Dr. N. BEN FAIRWEATHER

The Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility's resident philosopher and research fellow.

Editor, Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society (ICES)

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Codes of Ethics (especially incomplete codes)
  
• Surveillance, Privacy, Encryption and Electronic Voting
  
• Health Issues in Computing (including RSI)
  
• Teleworking
  
• Intellectual Property 'Rights'
  
• The Mass-Market Software Industry
  
• Obsolescence in computer systems and software
  
• Ethics of Robotics / Ethics of Artifical Intelligence
  
• Freedom of Speech / Issues of Pornography and Censorship / Web-site sabotage / Anonymity

BOOKS

• 2003 Author of Is IT Ethical? 2002 ETHICOMP Survey of Professional Practice , published by Institute for the Management of Information Systems, 5 Kingfisher House, New Mill Road, Orpington, Kent BR5 3QG, price £10, ISBN 0 9535116-2-6. Co-authored with Freeman, J, Prior, M, Rogerson, S
  
  
• 2001 Author of Is IT Ethical? 2000 ETHICOMP Survey of Professional Practice , published by Institute for the Management of Information Systems, 5 Kingfisher House, New Mill Road, Orpington, Kent BR5 3QG, price £10, ISBN 0 9535116-1-8. Co-authored with Prior, M, Rogerson, S
  
  

• 2000 Author of Social Responsibility in the Information Age final report of a seminar series funded by the Economic and Social Research Council under the 1997 Seminar Competition and with further sponsorship from the Post Office. Published by the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, De Montfort University ISBN 185 721 3149 Co-authored with Rogerson, S and with contributions from Rafferty, J; Duquenoy, P and Megone, C.

• 1999 Editor of and contributor to Environmental Futures, published by Macmillan, ISBN 0-333-67019-1. Co-edited with Piers Stephens, Matt Stroh, and Sue Elworthy of the Interdisciplinary Research Network on the Environment and Society (IRNES).

• 1999 Author of Is IT Ethical? 1998 ETHICOMP Survey of Professional Practice, published by the Institute for the Management of Information Systems, price £10, ISBN: 0-953-51160-X. Co-authored with: Prior, M.,Rogerson, S., Butler, L. & Dixon S.

PAPERS PUBLISHED, OTHER ACADEMIC PAPERS, ETC

• Response to the 2003 UK Electoral Commission consultation entitled "Review of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000"
  
  
• Personal Response to the 2003 UK Electoral Commission consultation entitled "Review of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000"
  
  
• Response to the 2003 UK Electoral Commision consultation entitled "Review of ballot paper design"
  
  
• ETHIcol April 2003: Entitlement Cards
  
  
• Response to the 2002 Electoral Commision consultation on "Electoral registration: a review of the process"
  
  
• CCSR Response to the 2002 CESG report on "eVoting Security"
  
  
• CCSR Response to the 2002 UK Cabinet Office consultation on "In the service of democracy"
  
  
• CCSR Response to the 2002 UK Home Office consultation on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud
  
  
• 2002 Response to the 'Review of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000'
  
  
• 2002 "Disembodied Sport: Ethical Issues of Virtual Sport, Electronic Games, and Virtual Leisure" in Sport Technology: History, Philosophy, and Policy
  Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol.21, Elsevier Science
  
  
• 2002 "Balancing Security And Simplicity In E-Voting: Is There an Effective Compromise?" (with Pratchett, L, Wingfield, M, Rogerson, S) at the E-voting and the European Parliamentary Elections conference, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, 10-11 May 2002
  
  
• 2002 "Technical Options Report" (with Rogerson, S) for the project "The Implementation of Electronic Voting in the UK" jointly commissioned by Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, Office of the e-Envoy, Electoral Commission, LGA, IDeA and Solace. Available online in .pdf format
  
  
• 2002 "The ethical attitudes of information systems professionals: outcomes of an initial survey" (with Prior, M & Rogerson, S) pp21-36 in Telematics and Informatics Vol19, Elsevier Science
  
  
• 2002 Response to the "Viewers Consultation on Digital Television".
  
