Key Publications
2018

Cocking, Dean; van den Hoven, Jeroen
Evil Online Book
Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, West-Sussex, 2018.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: autonomy, evil online, internet, intimacy, moral character, moral life, online platforms, privacy, trust
@book{Cocking2018,
title = {Evil Online},
author = {Dean Cocking and Jeroen van den Hoven},
url = {http://jeroenv1.sg-host.com/book/evil-online-2018/},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-05-01},
publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
address = {Chichester, West-Sussex},
abstract = {We now live in an era defined by the ubiquity of the internet. From our everyday engagement with social media to trolls on forums and the emergence of the dark web, the internet is a space characterized by unreality, isolation, anonymity, objectification, and rampant self-obsession—the perfect breeding ground for new, unprecedented manifestations of evil. Evil Online is the first comprehensive analysis of evil and moral character in relation to our increasingly online lives.
Chapters consider traditional ideas around the phenomenon of evil in moral philosophy and explore how the dawn of the internet has presented unprecedented challenges to older theoretical approaches. Cocking and Van den Hoven propose that a growing sense of moral confusion—moral fog—pushes otherwise ordinary, normal people toward evildoing, and that values basic to moral life such as autonomy, intimacy, trust, and privacy are put at risk by online platforms and new technologies. This new theory of evildoing offers fresh insight into the moral character of the individual, and opens the way for a burgeoning new area of social thought.
A comprehensive analysis of an emerging and disturbing social phenomenon, Evil Online examines the morally troubling aspects of the internet in our society. Written not only for academics in the fields of philosophy, psychology, information science, and social science, Evil Online is accessible and compelling reading for anyone interested in understanding the emergence of evil in our digitally-dominated world.},
keywords = {autonomy, evil online, internet, intimacy, moral character, moral life, online platforms, privacy, trust},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}
Chapters consider traditional ideas around the phenomenon of evil in moral philosophy and explore how the dawn of the internet has presented unprecedented challenges to older theoretical approaches. Cocking and Van den Hoven propose that a growing sense of moral confusion—moral fog—pushes otherwise ordinary, normal people toward evildoing, and that values basic to moral life such as autonomy, intimacy, trust, and privacy are put at risk by online platforms and new technologies. This new theory of evildoing offers fresh insight into the moral character of the individual, and opens the way for a burgeoning new area of social thought.
A comprehensive analysis of an emerging and disturbing social phenomenon, Evil Online examines the morally troubling aspects of the internet in our society. Written not only for academics in the fields of philosophy, psychology, information science, and social science, Evil Online is accessible and compelling reading for anyone interested in understanding the emergence of evil in our digitally-dominated world.
2017

van den Hoven, J; Miller, S; Pogge, T
Designing in Ethics Book
Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: design, ethics, philosophy
@book{vandenHoven2017,
title = {Designing in Ethics},
author = {J van den Hoven and S Miller and T Pogge},
url = {http://jeroenv1.sg-host.com/book/designing-in-ethics-2017/},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-10-26},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
abstract = {Many of our interactions in the twenty-first century - both good and bad - take place by means of institutions, technology, and artefacts. We inhabit a world of implements, instruments, devices, systems, gadgets, and infrastructures. Technology is not only something that we make, but is also something that in many ways makes us. The discipline of ethics must take this constitutive feature of institutions and technology into account; thus, ethics must in turn be embedded in our institutions and technology. The contributors to this book argue that the methodology of 'designing in ethics' - addressing and resolving the issues raised by technology through the use of appropriate technological design - is the way to achieve this integration. They apply their original methodology to a wide range of institutions and technologies, using case studies from the fields of healthcare, media and security. Their volume will be important for philosophical practitioners and theorists alike.},
keywords = {design, ethics, philosophy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}

Bruno S. Frey Dirk Helbing, Gerd Gigerenzer
Will Democracy Survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence? Journal Article
In: Scientific American, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Big data, Citizen Participation, Government, Personalized information systems, Policy
@article{Helbing2017,
title = {Will Democracy Survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence?},
author = {Dirk Helbing, Bruno S. Frey, Gerd Gigerenzer, Ernst Hafen, Michael Hagner, Yvonne Hofstetter, Jeroen van den Hoven, Roberto V. Zicari, Andrej Zwitter},
url = {https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-democracy-survive-big-data-and-artificial-intelligence/},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-02-25},
journal = {Scientific American},
abstract = {To counteract the dangerous side effects of the digital age, governments need to implement policies that protect individual privacy, promote pluralism and facilitate citizen participation. In line with the principle of “informational self-determination,” new regulations must sanction the unauthorized use of data and must empower citizens to determine what kind of personal information they are willing to share and with whom. Furthermore, education systems must teach young citizens how to use digital technologies responsibly. Meanwhile, governments can make use of digital platforms to promote “collaborative innovation” and reward companies that make their data accessible for scientific and public policy research. Governments can use similar platforms to allow people from different cultures to exchange local knowledge and ideas, thus enhancing “collective intelligence.” Finally, official online platforms can empower citizens to contribute to political debates and participate in formulating new and better policies.},
keywords = {Artificial Intelligence, Big data, Citizen Participation, Government, Personalized information systems, Policy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2012

