Journal
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & PEOPLE
Volume 33, Issue 2, Pages 602-632Publisher
EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1108/ITP-10-2018-0491
Keywords
Ethics; Information society; Decentralization; Discourse ethics; Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Disruptive technology; Peer-to-peer network; file sharing; Society and ethics; Emerging technology
Categories
Funding
- ACM SIGMIS
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Purpose The purpose of this paper is fourfold: first, to provide the first systematic study on the ethics of blockchain, mapping its main socio-technical challenges in technology and applications; second, to identify ethical issues of blockchain; third, to propose a conceptual framework of blockchain ethics study; fourth, to discuss ethical issues for stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach The paper employs literature research, research agenda and framework development. Findings Ethics of blockchain and its applications is essential for technology adoption. There is a void of research on blockchain ethics. The authors propose a first theoretical framework of blockchain ethics. Research agenda is proposed for future search. Finally, the authors recommend measures for stakeholders to facilitate the ethical adequacy of blockchain implementations and future Information Systems (IS) research directions. This research raises timely awareness and stimulates further debate on the ethics of blockchain in the IS community. Originality/value First, this work provides timely systematic research on blockchain ethics. Second, the authors propose the first research framework of blockchain ethics. Third, the authors identify key research questions of blockchain ethics. Fourth, this study contributes to the understanding of blockchain technology and its societal impacts.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available