People now view digital services and applications as an essential part of their lives and as carriers of great benefits. Nevertheless, because they provide a new space for criminals, terrorists and others with malicious intent, digital technologies also present significant threats. How can we maintain the freedom and benefits offered by the digital ecosystem while also building into that system safeguards against attacks? The Digital Enlightenment Forum (DigEnlight) takes the view that the new regulatory and legal safeguards required for our digital world must be developed within a framework that incorporates what they call digital ethics. This White Book attempts to draw together the various strands which have emerged from the intense debate within DigEnlight over the last three years. It focuses on how we can negotiate the changing emergent behavior and ethical issues that arise at the heart of debates about the digital world, covering areas such as national security, internet governance, and approaches to privacy and trust, as well as making recommendations to help realize a global social compact for digital security and privacy based on ethical principles. The book represents a meaningful contribution to the ongoing efforts to deal with these important issues, and will be of interest to all those with concerns about the future of our digital world.
