unity in diversity. All cultures and reli-
gions can contribute to global values. …
Global and contextual ethics are two poles that challenge each other and
inseparably belong together. … Global ethics can be abused for domina-
tion over other cultures, religions and values. Contextual ethics can be
abused to defend traditional privileges or power. On a global as well as
on a local level, ‘power over others’ tends to be oppressive, ‘power with
and for others’ tends to be empowering and nurturing. … “

Fundamental values for the knowledge societies are:

• Justice/equity is based on the inalienable human dignity of every
human being and on their equality. Justice grows when people cul-
tivate a deep respect towards each other. Fair and equal chances of
access to information are a precondition for mutual understanding.
• Freedom of access to information, of expression, of believe and of
decision is core for human dignity and human development. Free-
dom, equity and responsibility balance each other.
• Care and compassion is the ability for empathy, respect and support
of the other. It leads to solidarity.
• Participation is the right and ability to participate in societal life
and in decisions of concern.
• Sharing leads to, enables, and sustains relationships between human
beings and strengthens communities. The ITCs enable in an ex-
traordinary way the sharing of information and knowledge.
• Sustainability as long term perspective for green technologies.
• Responsibility is accountability for one’s own actions. The level of
responsibility has to correspond to the level of power, capacity and
capability. Those with more resources bear greater responsibility.
All these values are interconnected and balance each other.
Questions for consideration:
• Do you share these values? Would you add or delete values?
10

2
PARTICIPATION:
ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE FOR ALL

Access to information, communication, education and knowledge is

a basic right and public good. Open access for free or for affordable
costs enables participation of all in the development of societies. It
has to be further promoted by the WSIS+10 processes.

The digital divide between the global North and South is narrowing, but
instead there is an "access divide" to knowledge resources. Technical
developments in recent years have increased bandwidth particularly in
Asia but also Latin America and Africa, although there are still major
discrepancies with the global North. Technology alone is not enough,
however. In fact, the right to education includes the right to information,
communication and knowledge. They can be seen as one human right as
they are interlinked. Nevertheless, the management of knowledge re-
sources continues to be monopolised by the global North such as
through large commercial publishers, particularly in the sphere of aca-
demic journals. Increasing access to knowledge needs to go beyond
promoting an information flow from North to South. The dominant
model and its alternatives downplay context and local aspiration. In re-
cent years a number of developments have used the possibilities offered
by information and communication technologies to increase access to
knowledge, such as open access, both through open access journals (the
“gold” path) and institutional repositories (the “green path”). In several
continents, there have been moves by governments to ensure that public-
ly-funded research must be openly accessible. While such developments
may increase access for those in the global South, to what extent do they
really address a knowledge divide that needs to be bridged in both direc-
tions? To what extent do such technological developments significantly
increase the possibility of contributions to global knowledge dialogue
 Ethics in the Information Society 11

from the countries of the South, or will the South again be marginalised?
Open Access journals that do not charge author fees may mitigate some
of these factors, but nevertheless face questions about visibility, accessi-
bility and reliability, while the established journal mechanisms often
discriminate against journals from the South. Another move towards
increasing access to knowledge has been the increasing popularity of
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). However, they may also rein-
force the domination of large schools in the global North.

Recommendations:
Globethics.net calls upon
• Governments and international organizations to reinforce free and
fair access to knowledge for developing countries;
• Governments to include support for open access repositories in Of-
ficial Development Assistance, including training and support as
well as infrastructure;
• Regulators to support the development of regional hubs that index
open access repositories, distinguishing between full text reposito-
ries and those offering only metadata;
• Public and private actors to develop open access and open publish-
ing initiatives in collaboration with institutions in the global South
that include global visibility, accessibility, new ranking mecha-
nisms, building impact factor metrics and local value attribution.
Questions for consideration:
• If Open Access in future requires payment by authors or institu-
tions, what kind of solutions and preferential treatments are to be
offered for institutions in developing countries that cannot afford
subscription fees and resources for publication?
• How is Open Access related to copyright issues? Do “creative
commons” licences help resolve the free circulation of knowledge,
or do they risk allowing knowledge production in the global South
being commoditised in the North?
12

3
PEOPLE:
COMMUNITY, IDENTITY,
GENDER, GENERATION, EDUCATION

People, human beings, as senders and receivers are the key actors of
information, communication and knowledge. How to filter, digest and
assimilate information and knowledge? How to use them for enrichment
and not confusion, for identity building and not identity-loss, for respect
of diversity and not increase of uniformity, for more equality instead of
more inequality? Is knowledge primarily used to win over others in very
competitive markets, to oppress others or for building communities?

