The Ethics of Corporate Censorship of Information-Sharing Behavior: A Nonconsequentialist Perspective

IF 0.3 4区管理学 Q4 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE

Library Trends Pub Date : 2020-10-21 DOI:10.1353/lib.2020.0018

H. Zhong, P. Watters

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Abstract:Recent research on information-seeking behavior (Watters and Ziegler 2016) has suggested a role for managing access to ensure consistency with local regulatory or policy requirements. However, sharing of self-generated, personal data—as facilitated by socialmedia companies—should be relatively free of information-sharing controls. While many studies have examined government censorship, the extent to which the private sector is complicit is often unclear. In this study, we examine whether censorship appears to occur on a number of social-media and related sites, including the transmission of sensitive keywords and URLs. The results indicate that some level of private-sector censorship is prevalent, often in breach of the technology companies' own terms and conditions. In some cases, apparently harmless information is overblocked. These companies need to be more transparent about their censorship mechanisms and subject their actual policies and procedures to scrutiny and public debate. Removing controls on information-sharing behavior is consistent with a nonconsequentialist perspective on privacy.

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信息共享行为的公司审查伦理:一个非结果主义的视角

摘要：最近关于信息寻求行为的研究（Watters和Ziegler，2016）提出了管理访问的作用，以确保与当地监管或政策要求的一致性。然而，在社交媒体公司的推动下，共享自己生成的个人数据应该相对不受信息共享控制。尽管许多研究对政府审查制度进行了审查，但私营部门在多大程度上串通一气往往不清楚。在这项研究中，我们检查了一些社交媒体和相关网站是否出现审查，包括敏感关键词和URL的传输。研究结果表明，某种程度的私营部门审查制度普遍存在，往往违反了科技公司自己的条款和条件。在某些情况下，看似无害的信息被过度锁定。这些公司需要对其审查机制更加透明，并对其实际政策和程序进行审查和公开辩论。取消对信息共享行为的控制与对隐私的非顺序主义观点是一致的。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Library Trends INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-

CiteScore

1.20

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Library Trends, issued quarterly and edited by F. W. Lancaster, explores critical trends in professional librarianship, including practical applications, thorough analyses, and literature reviews. Both practicing librarians and educators use Library Trends as an essential tool in their professional development and continuing education. Each issue is devoted to a single aspect of professional activity or interest. In-depth, thoughtful articles explore important facets of the issue topic. Every year, Library Trends provides breadth, covering a wide variety of themes, from special libraries to emerging technologies. An invaluable resource to practicing librarians and educators, the journal is an important tool that is utilized for professional development and continuing education.