Terrorism, cyberbullying, child pornography, hate speech, 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 dangerous expressions online? Confronting the Internet's Dark Side is the first book on social responsibility on the Internet. It aims to strike a balance between the free speech principle and the responsibilities of the individual, corporation, state, and the international community. This book brings a global perspective to the analysis of some of the most troubling uses of the Internet. It urges net users, ISPs, and liberal democracies to weigh freedom and security, finding the golden mean between unlimited license and moral responsibility. This 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.
- Proposes a framework for individual, corporate, and international moral and social responsibility on the Internet
- Advocates the need for increased moderation of destructive online activity including cyberbullying, hate speech, terrorism, and child pornography
- Includes valuable background on the history of the Internet as a network as well as the ethical issues of censorship and free speech
Read more
Reviews & endorsements
"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. This book documents today's turning point with urgency and profound clarity. Ithiel de Sola Poole's Technologies of Freedom (1983) has become a classic work defining the information society, with media technology its axis. Confronting the Internet's Dark Side is of that quality, a potential classic that defines for us moral responsibility in the new media age."
Clifford Christians, Research Professor of Communications, University of Illinois
"Cohen-Almagor recognizes that if social responsibility on the Internet is to be implemented, discussions will need to focus on how and why one can draw limits to what one does on the internet as well as what ISP’s and countries can do with the internet. Not everyone will agree with the solutions proposed, but in light of the detailed stories concerning hate sites (towards groups or humanity in general), webcam viewing of actual suicides, the exponential growth of child pornography etc., it is hard to fall back on knee jerk First Amendment responses."
Robert Cavalier, Carnegie Mellon University
"In this book, Raphael Cohen-Almagor makes a forceful case for greater social responsibility on the part of Internet service providers and all who surf the Web. Calling on us to think and act like citizens of the online world, he insists that we have a moral obligation to confront those who abuse the technology by using it to disseminate hate propaganda and child pornography, or by engaging in cyber-bullying, or by aiding and abetting terrorism. Fast paced, philosophically sophisticated, and filled with illustrative and sometimes heart-wrenching examples, the book is intended to serve as a wake-up call and will challenge its readers to reconsider their views of free expression in the Internet age."
Stephen L. Newman, York University
"[A] groundbreaking book … a must-read for researchers and policy planners as well as laymen interested in social responsibility on the Internet."
Jadgish N. Singh, Jerusalem Post
See more reviews
Customer reviews

Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review

Log in to review

Review was not posted due to profanity
×

, create a review

(If you're not , sign out)

Please enter the right captcha value

Please enter a star rating.

Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

How do you rate this item?

Reviews must contain at least 12 words about the product.

×

Product details
- Date Published: June 2015
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781107105591
- length: 406 pages
- dimensions: 229 x 152 x 24 mm
- weight: 0.71kg
- contains: 1 b/w illus. 1 table
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Historical framework
2. Technological framework
3. Theoretical framework
4. Agent's responsibility
5. Readers' responsibility
6. Responsibility of Internet service providers and web-hosting services, part I: rationale and principles
7. Responsibility of internet service providers and web-hosting services, part II: applications
8. State responsibility
9. International responsibility
Conclusion.
Look Inside
Author
Raphael Cohen-Almagor, University of Hull
Raphael Cohen-Almagor is Professor and Chair in Politics at the University of Hull. He has published extensively in the fields of political science, law, ethics and philosophy, including The Right to Die with Dignity (2001), Speech, Media and Ethics, 2nd edition (2005) and The Scope of Tolerance (2007). His second book of poetry, published in 2007, is entitled Voyages.

Confronting the Internet's Dark Side by Raphael Cohen-Almagor, video courtesy of Raphael Cohen-Almagor

This title is available for institutional purchase via Cambridge Core

Related Books

Internet Co-Regulation

European Law, Regulatory Governance and Legitimacy in Cyberspace

Film at the Intersection of High and Mass Culture

Jurisdiction and the Internet

Regulatory Competence over Online Activity

related journals

also by this author

Just, Reasonable Multiculturalism

Liberalism, Culture and Coercion

Save 20% off on your next online purchase with Cambridge Alerts

Receive email alerts on new books, offers and news...

Find content that relates to you

Join us online

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read more Close

Products and services

About us

Careers

Unlocking potential with the best learning and research solutions

Confronting the Internet's Dark Side
Moral and Social Responsibility on the Free Highway

$108.00 (C)