Bitcoin as a Sign of Our Times

Bitcoin is everywhere in the news, yet many people struggle to understand what it is or why anyone wants it. Joakim Sandberg argues that its appeal rests on two sentiments of our age: blind faith in technological progress and deep distrust of banks and governments. Both lead us astray. Bitcoin’s technology is more cumbersome and costly than ordinary money, with a carbon footprint larger than Sweden’s, and rather than empowering citizens it mainly empowers tech investors and criminals.

publicethics.org

Media Coverage and Pornography’s Role in Abuse by Mari Mikkola

In a highly publicised move in December 2020, Pornhub (one of the largest pornography platforms) announced that it would ban and remove unverified video uploads in response to allegations that the site hosted content depicting actual sexual violence and child sexual abuse. As a result, the site reduced its content from 13m videos to ‘merely’ 4m. This, however, is far from sufficient according to activists and those working with perpetrators of sexual abuse, such as counsellors. In a series of ar

publicethics.org

Costs and Risk Imposition in a Pandemic by Gerald Lang

At midnight on 5 November 2020, England went into another national lockdown to deal with the sharply rising Covid-19 infection rate. This lockdown superseded a series of local lockdowns that have enveloped some regions for months on end. Until an effective Covid vaccine can be rolled out comprehensively, lockdowns seem destined to remain a primary instrument of policy, at least in the UK.These bleak facts raise a number of important moral questions. What costs should we accept in order to reduce

publicethics.org

Protest and Cultural Artefacts by Ten-Herng Lai; Chong-Ming Lim

Environmental activists adopt diverse strategies to raise awareness of the urgency and seriousness of the climate crisis, and push for policy changes to mitigate the crisis. Some of their activism sparks more controversy than others. “This isn't the way to protest,” said Florence mayor Dario Nardella, after labelling activists “barbarians” for their disobedience activity that involved defacing the walls of Palazzo Vecchio – a town hall building dating back to the 14th century. This isn’t the fir

publicethics.org

Flouting Quarantine by Tom Douglas

As I write this, COVID-19, an illness caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is sweeping the globe.[1] Over 15,000 people have died, and it is likely that at least one hundred times this many have been infected with the virus.[2]The outbreak has brought the ethics of quarantine, isolation and enforced social distancing to public attention. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and China have been praised in the press for their rigorous deployment of quarantine and other liberty-restrictin

publicethics.org

Will AI Make Democracy Obsolete? by Ted Lechterman

In May, researchers at IE University in Madrid found that 51% of Europeans support replacing at least some of their politicians with artificial intelligence. Chinese citizens are even more bullish about AI-driven governance, with 75% of Chinese respondents indicating support for this proposal. Skepticism about the role of AI in politics finds a wider audience in the US and UK, where only 40% and 31% respectively approve of this idea.Which position on this question is more reasonable? Of course,

publicethics.org

Media Coverage and Pornography’s Role in Abuse by Mari Mikkola

In a highly publicised move in December 2020, Pornhub (one of the largest pornography platforms) announced that it would ban and remove unverified video uploads in response to allegations that the site hosted content depicting actual sexual violence and child sexual abuse. As a result, the site reduced its content from 13m videos to ‘merely’ 4m. This, however, is far from sufficient according to activists and those working with perpetrators of sexual abuse, such as counsellors. In a series of ar

publicethics.org

Remembrance and Poppy Enforcement by Alfred Archer and Benjamin Matheson

In the United Kingdom, the red poppy is worn to remember those who have died fighting for the British Army. In 2018, over 50 million pounds was raised from sales of the red poppy. According to the Royal British Legion, the makers of the red poppies, wearing the poppy is not compulsory. Despite this, many people in the public eye have been criticized for not wearing one. So much so that in 2006, the news presenter Jon Snow wrote that: “There is rather unpleasant breed of poppy fascism out there –

