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within the industry whereby terms of usage are written in lengthy and
complex legal jargon which many people do not readily understand.
De Bruin and Floridi (2017), building on the work of Kawall (2002)
and De Bruin (2015), ultimately characterize the virtue of “interlucency”
as the other-regarding epistemic virtue that helps establish a common
knowledge through providing the relevant information in a language that
can be understood and shared by the interested users. More than the virtue of a single cloud user, the epistemic virtue of interlucency, according
to De Bruin and Floridi, must be applied to the cloud computing industry
as a whole. To ground their contribution, the authors make explicit reference to the concept of “comprehensibility” as formulated by Habermas
(quoting Habermas 1981).
De Bruin and Floridi (2017) further discuss users’ attitudes. They suggest that users should be intellectually impartial, sober and courageous.
Intellectual impartiality applies to users insofar as they are able to overcome personal prejudices towards the cloud computing industry and the
possible risks connected to the circulation of their data. They may attempt
to do so by listening to authoritative voices in the field of technology and
by seeking information from independent experts. Intellectual sobriety
helps users to ‘resist the overly enthusiastic adoption of beliefs about either
the pros and the cons of cloud computing’ (2017, p. 29). Intellectual
courage concerns the continuous active attitude to overcome ignorance
and lack of information even when faced with obstacles. The authors assert
that users must continue to ask questions when something is not clear, for
example the terms and conditions of a specific service.
It is interesting to note how De Bruin and Floridi (2017) articulate in
favour of “proscriptive pressure” on the side of users more than on the
side of the providers of cloud services: in so doing, they are actually interpreting one of the main ethical issues associated with the relationship
between technology and the use of technology. Indeed, the authors place
emphasis on the freedom of the agent and on his/her responsibility to
make the best use of technology without limiting the possibility of technology developers to advance their discoveries, highlighting that the ethical boundaries of technological advances should be determined in relation
to the way they are used, not by what they can potentially do. For example, a terrorist organization can benefit from services available in the cloud,
however the objective for which it uses this service is illegal and contrary
to the good of society.
6 ETHICS AND CLOUD COMPUTING
within the industry whereby terms of usage are written in lengthy and
complex legal jargon which many people do not readily understand.
De Bruin and Floridi (2017), building on the work of Kawall (2002)
and De Bruin (2015), ultimately characterize the virtue of “interlucency”
as the other-regarding epistemic virtue that helps establish a common
knowledge through providing the relevant information in a language that
can be understood and shared by the interested users. More than the virtue of a single cloud user, the epistemic virtue of interlucency, according
to De Bruin and Floridi, must be applied to the cloud computing industry
as a whole. To ground their contribution, the authors make explicit reference to the concept of “comprehensibility” as formulated by Habermas
(quoting Habermas 1981).
De Bruin and Floridi (2017) further discuss users’ attitudes. They suggest that users should be intellectually impartial, sober and courageous.
Intellectual impartiality applies to users insofar as they are able to overcome personal prejudices towards the cloud computing industry and the
possible risks connected to the circulation of their data. They may attempt
to do so by listening to authoritative voices in the field of technology and
by seeking information from independent experts. Intellectual sobriety
helps users to ‘resist the overly enthusiastic adoption of beliefs about either
the pros and the cons of cloud computing’ (2017, p. 29). Intellectual
courage concerns the continuous active attitude to overcome ignorance
and lack of information even when faced with obstacles. The authors assert
that users must continue to ask questions when something is not clear, for
example the terms and conditions of a specific service.
It is interesting to note how De Bruin and Floridi (2017) articulate in
favour of “proscriptive pressure” on the side of users more than on the
side of the providers of cloud services: in so doing, they are actually interpreting one of the main ethical issues associated with the relationship
between technology and the use of technology. Indeed, the authors place
emphasis on the freedom of the agent and on his/her responsibility to
make the best use of technology without limiting the possibility of technology developers to advance their discoveries, highlighting that the ethical boundaries of technological advances should be determined in relation
to the way they are used, not by what they can potentially do. For example, a terrorist organization can benefit from services available in the cloud,
however the objective for which it uses this service is illegal and contrary
to the good of society.
6 ETHICS AND CLOUD COMPUTING