The knowledge society should respect six aspects:

Value-based: Societies are envisaged where persons, groups and institu-
tions share knowledge in fairness, equity, freedom and for the benefit of
caring sustainable communities: families, communities and nations
which respect the rights of individuals, but also of the communities,
which strengthen unity but also respect diversity of cultures, languages,
worldviews, religions, economic and political systems.
People-centred: The fast innovations in ICTs make technology a main
driver of development. But technology is not a goal in itself, it should
serve people. Information society needs to be people-centred.
Communities and identities-oriented: ICT trends increase individualism
and individual media consumptions. The needs and rights of individuals
and of communities need to be balanced. The flood of information leads
to constant deconstruction and reconstruction of identities and needs
care in balancing change and stability and building strong identities es-
pecially of adolescent people.
Education-focussed: A key element for WSIS+10 is education in re-
sponsible use of the almost unlimited mass of information and commu-
nication. Information ethics is needed on all levels, from the producers
 Ethics in the Information Society 13

(see P4) to the consumers in order to deal with information in a respon-

sible way. Awareness has to be increased that dealing with information,
communication and knowledge can be as challenging as handling toxic
substances or driving a powerful car. Therefore education for the ethical
use and the personal transformation of such information to knowledge
for the society becomes very important. Instruments are education in
critical media consumption including the use of social media.
Gender-oriented: Gender equality in access to information, communica-
tion, knowledge and decision-making is an important dimension of an
inclusive and people-centre society. It includes ensuring parity in wom-
en’s representation in high levels and decision-making in the ICT.
Generation-sensitive: Computer literacy of older persons is important
for their participation in society and for intergenerational exchange.

Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon
• Educational institutions to increase information ethics in the curric-
ula and examine a “driving licence” for young adults for using the
information highways (already practiced in test schools);
• Educational institutions to care for ethical aspects of fast growing e-
learning, distant learning and Mass Online Courses;
• Media providers and educational institutions to increase efforts to
transform information into adapted and digested knowledge
• Public and private media institutions to care for cultural and lingual
diversity of programmes;
• Building empowering capabilities of women and girls to use ICTs
for education, formation and citizenship and for older persons in
computer and internet literacy;
• Validate and include indigenous people’s values and knowledge;
• Policy makers to guarantee the freedom of expression while avoid-
ing moral harm and violation of the integrity of persons.

Questions for consideration

• On which recommendations do you agree or disagree?
14

4
PROFESSION:
ETHICS OF INFORMATION PROFESSIONS

Professions in the fields of information, communication and

knowledge creation, processing, dissemination, control, renewal,
preservation, archiving and policy-making have a special ethical
responsibility in implementing core values.

Journalists, librarians, archivists, teachers, bloggers, philosophers, scien-

tists, IT hardware and software developers, curricula developers, reli-
gious leaders, social media owners, politicians and many other content
professionals in information, communication and knowledge production
have a great influence on private and public opinions since ever. But
even more it is the case in the modern information society.
Value-based development and Human Rights require strengthening eth-
ics and Human Rights for the work conditions of the content profession-
als. This includes: the space and freedom for value-based, corruption-
free, honest journalism; the protection of information professionals who
in some countries face threats to life, or are killed; the value-based vi-
sion of media-owners to support cultural, linguistic and religious diver-
sity and views expressed and to optimize but not maximize the profits
expected from media investments.
At the same time, the content professionals have to strengthen these
values, virtues and rights themselves through their professional work.
This includes: fair, honest, transparent, corruption-free, qualitative jour-
nalism based on integrity, independence of investigative journalism and
the endeavour to seek truth; respecting integrity of people and institu-
tions; respecting ethical benchmarks against the pressure of economic
profit maximisation, audience rating and entertainment goals. Profes-
sional codes of ethics are important instruments to enhance the ethical
responsibility of content providers in the information society.
 Ethics in the Information Society 15

Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon
• Associations and network of professionals (e.g. journalists, publish-
ers, librarians) to ensure the promotion and strengthening of ethical
codes in the production, distribution and archiving or information,
communication, and knowledge;
• Associations and network of professionals to develop and promote
respective codes for consumers who become more and more also
producers of media content (bloggers, citizen journalists, citizen
photographers etc.)
• Governments to ensure a legal framework that offers space for cor-
ruption-free and honest journalism;
• Governments and society as a whole to protect information profes-
sionals and to take clear legal actions against killing, intimidation
and other violations of the freedom of expression;
• Governments, content producers, media owners and consumers to
ensure cultural, linguistic and religious diversity;
• Training institutions of media professionals to include ethics cours-
es as mandatory in the curricula;
• Training institutions to provide training in digital safety for journal-
ists, both off-line and online.