van den Hoven, J; Helbing, D; Pedreschi, D; Domingo-Ferrer, J; Gianotti, F; Christen, M
FuturICT --- The road towards ethical ICT Journal Article
In: The European Physical Journal Special Topics, vol. 214, no. 1, pp. 153–181, 2012, ISSN: 1951-6401.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: information society, moral reason, personal data, recommender system
@article{vandenHoven2012,
title = {FuturICT --- The road towards ethical ICT},
author = {J van den Hoven and D Helbing and D Pedreschi and J Domingo-Ferrer and F Gianotti and M Christen},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2012-01691-2},
doi = {10.1140/epjst/e2012-01691-2},
issn = {1951-6401},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-11-01},
journal = {The European Physical Journal Special Topics},
volume = {214},
number = {1},
pages = {153--181},
abstract = {The pervasive use of information and communication technology (ICT) in modern societies enables countless opportunities for individuals, institutions, businesses and scientists, but also raises difficult ethical and social problems. In particular, ICT helped to make societies more complex and thus harder to understand, which impedes social and political interventions to avoid harm and to increase the common good. To overcome this obstacle, the large-scale EU flagship proposal FuturICT intends to create a platform for accessing global human knowledge as a public good and instruments to increase our understanding of the information society by making use of ICT-based research. In this contribution, we outline the ethical justification for such an endeavor. We argue that the ethical issues raised by FuturICT research projects overlap substantially with many of the known ethical problems emerging from ICT use in general. By referring to the notion of Value Sensitive Design, we show for the example of privacy how this core value of responsible ICT can be protected in pursuing research in the framework of FuturICT. In addition, we discuss further ethical issues and outline the institutional design of FuturICT allowing to address them.},
keywords = {information society, moral reason, personal data, recommender system},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

den Hoven, Jeroen Van; Lokhorst, Gert-Jan; de Poel, Ibo Van
Engineering and the Problem of Moral Overload Journal Article
In: Science and Engineering Ethics, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 143–155, 2012, ISSN: 1471-5546.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: engineering, moral dilemmas, moral overload, moral progress, technological progress
@article{VandenHoven2012b,
title = {Engineering and the Problem of Moral Overload},
author = {Jeroen Van den Hoven and Gert-Jan Lokhorst and Ibo Van de Poel},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-011-9277-z},
doi = {10.1007/s11948-011-9277-z},
issn = {1471-5546},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-03-01},
journal = {Science and Engineering Ethics},
volume = {18},
number = {1},
pages = {143--155},
abstract = {When thinking about ethics, technology is often only mentioned as the source of our problems, not as a potential solution to our moral dilemmas. When thinking about technology, ethics is often only mentioned as a constraint on developments, not as a source and spring of innovation. In this paper, we argue that ethics can be the source of technological development rather than just a constraint and technological progress can create moral progress rather than just moral problems. We show this by an analysis of how technology can contribute to the solution of so-called moral overload or moral dilemmas. Such dilemmas typically create a moral residue that is the basis of a second-order principle that tells us to reshape the world so that we can meet all our moral obligations. We can do so, among other things, through guided technological innovation.},
keywords = {engineering, moral dilemmas, moral overload, moral progress, technological progress},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2011