  
• 2002 "At Cross Purposes" with Rogerson, S in IMIS Journal Vol 12(3) pages 26-28
  
  
• 2002 "Policies for the Prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury Among Computer Users: A Moral Analysis" pp135-143 in Dhillon, Gurpreet Social Responsiblity in the Information Age: Issues and Controversies (Hershey: Idea Group) ISBN 1-930708-11-4
  
  
• 2001 "A moral approach to electronic patient records" (with Rogerson, S) pp219-234 in Medical Informatics and the Internet in Medicine Vol 26(3), Taylor and Francis
  
  
• 2001 "Health Warning" with Rogerson, S pp26-28 in IMIS Journal Vol 11(5)
  
  
• 2001 Paper: "Privacy in the Age of Bigger Brother" at ETHICOMP2001 fifth international conference on the social and ethical impacts of informationand communication technologies, Technical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, 18-20.06.2001, Abstract.
  
  

• 2001 Paper: "Towards Protecting Children in Cyberspace" with Begg, M and Rogerson, S at ETHICOMP2001 fifth international conference on the social
  and ethical impacts of information and communication technologies, Technical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, 18-20.06.2001, Abstract

• 2001 Paper: "Feeding the fire: How Awareness affects Perception" with Wilford, S at ETHICOMP2001 fifth international conference on the social and ethical impacts of information and communication technologies, Technical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, 18-20.06.2001, Abstract

• 2001 Paper: "What multicultural virtual society?" with Rogerson, S and Begg, M pp167-8 in International Telecommunications Quarterly issue 01/1

• 2001 Paper: "Telework: Providing Access to Work for Disabled People or Reinforcing Exclusion?" at Ethics IT and Social Exclusion conference,
  Bolton, 08-09.02.2001

• 2001 Paper: "No, PAPA: Why Incomplete Codes of Ethics are Worse Than None At All" (Revised Version) in Spinello, R and Tavani, H (eds) Readings in CyberEthics, Jones and Bartlett Publishers (previously published in 2000 and 1998, see below), Abstract

• 2001 Paper: "Being Ethical in Developing Information Systems: An Issue of Methodology or Maturity in Judgement?" with Wu, X and Rogerson, S at the 34th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-34)

• 2000 Paper: "The Ethical Attitudes of Information Systems Professionals: outcome of ann initial survey" forthcoming in Telematics and Informatics.

• 2000 Paper: "Leading a Horse to Water? Thoughts from the development of a code of ethics and professional practice for software engineering" at the "Fifth Annual Ethics and Technology Conference" Loyola University Chicago 21 - 22 July 2000

• 2000 Paper: "A Moral Approach to Electronic Patient Records" with Rogerson, S at the Conference "Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry" Dartmouth College Hanover, NH (USA) 14-16 July 2000

• 2000 Draft Code of Ethics for the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) with McRobb, S and Rogerson, S. Published in the IMIS Journal April 2000.

• 2000 Paper: "No, PAPA: Why Incomplete Codes of Ethics are Worse Than None At All" (Revised Version) in Collste, G (ed) Ethics in the Age of Information Technology (Linkoeping, Sweden: Centre for Applied Ethics, Linkoepings Universitet) (previously published in 1998, see below).Abstract

• 2000 Paper "Cheating and the Computer Games Industry" at the conference "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Philosophy, Ethics and Competitive Sport"

• 2000 Paper "Personal Data: Issues of Ethics and Regulation" for "Personal Data: Issues of Ethics and Regulation Seminar"

• 1999 Paper: "Surveillance in Employment: the case of Teleworking" in Journal of Business Ethics - 22: 39-49, previously presented at ETHICOMP98, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 25-27 March 1998. Abstract

• 1999 Paper: "The Future of Environmental Direct Action: A Case for Tolerating Disobedience" in Fairweather, Stephens, Stroh, and Elworthy (eds) Environmental Futures (Basingstoke: Macmillan)

• 1999 response to the Draft Helsinki Charter, Public access to and freedom of expression in networked information: Principles for cultural policy.

• 1999 Paper: "Disembodied Sport: Ethical Issues of Virtual Sport, Electronic Games and Virtual Leisure" at Sports, Persons, and Bodies International Conference in conjunction with the 27th Annual Meeting of the International Association for the Philosophy Sport, Bedford, 29 September - 03 October 1999.

• 1999 Paper: "Policies for the prevention of repetitive strain injury (RSI) among computer users: a moral analysis" at ETHICOMP99 LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy 6-8 October 1999 Abstract

• 1999 Paper: "The Future of Islamic Personal Introduction Agencies on the Internet" with Begg, M., Rogerson, S. and Luker, P. at ETHICOMP99 LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy 6-8 October 1999 Abstract

• 1999 Paper: "Ethical Considerations on Information System Development: Perspectives on a Practical Moral Framework" with Wu, X. & Rogerson, S. at ETHICOMP99 LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy 6-8 October 1999 Abstract

• 1999 response to the March 1999 DTI Paper: Building Confidence in Electronic Commerce - A Consultation Document.