publicethics.org

Does COVID-19 Justify Travel Bans? by Daniel Sharp

One of the first measures states took in response the outbreak of COVID-19 was restricting international mobility. By mid-2020, every country in the world had issued some form of special travel restrictions. Some of these restrictions have eased overtime. Yet, many countries remain effectively closed. Travel to the United States of non-citizens remains largely banned, unless one is explicitly exempted. Travel to Taiwan and New Zealand is virtually impossible for non-nationals. Many remain famili

publicethics.org

Cultural Property Under the Law of Armed Conflict by Adil Ahmad Haque

The atrocities committed by Daesh (the self-proclaimed “Islamic State”) against the people of Iraq and Syria extend beyond murder, mutilation, and enslavement to the destruction of cultural property. It should surprise no one that such deliberate destruction of cultural property is prohibited by international law.The Hague Regulations Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land (1907) prohibit ‘all seizure of, and destruction, or intentional damage done to’ institutions dedicated to religion,

publicethics.org

Just and Unjust Wars in Syria: the Questionable Ethics of Bombing ISIS by Christopher J Finlay

Amongst those debating the justification for last December’s decision by the British government to join in the military intervention in Syria, some ask whether the UK is now engaged alongside its allies in a ‘Just War’. James Pattison, for instance, has argued that if we consider it properly, working through the key principles of what just war theorists call the ‘jus ad bellum’ (the justice of wars), it is not. The bombing of ISIS targets in Syria by the air forces of France, the USA, and now Br

publicethics.org

What’s Wrong with Predictive Policing? by Duncan Purves

The European Union is leading the global race to regulate artificial intelligence research and development. In June 2023, the European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the Artificial Intelligence Act, which establishes a framework to classify the risk level of AI applications, imposing more stringent requirements on riskier systems. One of the notable features of the Act is that it outright bans some AI-driven technology, including most applications of facial recognition software, social credi

publicethics.org

Picking Out Bad Apples, Unmasking Trojan Horses: The Qatargate and the Ethics of Public Institutions by Emanuela Ceva; Maria Paola Ferretti

EP Plenary session - Suspicions of corruption from Qatar and the broader need for transparency and accountability in the European institutions. Photo by Philippe Buissin, © European Union 2022 - Source: EP. Reference no.: EP-141745M.The shockwave of the “Qatargate” scandal in December 2022 has awaken the European Parliament (EP) and the entire European Union (EU) to the perils of political corruption. The (now deposed) EP Vice President, Eva Kaili, a number of MEPs and parliamentary staffare a

publicethics.org

Defamation in the Age of #MeToo by Adam Slavny

Adam Slavny examines defamation law in the #MeToo era and the intricate issues surrounding truth, bias, and political discourse.

publicethics.org

Intervention and Revolution by Fernando Teson

It is widely held that violent revolution can be justified to end tyranny. It is equally widely held that foreign intervention is not justified to end tyranny. Intervention is justified, if at all, in a much narrower range of cases – perhaps to halt massacre or genocide, but not to end ‘ordinary’ oppression. On this view, state oppression may be sufficient to furnish internal revolutionaries with a just cause for violence, but simultaneously insufficient to generate a just cause for outside part

publicethics.org

Climate Change, Refugees, and Other Displaced Persons by Matthew Lister

1. The Situation: Increased Urgency and Despair about Addressing Climate ChangeAlthough the urgent need to take significant action to slow, and ideally stop, climate change is clear to all serious observers, there is currently little reason for optimism about achieving these goals. The U.S. has pulled out of the Paris Agreement, and seems determined to make climate policy worse, reducing emission standards for cars, supporting coal, and so on. China, perhaps motivated by a need to keep domestic

publicethics.org

Born in the USA: The Battle Over Birthright Citizenship by Nicholas Carroll

Nicholas Carroll discusses the ethics of birthright citizenship and Trump's executive order to end it in the US.

publicethics.org

Should a Covid-19 Vaccine Be Mandatory? by Daniel Halliday

In August 2020, Australia’s Prime Minister was asked whether any future coronavirus vaccine would be made mandatory. His reply was “I would expect it to be as mandatory as you can possibly make it”, with exemptions on medical grounds only. After drawing considerable attention, these comments were quickly walked back by the Prime Minister and other senior members of government, all seeking to reassure that a vaccine would not be made “compulsory” after all. Instead, the government would rely on “

publicethics.org

UK Refugee Protection 2026: Does the 30-Month Limit Hold Up?

