James Moor’s Privacy Framework: A Theory in Need of Further Exploration

Abstract

This paper is intended as a tribute to the late James Moor. An esteemed Dartmouth professor, who published in many areas of philosophy, including logic, Moor is perhaps best remembered today for his pioneering work in the field of computer ethics. His seminal (and award-winning) article, “What Is Computer Ethics?” (Metaphilosophy, 1985) was highly influential both in defining and shaping the then nascent field of computer ethics. Many other computer-ethics-related papers followed over the next quarter century, in which Moor examined a range of topics – from moral responsibility to autonomy to privacy in the context of computing and emerging technologies, including nanotechnology and AI. And while the insights and frameworks put forth in many of his published works have received the acclaim they deserve, Moor’s contribution to the privacy literature remains, in my view, underappreciated. In trying to show why his privacy theory deserves much more attention than received to date, I also briefly describe the evolution of Moor’s position on privacy – from his earlier publications on that topic to a comprehensive and systematic privacy framework. I then suggest that a further exploration of his privacy theory would benefit researchers working in technology ethics in general, and AI ethics in particular. Finally, I encourage privacy scholars to take a closer look at Moor’s privacy framework to see whether they might be able to tease out and disclose some potential insights and features that may still be embedded in that robust theory of privacy.