Beating bullying and the digital divide
A new institute is researching Internet ethics.
BASIC NETIQUETTE. Who is allowed to do what on the World Wide Web? This question now seems particularly pressing, especially since the hugely invasive interception practices of international intelligence agencies have shown that technical progress can pose major challenges to good behaviour. The new interdisciplinary Institute of Digital Ethics (IDE) at Stuttgart’s Media University is now developing basic standards for moral practice on the Internet. The IDE is focusing especially on the general user: it is investigating the potential dangers of media content, such as violent videos and Internet pornography, as well as malicious behaviour, such as cyberbullying and trolling. The IDE aims to broaden perspectives in research, teaching and practice, in both intercultural (such as in satirical videos with religious content) and international respects (including the global digital divide). “We need mutual agreements as users,” says the head of the institute, Petra Grimm: “We are still in the Internet Stone Age.” The IDE is promoting development in collaboration with such renowned partners as the International Center for Information Ethics.