The UK now grants refugees just 30 months' protection, after which they face deportation review, repeated every 30 months for up to 20 years. The government claims this reflects the true purpose of re...

publicethics.org

Postwar Planning: Exploring the Ethics of War's Aftermath

How does having or lacking a postwar plan matter for the justification of resorting to war in the first place?

wix.to

Making International Criminal Law Our Own: On the Arrest Warrant of President Putin,Making International Criminal Law Our Own: On the Arrest Warrant of President Putin by Alain Zysset,Alain Zysset

On 4 May 2023, H.E. Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he was received by ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański and ICC Registrar Mr Osvaldo Zavala Giler. © ICC-CPI On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two individuals, the Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, his Commissioner for Children’s Rights. The alleged crimes are the transfer of child

publicethics.org

Postwar Planning: Exploring the Ethics of War's Aftermath

How does having or lacking a postwar plan matter for the justification of resorting to war in the first place?

wix.to

Making International Criminal Law Our Own: On the Arrest Warrant of President Putin,Making International Criminal Law Our Own: On the Arrest Warrant of President Putin by Alain Zysset,Alain Zysset

On 4 May 2023, H.E. Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he was received by ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański and ICC Registrar Mr Osvaldo Zavala Giler. © ICC-CPI On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two individuals, the Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, his Commissioner for Children’s Rights. The alleged crimes are the transfer of child

publicethics.org

Expanding the Scope of International Criminal Law by Stephen Riley

In the past few weeks we have witnessed the activation of the crime of aggression as a crime triable by the International Criminal Court (ICC). This formal operationalising of the crime takes place against a wider debate in civil society about the extension of the material jurisdiction of the Court. Alongside its existing material jurisdiction it has been argued that the ICC should try activities like crimes against migrants, environmental crimes, cyberwarfare and other criminal activities of in

publicethics.org

Generative AI and Emotional Outsourcing: Deceiving Others and Ourselves?

James Pattison criticises the humanitarian intervention rhetoric used to justify the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

publicethics.org

What's Wrong with Predictive Policing? by Duncan Purves

The European Union is leading the global race to regulate artificial intelligence research and development. In June 2023, the European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the Artificial Intelligence Act, which establishes a framework to classify the risk level of AI applications, imposing more stringent requirements on riskier systems. One of the notable features of the Act is that it outright bans some AI-driven technology, including most applications of facial recognition software, social credi

publicethics.org

Should Big Tech Support National Defense?

James Pattison criticises the humanitarian intervention rhetoric used to justify the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

publicethics.org

How to prevent consumption of non-consensual intimate images | LSE British Politics

Consumers of non-consensually shared intimate images should be targeted by the government, not just the tech platforms on which they are shared.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Should Big Tech Support National Defense?

James Pattison criticises the humanitarian intervention rhetoric used to justify the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

publicethics.org

Entrapment and 'Paedophile Hunters' by Daniel J. Hill; Stephen K. McLeod; Attila Tanyi

News stories about so-called ‘paedophile hunters’ have become common. The number of prosecutions based on evidence from paedophile hunters has risen rapidly in England and in Scotland, and there are organized hunter groups in various countries (Hadjimatheou 2019).The Netherlands has recently seen an upsurge in violence by paedophile hunters. In 2020, Jan Kruitwagen died a few hours after having been assaulted when he went to meet a 15-year-old boy. Various cases of non-fatal assaults by members

publicethics.org