Questions for consideration

• On which recommendations do you agree or disagree?
• What are your experiences with professional codes of ethics and
how can they be strengthened?
16

5
PRIVACY:
DIGNITY, DATA MINING, SECURITY
Privacy is a human right, not a commercial concession. Views on pri-
vacy rights differ between the US, UK, Continental Europe, Asia, Afri-
ca, Latin America and political structures. Threats to privacy are con-
stantly arising - especially from the commercial and security sectors
and social networks. Reasonable balance needs to be struck between
privacy and security needs. The WSIS process should support the
safeguarding of privacy, in coherence with open access to information.

The protection of privacy is a human right recognised in the UN Decla-

ration of Human Rights 0f 1948, Art. 12. It is not a concession to be
granted at the whim of commercial or other interests. This has not al-
ways seemed to be so. For much of its history, humanity has lived a
communal life. Privacy has been difficult - especially for those who are
poor - but so have e.g. health and security. The UN System is itself a
positive – albeit imperfect – response to the horrors of the Second World
War. The UN has said privacy is a right. But privacy rights have to be
balanced with community rights as expressed e.g. in the African Banjul
Charta of Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights. They limit each other.
In the time of the British writer George Orwell, the greatest threat to
individual liberties was felt to be from the state. The threat is still there,
but the internet has opened up possibilities for private and state organi-
sations to data mine huge amounts of individuals’ data and to use it for
their own private and not necessarily socially beneficial ends, or simply
to incompetently lose it. Because something is technically possible does
not mean that it is socially desirable or legally acceptable. Books have
been digitised without permission of rights owners, Street View has in-
truded into your neighbourhood whether you like it or not, and Face-
book ‘privacy’ settings have rightly become the subject of intense criti-
 Ethics in the Information Society 17

cism. Mobile phone records can already easily track us electronically

without our consent.
It has been argued that because X is now technically possible, so X must
be actioned because it is part of inevitable human progress. This is ethi-
cally wrong – because criminal journalists can hack into telephone ac-
counts of murdered teenagers does not make it morally or legally ac-
ceptable. It is also argued that if you have nothing to hide, you have
nothing to fear. It ignores the question of principle and the fact that a
certain degree of privacy and discretion rather than full-on disclosure (as
per Wikileaks) is necessary for diplomacy and society to function.
Different political systems and historical experience lead to different
privacy policies: North Americans are concerned about governments
invading individual privacy, Europeans about enterprises controlling
life, Chinese officials about uncontrolled Western individualism.
Governments must be able to protect public security. But cyber-warfare
can threaten public security. Companies, in their pursuit of profit, must
respect the privacy of individuals. If not, the information society be-
comes the surveillance society and we are on the slippery slope towards
the loss of fundamental liberties. Privacy is threatened as much by pri-
vate sector excess as by government action or negligence, but both must
be accountable to individuals and organisations for their actions.
Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon
• WSIS review process to demand and governments to enact and en-
force reasonable privacy safeguards for their citizens;
• Companies to develop software and collecting data to ensure greater
attention to the ethical dimension of business, including a genuine
respect for the privacy of individuals;
• Internet intermediaries to be more transparent about requests they
receive from governments for data access.
Questions for consideration
• On which recommendations do you agree or disagree?
18

6
PIRACY:
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY,
CYBERCRIME

Piracy is an old problem, with a new electronic face. Piracy can be an

existential threat to existing business models for innovative content
creation and use. Piracy may occur because potential users see content
as too expensive and rights protection as excluding the poor. Com-
promises are needed to take account of all stakeholder interests.
Pirates have operated since time immemorial in the lawless regions of
the world. Today most pirates don’t steal treasure on the high seas: they
steal ideas and information electronically. It has always been possible to
steal ideas and information. But with the growth of digital media and the
advent of the Internet, stealing has become easier. Sometimes, it has
become policy: e.g. the disregard for national laws in the global pro-
gramme of digitizing books without seeking the permission of rights
owners is fine example of business arrogance of a large private digitiz-
ing company, and an illustration of why ethics must go hand in hand
with innovation: just because something is innovative does not make it
the right thing to do.
While new technology has fuelled the intellectual property piracy prob-
lem, paradoxically it has also helped to provide solutions too. Plagiarism
is now much simpler to detect with appropriate software.
Not everyone opposes the pirates’ efforts to circumvent patent and copy-
right laws. Millions of people have, come to see free music as almost a
civic right. This has declined recently as legal download sites become
easier and cheaper to use, and a few delinquent downloaders have been
sued for large sums. Poorer people, and the developing world, have a
case when they argue that current intellectual property regimes protect
rich business interests in the developed world at the expense of less
well-off populations in the developing world. WIPO has at times seemed
 Ethics in the Information Society 19