Heersmink, Richard; van den Hoven, Jeroen; van Eck, Nees Jan; van den Berg, Jan
Bibliometric mapping of computer and information ethics Journal Article
In: Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 241, 2011, ISSN: 1572-8439.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: computer and information ethics, term map, VOSviewer
@article{Heersmink2011,
title = {Bibliometric mapping of computer and information ethics},
author = {Richard Heersmink and Jeroen van den Hoven and Nees Jan van Eck and Jan van den Berg},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-011-9273-7},
doi = {10.1007/s10676-011-9273-7},
issn = {1572-8439},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-04-19},
journal = {Ethics and Information Technology},
volume = {13},
number = {3},
pages = {241},
abstract = {This paper presents the first bibliometric mapping analysis of the field of computer and information ethics (C&IE). It provides a map of the relations between 400 key terms in the field. This term map can be used to get an overview of concepts and topics in the field and to identify relations between information and communication technology concepts on the one hand and ethical concepts on the other hand. To produce the term map, a data set of over thousand articles published in leading journals and conference proceedings in the C&IE field was constructed. With the help of various computer algorithms, key terms were identified in the titles and abstracts of the articles and co-occurrence frequencies of these key terms were calculated. Based on the co-occurrence frequencies, the term map was constructed. This was done using a computer program called VOSviewer. The term map provides a visual representation of the C&IE field and, more specifically, of the organization of the field around three main concepts, namely privacy, ethics, and the Internet.},
keywords = {computer and information ethics, term map, VOSviewer},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2010

Stahl, B C; Heersmink, R; Goujon, P; Flick, C; van den Hoven, J; Wakunuma, K; Ikonen, V; Rader, M
Identifying the ethics of emerging information and communication technologies: an essay on issues, concepts & method Journal Article
In: 2010.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: concepts, emerging ICTs, ethical analysis, ethics, methodology, Policy
@article{Stahl2010,
title = {Identifying the ethics of emerging information and communication technologies: an essay on issues, concepts & method},
author = {B C Stahl and R Heersmink and P Goujon and C Flick and J van den Hoven and K Wakunuma and V Ikonen and M Rader },
url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/48330704_Identifying_the_Ethics_of_Emerging_Information_and_Communication_Technologies_An_Essay_on_Issues_Concepts_and_Method},
year = {2010},
date = {2010-10-04},
abstract = {International Journal of Technoethics (IJT) Vol.1 Nr.4, 20 - 38 Ethical issues of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are important because they can have significant effects on human liberty, happiness, and people's ability to lead a good life. They are also of functional interest because they can determine whether technologies are used and whether their positive potential can unfold. For these reasons, policy makers are interested in finding out what these issues are and how they can be addressed. The best way of creating ICT policy that is sensitive to ethical issues pertain to being proactive in addressing such issues at an early stage of the technology life cycle. The present paper uses this position as a starting point and discusses how knowledge of ethical aspects of emerging ICTs can be gained. It develops a methodology that goes beyond established futures methodologies to cater for the difficult nature of ethical issues. The authors outline how the description of emerging ICTs can be used for an ethical analysis. },
keywords = {concepts, emerging ICTs, ethical analysis, ethics, methodology, Policy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

van den Hoven, Jeroen
The Use of Normative Theories in Computer Ethics Book Chapter
In: Floridi, Luciano (Ed.): The Cambridge Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics, Chapter 4, pp. 60-76, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Computer Science, Ethical issues, information society, IT-artefacts, philosophy
@inbook{vandenHoven2010,
title = {The Use of Normative Theories in Computer Ethics},
author = {Jeroen van den Hoven },
editor = {Luciano Floridi},
url = {https://d1rkab7tlqy5f1.cloudfront.net/TBM/Over%20faculteit/Afdelingen/Values%2C%20Technology%20and%20Innovation/People/Full%20Professors/The_use_of_normative_theories_in_computer_ethics.pdf},
year = {2010},
date = {2010-04-15},
booktitle = {The Cambridge Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics},
pages = {60-76},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
address = {Cambridge},
chapter = {4},
abstract = {Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have profoundly changed many aspects of life, including the nature of entertainment, work, communication, education, healthcare, industrial production and business, social relations and conflicts. They have had a radical and widespread impact on our moral lives and hence on contemporary ethical debates. The Cambridge Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics, first published in 2010, provides an ambitious and authoritative introduction to the field, with discussions of a range of topics including privacy, ownership, freedom of speech, responsibility, technological determinism, the digital divide, cyber warfare, and online pornography. It offers an accessible and thoughtful survey of the transformations brought about by ICTs and their implications for the future of human life and society, for the evaluation of behaviour, and for the evolution of moral values and rights. It will be a valuable book for all who are interested in the ethical aspects of the information society in which we live.},
keywords = {Computer Science, Ethical issues, information society, IT-artefacts, philosophy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
2005

