Abstract
The article deals with the moral responsibility of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) concerning the distribution of information in the virtual world, seen from the perspective of Christian Ethics. A number of case studies are discussed to illustrate some of the typical problems of responsibility experienced in this regard and the inadequacy of international legislation regulating internet services is pointed out. To adequately deal with specifically the moral responsibility of ISPs contemporary shifts in the concept of responsibility as a result of the process of modernisation are discussed. It is argued that the moral responsibility of ISPs is at least equivalent to that of other distributors of information. Nonetheless the moral responsibility ascribed to ISPs on the basis of liberal values would be different from that ascribed on the basis of Christian values. Liberals would tend to underplay the moral responsibility of ISPs to control the flow of information on the internet, while Christians would tend to emphasise their prospective responsibility to bar harmful information from the internet. However, in contemporary liberal democracies only ISPs serving Christians can be expected to exercise the moral responsibility that is regarded as ideal from a Christian perspective. From all ISPs the exercise of an optimal moral responsibility can nonetheless be expected.
Highlights
The article deals with the moral responsibility of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) concerning the distribution of information in the virtual world, seen from the perspective of Christian Ethics
Kan byvoorbeeld IDVs wat niks meer as elektroniese media vir die vloei van inligting wil wees nie, ‘n saak daarvoor uitmaak dat hulle vir niks meer verantwoordelik is as vir die effektiewe tegniese oordrag, stoor en ontsluiting van inligting via die internet nie? Of moet eerder, in die lig van die vermoë van IDVs om al drie rolle te speel, of weens ‘n onvermydelike ineenvloei van dié rolle, geoordeel word dat hulle ook wyer morele en juridiese verantwoordelikhede het?
In die beantwoording van dié vrae moet in ag geneem word dat daar ook belangrike verskille tussen IDVs en die tradisionele media is
Summary
Inligtings- en kommunikasietegnologie plaas nie net wetgewers, filosowe en teoloë nie, maar ook die gewone persoon op straat voor nuwe juridiese, morele en algemene gebruiksprobleme. Een van hierdie probleme het betrekking op die vraag na wat presies die verantwoordelikheid van IDVs is ten opsigte van die verspreiding van inligting in die virtuele wêreld. Of moet ons eerder aanvaar dat IDVs geen verantwoordelik het om inligting te kontroleer nie, omdat hulle beskou moet word as neutrale verspreiders van inligting wat slegs ‘n tegniese verantwoordelikheid het om inligting so effektief as moontlik te versprei? Daarna word die morele verantwoordelikheid van IDVs ten aansien van onwelvoeglike en skadelike inligting aan die orde gestel. Die gevolgtrekking is dat IDVs nie beskou kan word as ‘agnostiese (nie-wetende) morele agente’ wat geen morele verantwoordelikheid het ten opsigte van die inhoud van die inligting wat deur hul netwerke versprei word nie. Die artikel sluit af met ‘n bespreking van die ideale en optimale morele verantwoordelikheid van IDVs vanuit ‘n Christelike gesigspunt besien[2]
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