to defend information producer interests more than promote information

user interests. This is not helpful in the context of making information
more freely and affordably accessible in the developing world.
The licensing of information products rather than the sale to the end user
raises new questions about information ownership and the rights of indi-
viduals to transmit or bequeath digital materials. The acquisition and
reuse for commercial purposes by some content curators and Internet-
based companies of information and digital products submitted free-of-
charge by users needs to be resisted, especially when such companies
have near-monopolistic positions in the Internet economy.
At the heart of the intellectual property piracy issue is the ethical ques-
tion of what should count for more: the lives of less well-off people who
need access to drugs, information, etc. or the protection of world busi-
ness interests and incomes of the creators and distributors of intellectual
property? Piracy, if not controlled, poses an existential threat to the cur-
rent business model of content producers and distributors. The challenge
is to identify and chart out a middle course and implement it in an ethi-
cal and effective manner so that all stakeholders feel they have gained.
Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon:
• WIPO and other international organizations to ensure that copyright
enforcement initiatives be based on inclusive, multi-stakeholder
processes that reflect transparent and accountable processes;
• Governments and other actors including UNESCO to encourage
research and debate on a balanced legal system to protect intellectu-
al property and to favour access to information for all;
• WSIS to support relaxation of patents where affordable copies of
products (e.g. drugs) are essential for saving lives;
• The WSIS review process to underline the need for it to be legally
possible to do digitally what can be legally done in hard copy, in-
cluding an individual’s right to own digital materials and to be-
queath or transfer their ownership to others.
20

7
PROTECTION
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Through access to the Internet on computers, smartphones and tab-

lets, young people are connecting with each other and wider society
in ways that were previously unimaginable. A generation of children
and young people have grown up for whom the digital world is tak-
en for granted. Nevertheless, there are concerns that children,
young people and young adults may face specific risks and hazards,
including sexual exploitation, a lack of anonymity and potential ad-
diction to online networks.

Young people and young adults who have grown up in the Information
Society often feel at home in the digital world in a way that is not the
case for older people. This includes young people and young adults de-
veloping their own strategies for dealing with their online existence in
areas such as anonymity, sharing of personal data, and verifying infor-
mation found online. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised about
risks that children, young people and young adults face in the digital
world. These include cyberbullying and sexual abuse, as well as the po-
tential lack of anonymity on the Internet, confusion between individual
and social identity, and the permanence of online information. There are
also dangers of addiction to online games and social networks.
Developing responses mean avoiding sensationalism, mythmaking and
inappropriate policy measures. There is thus a need for accurate infor-
mation to better calibrate appropriate responses. So far much of the re-
search has been undertaken only in industrialised societies.
Children, young people and young adults may be better aware of some
of the risks that they face online than are adults. Effective strategies thus
require their active involvement as actors in their own right to under-
 Ethics in the Information Society 21

stand their use of information and communication technologies, their

awareness of the risks and hazards, and the strategies that they have de-
veloped to counter such risks.
Globethics.net welcomes initiatives such as “Child Online Protection”
COP of ITU and partners and the “Draft African Union Convention on
… Cyber Security in Africa” In some cases related to criminal abuse,
measures require rigorous offline criminal investigation measures, in
which children are seen as credible witnesses. In others, risks may be
dealt with through the enforcement of general measures such as trans-
parency, the need for explicit consent in sharing of information, and the
right to withdraw such consent.
Measures to protect children and young people need also to take into
account their rights as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child and other international agreements to information, freedom of
expression and association, privacy and non-discrimination.
Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon:
• Internet and social networking providers to ensure comprehensible
and accessible privacy mechanisms;
• Governments and international organisations to support research
into the use of ICTs by children, young people and young adults,
not only in industrialised countries;
• National authorities to ensure their investigation and enforcement
mechanisms are equipped to deal with cyber-based criminality, in-
cluding the exploitation and abuse of children.
Questions for consideration
• Where is the balance between measures to protect children and
young adults and affirming their rights to participate fully in the in-
formation society, including freedom of information/expression?
• Where is the balance between legislative measures to protect chil-
dren and young adults online and the restrictive measures that im-
pinge on their rights to free expression and information online?
22

8
POWER:
ECONOMIC POWER OF TECHNOLOGY,
MEDIA AND CONSUMERS

The production, processing, dissemination, control and archiving of

information, communication and knowledge need political power to
set the legal frame and economic power to provide the necessary
investment capital. Political and economic power should not be
power over others, but sharing power with others and using it for
others as a service to human beings, the whole society and public
governance.