van den Hoven, Jeroen
E-democracy, E-Contestation and the Monitorial Citizen Journal Article
In: Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 51–59, 2005, ISSN: 1572-8439.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: contestatory democracy, deliberative democracy, digital democracy, e-democracy, e-voting, internet, Philip Pettit
@article{vandenHoven2005,
title = {E-democracy, E-Contestation and the Monitorial Citizen},
author = {Jeroen van den Hoven},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-005-4581-4},
doi = {10.1007/s10676-005-4581-4},
issn = {1572-8439},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-06-01},
journal = {Ethics and Information Technology},
volume = {7},
number = {2},
pages = {51--59},
abstract = {It is argued that Pettit's conception of `contestatory democracy' is superior to deliberative, direct and epistemic democracy. The strong and weak points of these conceptions are discussed drawing upon the work of a.o Bruce Bimber. It is further argued that `contestation' and `information' are highly relevant notions in thinking about, just, viable and sustainable design for E-democracy.},
keywords = {contestatory democracy, deliberative democracy, digital democracy, e-democracy, e-voting, internet, Philip Pettit},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2003

Hoven, Jeroen Van Den
Computer Ethics and Moral Methodology Journal Article
In: Metaphilosophy, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 234-248, 2003.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: computer and information ethics, justification of moral judgment, moral decision-making, moral methodology, wide reflective equilibrium
@article{doi:10.1111/1467-9973.00053,
title = {Computer Ethics and Moral Methodology},
author = {Jeroen Van Den Hoven},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9973.00053},
doi = {10.1111/1467-9973.00053},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-24},
journal = {Metaphilosophy},
volume = {28},
number = {3},
pages = {234-248},
abstract = {In computer ethics, as in other branches of applied ethics, the problem of the justification of moral judgment is still unresolved. I argue that the method which is referred to as “The Method of Wide Reflective Equilibrium” (WRE) offers the best solution to it. It does not fall victim to the false dilemma of having to choose either case-based particularist or principle-based universalist approaches to the problem of moral justification. I claim that WRE also provides the best model of practical moral reasoning available for computer ethics. It does not pretend to provide quasi-algorithmic procedures for moral decision-making, but neither does it abandon the regulative ideal of communicative transparency in discursive public justification.},
keywords = {computer and information ethics, justification of moral judgment, moral decision-making, moral methodology, wide reflective equilibrium},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2002

van den Hoven, J; Lokhorst, G J
Deontic Logic and Computer Supported Ethics Journal Article
In: 2002.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: computer ethics, deontic logic, epistemic logic, equal access, information responsibility, intellectual property, logic of action, modal theorem provers, privacy
@article{vandenHoven2002,
title = {Deontic Logic and Computer Supported Ethics},
author = {J van den Hoven and G J Lokhorst },
url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229766172_Deontic_Logic_and_Computer-Supported_Computer_Ethics},
year = {2002},
date = {2002-04-01},
abstract = {We provide a description and informal analysis of the commonalities in moral discourse concerning issues in the field of information and communications technology, present a logic model (DEAL) of this type of moral discourse that makes use of recent research in deontic, epistemic, and action logic, and indicate – drawing upon recent research in computer implementations of modal logic – how information systems may be developed that implement the proposed formalization.
},
keywords = {computer ethics, deontic logic, epistemic logic, equal access, information responsibility, intellectual property, logic of action, modal theorem provers, privacy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
1997

van den Hoven, J
Privacy and the Varieties of Informational Wrongdoing Journal Article
In: 1997.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: moral constraints, panoptic technologies, philosophy, privacy
@article{vandenHoven1997,
title = {Privacy and the Varieties of Informational Wrongdoing},
author = {J van den Hoven },
url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239932991_Privacy_and_the_varieties_of_informational_wrongdoing},
year = {1997},
date = {1997-09-01},
abstract = {The communitarian diagnosis of our moral predicament goes deeper than just pointing to crime and free-riding as the collat- eral damage of the volatility and superficiality of modern life. It questions the very viability of the liberal conception of the self, which is so central to much of modern ethical theory and politi- cal philosophy. The liberal self is -as Michael Sandel has called it- too much of an "un-encumbered self": a self that makes its choices -including choices about its own identity- in splendid isolation, far from a community and a world that is already there, a self which has no constitutive attachments and preceeds the forma- tion of its own identity. The liberal conception of the self is thus voluntaristic (San&l), disengaged (Taylor) and radically un-situ- ated (Benhabib). So insisting on a moral right to privacy seems doubly wrong from a communitarian perspective: the subject of the right -being a figment of Enlightenment philosophy - does not exist strictly speaking, and the protection it offers is not worth wanting, if not clearly undesirable. What we need therefore is not just a matter of a counterexample proof definition of privacy, it is a matter of de- fending a whole philosophical tradition called liberalism and ar- guing for the plausibility and acceptability of the conception of the self that comes with it.
},
keywords = {moral constraints, panoptic technologies, philosophy, privacy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}