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Cyberstalking, personal privacy, and moral responsibility

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Abstract

This essay examines some ethical aspects of stalkingincidents in cyberspace. Particular attention is focused on the Amy Boyer/Liam Youens case of cyberstalking, which has raised a number of controversial ethical questions. We limit our analysis to three issues involving this particular case. First, we suggest that the privacy of stalking victims is threatened because of the unrestricted access to on-linepersonal information, including on-line public records, currently available to stalkers. Second, we consider issues involving moral responsibility and legal liability for Internet service providers (ISPs) when stalking crimesoccur in their `space' on the Internet. Finally, we examine issues of moral responsibility for ordinary Internet users to determine whether they are obligated to inform persons whom they discover to be the targets of cyberstalkers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Rivier College, 420 Main Street, Nashua, NH, 03060, USA

    Herman T. Tavani

  2. Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Ave., Fairfield, CT, 06432, USA

    Frances S. Grodzinsky

Authors
  1. Herman T. Tavani
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  2. Frances S. Grodzinsky
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Correspondence to Herman T. Tavani.

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Tavani, H.T., Grodzinsky, F.S. Cyberstalking, personal privacy, and moral responsibility. Ethics and Information Technology 4, 123–132 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019927824326

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019927824326

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