Cyberstalking: Gender and Computer Ethics
Alison Adam
In its present condition the cyberworld of the internet is a forum that perpetuates the victimisation of women and the dominance of men. Essentially it has become a new tool for stalking. The current state of computer ethics adheres greatly to the phallocentricities of "real world" power structures thereby creating the urgent need for a more functional, protective and realistic set of rules for internet users to live by when on-line. Adam suggests using the discourse of feminist ethics and feminist theory to propose more useful and effective guidelines for computer ethics. In the examples she gives Adam notes that it is the female's rights that are most often violated and the male that is most often the perpetrator. Adam also indicates the necessity of finding the causes of cyberstalking in order to assess what can be done to terminate such behaviour before it gets to a stage where people of little power become victims of harrassment.
I think Adam discusses some extremely valid points in her chapter. The stance Adam takes in looking at the concept of "prevention being better than a cure" is certainly something that should be considered but doesn't seem to have many practical implications as the finding and treatment of such anti-social individuals would be virtually impossible. However the current justice system does seem to struggle with the handling of cases such as the ones mentioned and there is a definitely an unquestionable need for user protection, user education and the increased responsibility of service providers in relation to both content and abuse.
A few good quotes: all page numbers from course reader.
"sexual harrassment...the unwanted imposition of sexual requirements in the context of a relationship of unequal power." (pp 131-2)
"...a cyberstalker can hide behind the anonymity of the internet." (pg 134)
"the majority of reported cyberstalking cases involve women as victims and men as perpertrators." (pg 134)
"the normal channels of law and justice are either not available or are not sufficient." (pg 133)
"...it is not always easy to see when their (women) rights are being violated. This may partly explain the reluctance of official bodies to see cyberstalking as a problem that affects women to the extent that they may need special measures to counteract it." (pg 135)
"The Reno report was balanced towards counteracting cyberstalking behaviour when it happens but said little of how we may stop the behaviour in the first place." (pg 135)
Links:
Stalking behaviour
An article by JA Hitchcock
Download a paper on cyberstalking from the Australian Institute of Criminology
Wired Article
"Make no mistake: this kind of harassment can be as frightening and as real as being followed and watched in your neighborhood or in your home."
-Vice President Al Gore
See you guys on wednesday- Kat :)
posted by dreamer @ 10:47 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
that was a really well written critique...:)
Kat, that's an excellent summary of the reading, highlighting well the key issues, and you've picked out some useful quotes. The extra links are great, too. Well done. :)
(I suspect, though, you meant 'phallocentricities', not 'fallocentricities').
erm...oops haha, i'll change that. thanks tama
My presentation of Alison Adam's chapter on cyberstalking fit quite well into the discussion today. I think the issue of feminist ethics was slightly washed over but Tama did raise the issue that the article is a few years old and that with the progression of time so too have the views of cyberstalking progressed. The distinction was drawn between cyberstalking and identity theft, [which some of Adam's examples can now be viewed as] and the discussion became more geared toward the ethics of impersonating someone or creating false identities and the moral questions that this would raise. I think I would have liked to focus more on the implications that seeing the woman as the powerless other has as it may have helped with the discussion of race and class re: the BEV. But overall I think that Adam's chapter allowed for excellent moral discussion and debate.
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