Cyber Sins and Digital Good Deeds: A Book about Technology and Ethics

Citation

Fourie, I. (2008), "Cyber Sins and Digital Good Deeds: A Book about Technology and Ethics", Online Information Review, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 117-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520810866047

In Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds brief to very brief descriptions are offered on a wide spectrum of topics, which are arranged in alphabetical order. Topics include blogging, bride scams, cell phone rage, cyberbullying, disinformation, DRM, encryption, elderly care and technology, Napster, technolust, typosquatting, wiki, worm, and spoofing. Explanations are to the point, avoiding unnecessary jargon and including references where appropriate (e.g. for the discussion on watching over children with high‐tech tools and spyware or adware). Apart from being an easy reference source, Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds also manages to alert the reader to the many dangers lurking in cyberspace and efforts to deal with these (e.g. the Child Online Protection Act and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act). In explaining “absent presence” as “the presence of someone whose attention is directed elsewhere”, it is pointed out that cyberspace and technology can help people to reach out to each other in times of disaster, but at the same time it can separate us from others in our immediate presence.

Although covering a wide spectrum of brief explanations relevant to the cyber age, Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds may at first appearance seem to be of interest to a limited audience only – to patrons of public libraries, and perhaps staff from libraries/institutions where IT and the cyberage have not fully caught on and where they do not share the Net Generation's knowledge of all things related to cyberspace. It would certainly be useful for all non‐heavy users of the internet. At a second glance such topics might, however, even offer those experienced in the use of technology a quick and easy opportunity to identify explanations on issues they may be facing.

Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds has a useful index and comes as good value for money at US$22.95. It is recommended to all readers needing a quick explanation of terminology that frequently occurs in the cyberage, as well as those with limited knowledge of cyberspace.