The value chain and number of suppliers in the production, processing,

dissemination, control and archiving of information, communication and
knowledge is very long, complex and global. The products - infor-
mation, communication and knowledge - with its far reaching impact on
human beings and society are services with a different quality and ethi-
cal importance than daily commodities and products such as shoes or
clothes because of its high impact on behaviour, mentalities, ideologies,
world views, identities, cultures, economic and political developments.
The free market together with a political regulatory framework and in-
formed consumers can provide the necessary innovative dynamics. But
the ethical responsibility of political regulators and economic investors
are higher in this sector than for other commodities.
Key actors are the investors in and managers of companies and institu-
tions for information, communication and knowledge, the politicians
and associations as regulators as well as the consumers. All these actors
have their specific responsibilities in using their entrusted power. The
larger the power, the higher are the responsibilities and accountability.
Globethics.net in its “Principles of Sharing Values” stated: On global as
well as on regional, national and local level, “‘power over others’ tends
 Ethics in the Information Society 23

to be oppressive, ‘power with and for others’ tends to be empowering

and nurturing. Power as ‘power from’ (e.g. power from God, from the
people through election) can be abused to justify oppressive power. It
can also be used responsibly as an empowering power, serving the needs
of the needy.” And “Also global ethics can be abused for domination
over other cultures, religions and values. Contextual ethics can be
abused to defend traditional privileges or power. Both can be used to
serve people and their needs.”
The profits expected from media and educational investments should be
optimized but not maximized. Profit is not a goal in itself, but a means
to provide these services for the sustainability development goals.
Consumers have their own responsibility in selecting information, com-
munication and knowledge products and paying fair prices for them.

Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon
• Investors and relevant organizations to pay due heed to the values
and standards of socially responsible investments (SRI) in all in-
vestments relating to information and communication technologies;
• Media owners and other relevant private-sector enterprises to ensure
that their involvement in and strategy of information and communi-
cation companies is based on ethical values and responsibility for
the specific impact of the sector for society;
• Politicians and other regulators to base media regulations on the
values of freedom, equal access, peoples’ participation, respect of
diversity and sustainable development;
• Producers and consumers of information, communication and
knowledge content to use their respective power to promote ethics
in information society.
Questions for consideration
• On which recommendations do you agree or disagree?
• How can economic and political power related to ICTs be used as a
service for the information and knowledge society?
24

9
POLICY:
ETHICS OF REGULATION AND FREEDOM

Parliaments, governments, civil society and educated citizens are

needed to ensure that regulatory measures support freedom of ex-
pression, freedom of association in information and communication
technologies and the right to seek, receive and impart information
and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Fast tech-
nological development, ethical standards and regulatory framework
have to be more synchronized.

Information and communication technologies are not just an expression

of a globalising world, they are also the foundations on which globalisa-
tion has been built, including its economic, cultural or political aspects.
In Geneva in 2003, WSIS highlighted the “Ethical Dimensions of the
Information Society”: the need to uphold fundamental values, respect
human rights and the fundamental freedoms of others, while dealing
with the “abusive uses” of Information and Communication Technolo-
gies, through illegal and illicit actions. Such ethical questions raise the
issues of regulation and regulatory frameworks. The ethical challenges
transcend the “abusive uses” of ICTs, however, encompassing issues
such as access to information and knowledge, capacity building, cultural
and linguistic diversity, identity, local content and media pluralism.
The global nature of ICTs suggests that a global approach is required.
Yet while global decision-making structures in international fora may be
able to deal with issues of technical standards, they are often not adapted
to dealing with the ethical challenges of the information society. Interna-
tional regulatory agreements are subject to negotiations between gov-
ernments that might have very different ideas about what constitute, for
example, “illegal and illicit actions” or pluralism and diversity. Large
 Ethics in the Information Society 25

