The portable panopticon: morality and mobile technologies

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 9 (3):206-216 (2011)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore ethical issues arising from the mass deployment and take‐up of mobile technologies.Design/methodology/approachThe ethical dimensions of mobile technologies and their use among the general population are considered within a conceptual framework drawing on James Moor's belief in a need for “better ethics” for emerging technologies and Michel Foucault's development of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon as a tool of surveillance.FindingsIt is found that the mass deployment and use of mobile technologies amongst the general population raise some interesting questions about the changing nature of surveillance and the ethical issues that come out of this.Originality/valueThe paper offers an original perspective on the ethical issues arising from new mobile technologies and surveillance by inverting the established top‐down notion of technology and control derived from Foucault.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,656

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Personal autonomy in the travel panopticon.Eamon Daly - 2010 - Ethics and Information Technology 12 (2):97-108.
Mobile technologies and distance education.Rostislav Fojtik & Hashim Habiballa - 2006 - Communication and Cognition: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly Journal 39 (1/2):95.
A 'multitester' and 'portable polygraph.'.J. J. Ray - 1937 - Journal of Experimental Psychology 20 (3):301.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-02-19

Downloads
15 (#809,828)

6 months
2 (#671,408)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

The “black box” at work.Ifeoma Ajunwa - 2020 - Big Data and Society 7 (2).
3D online environments: ethical challenges for marketing research.Ioannis Krasonikolakis & Nancy Pouloudi - 2015 - Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 13 (3/4):218-234.

Add more citations

References found in this work

What is computer ethics?James H. Moor - 1985 - Metaphilosophy 16 (4):266-275.
Why we need better ethics for emerging technologies.James H. Moor - 2005 - Ethics and Information Technology 7 (3):111-119.
The future of computer ethics: You ain't seen nothin' yet! [REVIEW]James H. Moor - 2001 - Ethics and Information Technology 3 (2):89-91.

Add more references