• 1999 Paper "The Limits on Virtual Education" for "Virtual Education Seminar"

• 1999 Paper "Professional Responsibility" for "Professional Responsibility Seminar".

• 1999 Paper "How can information usage be managed in a way that balances the needs of all parties in an acceptable manner?" for "Information Provision Seminar".

• 1998 Paper "Location and Nature of Work in the Information Age" for "The Location and Nature of Work Seminar".

• 1998 Paper: "No, PAPA: Why Incomplete Codes of Ethics are Worse Than None At All" in Collste, G (ed) Ethics and Information Technology (Delhi: New Academic Publishers), previously presented to International Conference on Computer Ethics at Linköping University, 9-10 June 1997. Abstract

• 1998 Paper with Professor Simon Rogerson: "Surveillance in the workplace", IMIS Journal, pp.15-16 (July 1998).

• 1998 Paper with Steve Dixon and Edward Kingsley Trezise: "Business Ethics on the Internet 3" (Abstract) published in Business Ethics: European Review, pp. 212-219, Vol 7(4)

• 1998 Paper with Steve Dixon: "Business Ethics on the Internet 2" (Abstract) published in Business Ethics: European Review pp.73-80, Vol 7(2)

• 1997 Commentary on the 'Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics' On-line at this site.

• 1997 The Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility's response (with Professor Simon Rogerson) to the Government Consultation on Developing an Integrated Transport Policy.
  

• 1997 A personal response to the Government Consultation on Developing an Integrated Transport Policy.
  

• 1997 Response to the Government White Paper on the National Lottery

• 1997 Paper: "Not Facing the Future: Computing Chaos in the New Century?" On-line at this site.

• 1997 Contributor with Gotterbarn, D., Miller, K., Rogerson, S. et al to: "Software Engineering Code of Ethics" published in Communications of the ACM, pp. 110-118, Vol 40(11).

• 1997 Paper with Derrol Hopewell: Business Ethics on the Internet (Abstract) published in Business Ethics: European Review pp.125-133, Vol 6(3)

• 1997 Paper: "Moral Dilemmas and Issues of Providing Telework for Disabled People" To ACM SIGCAS Conference CEPE'97, at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Abstract

• 1997 Response (with Professor Simon Rogerson) to a Government Public Consultation Paper, on Detailed Proposals for Legislation on the Licensing of Trusted Third Parties for the Provision of Encryption Services.

• 1997 Paper with Professor Simon Rogerson: "Teleworking" published in IMIS Journal p.29, Vol 7(2)(May)

• 1996 Review Article: "Environmental Regulation: Governments, Businesses and Activists" in Environmental Politics, pp555-9, Vol 5(3).
  Reviewing Elusive Saviours: Transnational Corporations and Sustainable Development by Hans Heerings and Ineke Zeldenrust. Translated by Lin Pugh and edited by Niala Maharaj. Utrecht: International Books, 1995. £9.99. ISBN 90 6224 978 7,
  and Ecological Resistance Movements: The Global Emergence of Radical and Popular Environmentalism edited by Bron Raymond Taylor (SUNY Series in International Environmental Policy and Theory). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1995. £14.50. ISBN 0 7914 2646 7
  
  
• 1996 Review Article: "Business and Environmental Concern" in Environmental Politics, pp149-154, Vol 5(1).
  
  Reviewing Green, Inc.: A Guide to Business and the Environment by Frances Cairncross. London: Earthscan, 1995. £10.95. ISBN 1 85 383 250 2,
  Conservation and the Consumer: Understanding Environmental Concern by Paul Hackett (Consumer Research and Policy Series). London: Routledge, 1995. £45.00. ISBN 0 415 08096 7,
  and Environmentally Sustainable Business: A Local and Regional Perspective by Peter Roberts. London: Paul Chapman, 1995. £16.95. ISBN 1 85396 240 6

• 1993-6 Reviews in Environmental Politics,
  • at pp524-5, Vol 2(3): of Animal Rights, Human Rights: Ecology, Economy and Ideology in the Canadian Arctic by George Wenzel. London: Bellhaven Press, 1991. £37.50. ISBN 1 85293 030 6,
    