transnational corporations may de facto exercise greater influence than

elected governments in developing policy and regulatory frameworks.
In this context, parliaments, governments and strong civil society organ-
izations need to exercise their respective roles in promoting and protect-
ing communication rights, including the right for all to engage in trans-
parent, informed and democratic debate.
There is a balance to be faced between Internet freedom, which may risk
exacerbating inequity and unequal access, and promoting an equity of
access that requires regulation. The current regulatory structure for in-
formation and communication technologies risks favouring economic
and commercial deregulation to the detriment of the wider interest of
communities and the public commons.
Recommendations
Globethics.net calls upon
• The United Nations in the WSIS+10 review process to reaffirm the
foundational principles of the Information Society (Universal Dec-
laration of Human Rights; freedom of expression and of association,
“seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media
and regardless of frontiers”), and for civil society organizations to
remain vigilant about any threats to such principles;
• UN instruments to promote the regulation and freedom of the cyber-
sphere, including a UN Rapporteur on Human Rights and Internet;
• International regulatory bodies for the information society including
the ITU and the Internet Governance Forum to ensure a multi-
stakeholder approach based on transparency, accountability and rep-
resentativeness, to encompass the activities of transnational corpo-
rations, to address net neutrality and inequalities in Internet access.
Questions for consideration:
• What is the balance between Internet freedom with the risk of unequal
access, and regulations in order to promote equity of access?
•How may inclusivity, transparency, representativeness and empower-
ment best be ensured in ICT regulation and internet governance?
26

The following text is a draft proposal. It is submitted to the International

Telecommunication Union ITU by Globethics.net for consideration (to
be replaced by the final text).

[ITU AND] GLOBETHICS.NET:

INTERNATIONAL CALL
FOR ETHICS IN THE
INFORMATION SOCIETY

Presented at the WSIS FORUM, GENEVA, May 13th-17th 2013

We, experts in the Information Society field, meeting regularly since the
preparatory Conference of the Information Society Summit in 2003,
having reflected in depth during the annual forums since then, launch
with this document an international call for the inclusion of an ethical
dimension as a fundamental pillar of the Information Society post-2015.

Considering that the WSIS process from 2003 has provided a catalyst
for forward movement with the Millennium Development Objectives
(MDOs) and their realisation in 2015, notably as regards the use of ICT
in the education, health and environment sectors
Considering particularly the report of UNESCO in 2007 on the ethical
implications of emerging technologies, and the multilateral conventions
of UNESCO
Considering further that the outcome of the WSIS Forum in 2013 will
determine the process for the future, that the recommendations and the
Action Plan of UNCTAD for 2012 is considered a goal for the Infor-
mation Society process and that the Action Plan of UNCTAD for 2016
will define the outcome of WSIS+10
 Ethics in the Information Society 27

Recalling that the engagement of UNDP in the environmental field will

be completed by the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015 with its
4 biannual sessions in Geneva
Aware that the primary role that cities play in governance including
access to the internet
Aware in particular that diversities and their promotion are strategic
issues for social harmony, public health and food security
Further aware that the contribution of information, communication
and knowledge to technological innovation and the ethics of society are
substantial
Welcoming the collaboration of ITU with the International Organisa-
tions implicit in the ethical information society process
Especially encourage the contributions of non-State actors in hatching
creative and innovative talent, which will constitute an enriching ele-
ment to WSIS
Underline that the WSIS Information Society process is a fundamental
instrument for reaching sustainable development objectives

Recommend and request

• that the principles of an ethical information society should be elabo-
rated by experts under the egis of the International Organisations
concerned;
• that free and fair access to information (open repositories) should be
reinforced above all in favour of developing countries
• that ethical codes and legal regulations of professions involved in
the production, distribution and archiving of information, commu-
nication and knowledge be promoted and reinforced
• that educational programmes promoting the responsible use of in-
formation and communication tools are reinforced
• that ethics must be systematically included as an essential topic in
academic research, training and education, notably in the fields of
28

internet technology, and professional training in the content of in-

formation
• that gender analysis and principles are fully integrated in WSIS
related strategies and facilitate their implementation
• that investors and relevant organisations pay due heed to the values
and standards of socially responsible investments (SRI) in all in-
vestments relating to technology and information and communica-
tion media
• that enterprises in the private sector, including small and medium
enterprises, take initiatives for the introduction of ethics into the in-
formation society
• that cultural, linguistic and religious diversity be preserved as an
expression of the diversity of ethical values and as a fundamental
human right
• that the future governance of the internet be based on ethical values
such as equity and inclusion
• that the UN General Assembly formally announces an International
Ethical Information Society Year
• that UN Member States announce regional and national Ethical In-
formation Society Days

Request the United Nations and the International Institutions to cooper-

ate and take the lead to ensure the effective implementation of this call
for action
Encourage the implementation of this call as a contribution to the reali-
sation of Johannesburg + 15 in 2017 through the adoption of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
 Ethics in the Information Society 29

