Technology, Freedom, and Privacy in the 21st Century

People of the free world enjoy unprecedented personal liberties in the historic moment in which we live. Yet, freedom and privacy are precious and transitory gifts, entrusted to each successive generation, and each generation is steward of the gift that was bestowed by its predecessors. Emerging technologies are ostensibly intended to solve problems, cure social or physical ills, or provide a general benefit to society and humanity, though the technology itself is agnostic with respect to its creators' or users' intentions. Hence, privacy and other essential freedoms may either be secured, or threatened by any given emerging technology, depending on the values, beliefs, and intentions of those who use it. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, or monitoring and surveillance technologies are of primary concern with respect to freedom and privacy. In this talk titled 'Technology, Freedom and Privacy in the 21st Century: Perspectives About the Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies' Dr Wingreen will discuss how recent research sheds light on the ethical implications of some of these emerging technologies.

Dr Stephen C. Wingreen leads the Social Media and 21st Century Commerce research group at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Stephen earned his PhD in Information Systems and Decision Sciences at the University of South Florida. His research interests span the spectrum of decision makers and decision-making, value and value systems, people, technology, and culture. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Ethics, the Journal of Information Technology, Human Resource Management, and Electronic Markets, to name a few.