Cybersecurity and the Ethics of Care
Jane Blanken-Webb, Ryan Cloutier
Information Security Education Journal, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2020.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6025/isej/2020/7/2/31-39
Link: https://www.dline.info/isej/fulltext/v7n2/isejv7n2_1.pdf
Abstract:
This paper addresses mounting calls for ethical inquiry in cybersecurity by proposing consideration of the ethics of care as a guiding philosophical framework. It offers a general introduction to the ethics of care in relation to cybersecurity, followed by a targeted discussion of care ethicsâ€™ unique contribution as a philosophical framework for considering cybersecurityâ€™s position at the edge of technological innovation. From there, the paper puts forth a firsthand example, based on the second authorâ€™s personal experience as a cybersecurity professional, demonstrating a lived experience of the ethic of care in the midst of professional practice in cybersecurity. This opens into broader consideration of a fundamental ethical paradox in cybersecurity, discussed through the lens of the ethics of care, followed
by discussion of the significance of the relational contextâ€”or ethosâ€”that surrounds ethical action in cybersecurity education and practice. In closing, the paper proposes that the field of cybersecurity is inherently linked with care.