SOURCES
- Globethics.net: Principles of Sharing Values across Cultures and
Religions. Geneva 2012, www.globethics.net/web/ge/texts-series
(accessed 20 April 2013)
- Ethics of Information and Communication Technologies, European
Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies to the European
Commission, Opinion No. 26, Brussels, 2012 website (accessed 20
April 2013)
- Final Statement. Information and knowledge for all. An expanded
vision and a renewed commitment, First WSIS+10 Review Event in
Paris on 25-27 February 2013,
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/p
df/wsis/WSIS_10_Event/wsis10_final_statement_en.pdf (accessed
20 April 2013)
- Final Recommendations of the First WSIS+10 Review Event in
Paris on 25-27 February 2013,
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/p
df/wsis/WSIS_10_Event/wsis10_recommendations_en.pdf (ac-
cessed 20 April 2013)
- Child Safety Online: Global challenges and strategies, UNICEF
Innocenti Research Centre, 2012, http://www.unicef-
irc.org/publications/pdf/ict_techreport3_eng.pdf (accessed 6 May
2013)
30

Globethics.net is a worldwide ethics network based in Geneva, with an interna-

tional Board of Foundation of eminent persons, 70,000 participants from 200
countries and regional and national programmes. Globethics.net provides ser-
vices especially for people in Africa, Asia and Latin-America in order to con-
tribute to more equal access to knowledge resources in the field of applied ethics
and to make the voices from the Global South more visible and audible in the
global discourse. It provides an electronic platform for dialogue, reflection and
action. Its central instrument is the internet site www.globethics.net.

Globethics.net has four objectives:

Library: Free Access to Online Documents

In order to ensure access to knowledge resources in applied ethics, Globeth-
ics.net offers its Globethics.net Library, the leading global digital library on
ethics with over 1 million full text documents for free download. A second li-
brary on Theology and Ecumenism was added and a third library on African
Law and Governance is in preparation and will be launched in 2013.

Network: Global Online Community

The registered participants form a global community of people interested in or
specialists in ethics. It offers participants on its website the opportunity to con-
tribute to forum, to upload articles and to join or form electronic working groups
for purposes of networking or collaborative international research.

Research: Online Workgroups

Globethics.net registered participants can join or build online research groups on
all topics of their interest whereas Globethics.net Head Office in Geneva con-
centrates on six research topics: Business/Economic Ethics, Interreligious Eth-
ics, Responsible Leadership, Environmental Ethics, Health Ethics and Ethics of
Science and Technology. The results produced through the working groups and
research finds their way into online collections and publications in four series
(see publications list) which can also be downloaded for free.

Services: Conferences, Certification, Consultancy

Globethics.net offers services such as the Global Ethics Forum, aninternational
conference on business ethics, customized certification and educational projects,
and consultancy on request in a multicultural and multilingual context.

www.globethics.net ■
 Ethics in the Information Society 31

Globethics.net Publications
All volumes can be downloaded for free as pdfs from the Globethics.net
library and at www.globethics.net/publications. Print copies can be ordered
at [email protected]. Prices are in CHF/USD, differentiated between low
and middle income countries (S=South) and high income countries (N=North)
The Editor of the different Series of Globethics.net Publications is Prof. Dr.
Christoph Stückelberger, Founder and Executive Director of Globethics.net in
Geneva and Professor of Ethics at the University of Basel/Switzerland.
Contact for manuscripts and suggestions: [email protected].

Globethics.net Global
Books on ethical issues with global relevance and contextual perspectives. Each
volume includes contributions from at least two continents and with two editors,
often one from the global South and one from the global North.
1 Christoph Stückelberger / Jesse N.K. Mugambi (eds.), Responsible
Leadership. Global and Contextual Perspectives, 376pp, 2007, 13.-S/ 25.-N.
2 Heidi Hadsell / Christoph Stückelberger (eds.), Overcoming
Fundamentalism. Ethical Responses from Five Continents, 212pp, 2009, 10.-
S/ 20.-N.
3 Christoph Stückelberger / Reinhold Bernhardt (eds.): Calvin Global. How
Faith Influences Societies, 258pp, 2009, 10.-S/ 20. - N.
4 Ariane Hentsch Cisneros / Shanta Premawardhana (eds.), Sharing Values. A
Hermeneutics for Global Ethics, 418pp, 2010, 13. - S/ 25. - N.
5 Deon Rossouw / Christoph Stückelberger (eds.), Global Survey of Business
Ethics in Training, Teaching and Research, 404pp, 2012, 13.-S./ 25.-N
6 Carol Cosgrove Sacks/ Paul H. Dembinski (eds.), Trust and Ethics in Fi-
nance. Innovative Ideas from the Robin Cosgrove Prize, 380pp, 2012,
Globethics.net Focus
Each volume is focused on one actual ethical issue with global relevance, nor-
mally from one author.
1 Christoph Stückelberger, Das Menschenrecht auf Nahrung und Wasser. Eine
ethische Priorität, 80pp, 2009,5.-S/ 10.-N.
2 Christoph Stückelberger, Corruption-Free Churches are Possible. Experi-
ences, Values, Solutions, 278pp, 2010, 10.-S/20.-N.
3 Vincent Mbavu Muhindo, La République Démocratique du Congo en panne.
Un bilan 50 ans après l’indépendance, 380pp, 2011, 13.-S/25.-N.
4 The Value of Values in Business. Global Ethics Forum 2011 Report and
Recommendations, 90pp, 2011, 5.-S/10.-N.
5 Benoît Girardin, Ethics in Politics: Why it matters more than ever and how it
can make a difference, 172pp, 2012, 8.-S/15.-N.
32

