Morality and Law in Cyberspace
Journal of Business Ethics Education 8: 431-434. © 2011 NeilsonJournals Publishing.
Book Review - Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace, 4th Edition by Richard Spinello, Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003
Jeffrey A. Roberts
Duquesne University, USA
In the fourth edition of CyberEthics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace David Spinello continues a long and rich tradition of contribution to the field of ethics education and research. In this most recent edition, Spinello, a management scholar of impressive erudition, manages a clear and thoughtful presentation of ethical, legal, and social issues that arise with the use of the internet. As with previous editions, this fourth edition provides a necessary and welcome update as the material must reflect the constantly changing landscape of a complex brew of technology, commerce, law, and philosophy. As with previous versions of this text, Spinello contends that while the development of the Internet and the WEB has and continues to change the social and economic order, this “change” is accompanied by social costs. It is the exploration of these costs and related moral issues that constitutes the primary focus of Spinello’s text. Early chapters of the text build a solid theoretical foundation drawing of writings of philosophers and legal scholars as the basis to explore four broad areas related to cyberethics—free speech and content control, intellectual property, Internet privacy, and Internet security. Throughout, Spinello does an admirable job explicating concepts, positions, and presenting relevant arguments in approachable terms frequently drawing on relevant contemporary examples. The result—a book that offers a clear presentation of ethical, legal, and social issues comprising cyberethics. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to traditional ethical frameworks used throughout the remainder of the text to explore and analyze moral dilemmas and social problems arising in cyberspace. The discussion of
Book Review - Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace, 4th Edition by Richard Spinello, Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003
Jeffrey A. Roberts
Duquesne University, USA
In the fourth edition of CyberEthics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace David Spinello continues a long and rich tradition of contribution to the field of ethics education and research. In this most recent edition, Spinello, a management scholar of impressive erudition, manages a clear and thoughtful presentation of ethical, legal, and social issues that arise with the use of the internet. As with previous editions, this fourth edition provides a necessary and welcome update as the material must reflect the constantly changing landscape of a complex brew of technology, commerce, law, and philosophy. As with previous versions of this text, Spinello contends that while the development of the Internet and the WEB has and continues to change the social and economic order, this “change” is accompanied by social costs. It is the exploration of these costs and related moral issues that constitutes the primary focus of Spinello’s text. Early chapters of the text build a solid theoretical foundation drawing of writings of philosophers and legal scholars as the basis to explore four broad areas related to cyberethics—free speech and content control, intellectual property, Internet privacy, and Internet security. Throughout, Spinello does an admirable job explicating concepts, positions, and presenting relevant arguments in approachable terms frequently drawing on relevant contemporary examples. The result—a book that offers a clear presentation of ethical, legal, and social issues comprising cyberethics. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to traditional ethical frameworks used throughout the remainder of the text to explore and analyze moral dilemmas and social problems arising in cyberspace. The discussion of