The Ethics of Surveillance: An Introduction systematically and comprehensively examines the ethical issues surrounding the concept of surveillance. Addressing important questions such as:
- Is it ever acceptable to spy on one's allies?
- To what degree should the state be able to intrude into its citizens' private lives in the name of security?
- Can corporate espionage ever be justified?
- What are the ethical issues surrounding big data?
- How far should a journalist go in pursuing information?
- Is it reasonable to expect a degree of privacy in public?
- Is it ever justifiable for a parent to read a child’s diary?
Featuring case studies throughout, this textbook provides a philosophical introduction to an incredibly topical issue studied by students within the fields of applied ethics, ethics of technology, privacy, security studies, politics, journalism and human geography.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I – Introducing the Ethics of Surveillance
Chapter 1 - History of Thought on Surveillance and the Ethics of Surveillance
Chapter 2 - The Wrongs of Surveillance
Chapter 3 - Key Ethical Issues in Surveillance
Part II – Applied Contexts
Chapter 4 – International Espionage
Chapter 5 – National Security
Chapter 6 – Policing
Chapter 7 – Social Welfare
Chapter 8 – Corporate Espionage
Chapter 9 – Commercial Uses
Chapter 10 – Journalism
Chapter 11 – Private Investigators
Chapter 12 – Workplace Surveillance
Chapter 13 – Surveillance in Public Places
Chapter 14 – The Young and Old
Conclusion
Index
Biography
Kevin Macnish is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Twente, The Netherlands.
"Ours is a world where surveillance is too often justified on a good guy vs bad guy, simplistic, paradigm. Macnish demonstrates the complexities in the ethics of surveillance in a thoughtful and comprehensive book that warrants careful reading by developers, users and subjects of surveillance alike."
Eric Stoddart, University of St. Andrews, UK
"This book provides a compelling introduction to the wide range of ethical issues raised by the ever-present surveillance technologies that are characteristic of our world. In this lucid and philosophically sophisticated text, Kevin Macnish considers the implications of not only government espionage, but also the surveillance undertaken in the pursuit of national security, commercial competition and excellence in education and, further, demonstrates the numerous ways in which the practice of surveillance raises fundamental questions for social and political philosophers."
Adrian Walsh, University of New England, Australia