6 Siti Syamsiyatun / Ferry Muhammadsyah Siregar (eds.), Etika Islam dan

Problematika Sosial di Indonesia, 252pp, 2013. (Articles on Islamic ethics
from paper competition, in Indonesian and English),10.-S/20.-N.
7 Siti Syamsiyatun / Nihayatul Wafiroh (eds.), Filsafat, Etika, Dan Kearifan
Local Untuk Konstruksi Moral Kebangsaan,, 224pp, 2013 (articles on Indo-
nesian ethics from paper competition, in Indonesian and English), 10 S/20 N
8 Aidan Msafiri, Globalisation of Concern II. Essays on Education, Health,
Climate Change, and Cyberspace, 140pp, 2012,8.-S/15.-N.
9 Willem A Landman, End-of-Life Decisions, Ethics and the Law, 136pp,
2012, 8.-S/15.-N.
10 Seeds for Successful Transformation. Global Ethics Forum 2012 Report.
Outcomes and Next Steps 2012-2014, 112pp, 2012, 6.-S/ 10.-N.
11 Corneille Ntamwenge, Éthique des affaires au Congo. Tisser une culture
d’intégrité par le Code de Conduite des Affaires en RD Congo, 2012, 5.-
S/10.-N.
12 Kitoka Moke Mutondo / Bosco Muchukiwa, Montée de l’Islam au Sud-Kivu:
opportunité ou menace à la paix sociale. Perspectives du dialogue islamo-
chrétien en RD Congo, 48pp, 2012, 5.-S/10.-N.
Globethics.net Texts
Short declarations and guidelines, some of them adopted by the International
Board of Globethics.net Foundation.
1 Principles on Sharing Values across Cultures and Religions, 20pp, 2012.
Available in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Indonesian, Per-
sian. Other languages in preparation, 10.-S/15.-N. for 5 copies.
2 Ethics in Politics. Why it matters more than ever and how it can make a
difference. A Declaration, 8pp, 2012. Available in English and French,
3 Ethics in the Information Society. The Nine ‘P’s. A discussion paper for the
WSIS+10 Process 2013-2015, 2013, 34pp.
Globethics.net Theses
Publication of doctoral theses on ethics with a focus on the Global South.
1 Kitoka Moke Mutondo, Eglise, Protection des Droits de l’Homme et Refon-
dation de l’Etat en République Démocratique du Congo: Essai d’une
éthique politique engagée, 412pp, 2012,13.-S/25.-N.
2 Ange Sankieme Lusanga, Ethique de la migration. La valeur de la justice
comme base pour une migration dans l'Union Européenne et la Suisse,
358pp, 2012, 13.-S/25.-N.
3 Nyembo Imbanga, Parler en langues ou parler d’autres langues. Approche
exégétique des Actes des Apôtres, 356pp, 2012, 13.-S/25.-N.
4 Njojo Kahwa : Ethique de la non-violence. Etudes sur Jésus selon les évan-
giles, 596pp, 2013, 30.-
www.globethics.net/publications
Ethics in the Information Society:
The Nine 'P's
A Discussion Paper for the WSIS+10 Process 2013-2015

The global ethics network Globethics.net calls in this discussion paper for value-based
decisions and actions for the development of information, communication and
knowledge. It is based on seven core values: equity, freedom, care and compassion,
participation, sharing, sustainability and responsibility. These values are exemplified
on nine core topics of the information and knowledge society, the "Nine P's":
principles, participation, people, profession, privacy, piracy, protection, power and
policy.

The Globethics.net Board of Foundation discussed and acknowledged the issue paper
on 5 May 2013. Globethics.net invites all interested and concerned persons and
institutions to discuss it and send their feedback and proposals for improvements to
the Executive Director Christoph Stückelberger: [email protected].
Website: www.globethics.net.