Social Computing and the Law
Uses and Abuses in Exceptional Circumstances

A compilation of expertise in Internet law and in ethical considerations concerning social computing in emergencies.

Khurshid Ahmad (Edited by)

9781108428651, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 October 2018

176 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.4 cm, 0.37 kg

This innovative book sets itself at the crossroads of several rapidly developing areas of research in legal and global studies related to social computing, specifically in the context of how public emergency responders appropriate content on social media platforms for emergency and disaster management. The book - a collaboration between computer scientists, ethicists, legal scholars and practitioners - should be read by anyone concerned with the ongoing debate over the corporatization and commodification of user-generated content on social media and the extent to which this content can be legally and ethically harnessed for emergency and disaster management. The collaboration was made possible by EU's FP 7 Project Slandail (# 607691, 2014–17).

1. Introduction
1.1. A note on terminology
1.2. Security, privacy, and dignity during an emergency
1.3. Our contribution: disasters, technology, law and ethics
1.4. Structure of the book
2. Social computing systems and ethical considerations
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Key ethical challenges posed by social computing systems
2.3. Technology mediated protection of data and persons
2.4. Conclusion
3. Internet laws
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Internet governance systems: self-regulation, technical regulation and governmental regulation
3.3. Ownership of personal data harvested from social computing systems
3.4. Protection for monitoring and harvesting information on social media
3.5. Summary findings
4. Copyright law and data protection law
4.1. Introduction
4.2. EU copyright directives and German copyright law
4.3. The ontology of copyright
4.4. Copyright and exceptional circumstances: disaster management
4.5. Exceptions and limitations
4.6. Summary
5. EU human rights framework
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Approach
5.3. Disaster management and human rights
5.4. EU fundamental rights framework and disaster management
5.5. Conclusion
6. Conclusion: legally using social computing streams and privacy protection
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Social computing analysis in exceptional circumstances
6.3. Checklist of legal issues
6.4. Risk analysis
6.5. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Social law [LNT], Intellectual property law [LNR], Data protection law [LNQD], IT & Communications law [LNQ], Entertainment & media law [LNJ], Company, commercial & competition law [LNC], International human rights law [LBBR], Law & society [LAQ], Comparative law [LAM], Law [L]