  • at pp278-9, Vol 2(4): of Structural Adjustment and the Environment edited by David Reed. London: Earthscan Publications, 1992. £15. ISBN 1 85383 150 0,
    
  • at pp 537-8, Vol 3(3): of Perspectives on the Environment: Interdisciplinary Research in Action edited by Jane Holder, Pauline Lane, Sally Eden, Rachel Reeve, Ute Collier and Kevin Anderson of the Interdisciplinary Research Network on the Environment and Society. Aldershot: Avebury, 1993. £30.00. ISBN 1 85628 606 1,
    
  • and at pp 177-178, Vol 5(1): of Defending your Freedom: A Guide to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 by Len Lucas and Alan Murdie. London: Legal Research and Campaign Services, 1994. £5.00. ISBN 0 9525065 0 5.

• 1994 Joint author of article "Report on the conference on philosophy and the natural environment" published in Journal of Value Inquiry pp 561-572, Vol 28(4). Co-authors: S Gibson, G Philp, S Smith & C Talbot.

• 1994 Editor of A First Look at Environmental Futures the book of short versions of papers for the 1994 conference of IRNES.

• 1994 Paper: "Coercing Coercers? The Future of Environmental Direct Action and the Current Criminal Justice Bill" published in A First Look at Environmental Futures and delivered to the IRNES conference.

• 1993 Paper: "The Proposal to Build a New Motorway in South Wales", at the conference of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics.

• 1992 Paper: "Deriving Environmental Obligations from Property Rights", to the IRNES conference.

• 1991 Paper: "The Moral Status of Limited Companies" to two hour session of University of Wales Gregynog staff and student philosophy colloquium.

• 1991 Paper: "The Difficulties Recovering Intention Of Joint Authored Works" (using JS Mill and Harriet, his wife, as example) to Philosophy staff-student seminar.

RESEARCH FUNDING

• "The Implementation of Electronic Voting in the UK" jointly commissioned by Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, Office of the e-Envoy, Electoral Commission, LGA, IDeA and Solace.
  
  
• Lead researcher: RSI Prevention in HE: theory and practice, a case study funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee through the national clearing house for Disability and Information Systems in Higher Education

• Participant, report author and associate organiser: Advances in Social Responsibility in the Information Age seminar programme funded by the ESRC under the 1997 Seminar Competition and with further sponsorship from the

• Research collaborator and co-author ETHICOMP Surveys of Professional Practice, funded by the Institute for the Management of Information Systems

CURRENT DOCTORAL SUPERVISION

Current

• Mohamed Mahmood Begg - "Information and Communications Technologies and the Muslim Community in Leicester: An Impact Analysis"
• Sara Wilford - "Privacy Policy Within Computer Ethics"
• Richard Howley - "Data-Protection"
• D. Sherratt. - Case-based reasoner tool for social, legal and ethical issues of ICT

Completed

• Wu Xiaojian - "The Ethical Considerations in Policing Information Systems Development Strategies and Methodologies"

BROADCASTING EXPERIENCE

Filmed for national and local TV news bulletins,
Interviewed in Tyne Tees TV documentary series "Redbrick",
Took part in Tyne Tees TV discussion programme "Straight Talk",
in a Swedish Educational Radio discussion programme on Computer Ethics,
and the BBC Wales Radio discussion programme "All Things Considered",
Interviewed live by BBC Radio Leicester.
Interviewed live by BBC Radio Leicester Tue, 13 Aug 2002 on Child Safety using the Internet.

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

PhD in Applied Philosophy University of Wales, Cardiff 1996 "The Relationship Between Liberal Freedom and Green Moral and Political Theory" Included: Morality and Business; Nature of Liberalism and Freedom; Nature of Green Moral and Political Theory; Environmental Direct Action; and Transport Policy. (Summary)

I was informally connected to the Centre for Applied Ethics at Cardiff.

MA in Political Philosophy: (The Idea of Toleration): University of York. Dissertation: Obligations to the Distant Future.
Treasurer, College Graduate Common Room, York University, 1989-90.

BA in Politics: University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Initially studied and passed two years computing.
Executive Officer, Newcastle University SU, 1985-86

INTERESTS (INCLUDE)

Arsenal Football Club; Swimming & Lifesaving; Cycling. I also spend loads of time doing DIY on the house I share with Jen, but swear I am NOT interested in DIY!

Last updated Monday 10th November 2003