PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL

COMMUNICATIONS

ETHICS IN INTERNET
• Today's revolution in social communications involves a fundamental
reshaping of the elements by which people comprehend the world about
them, and verify and express what they comprehend. The constant
availability of images and ideas, and their rapid transmission even from
continent to continent, have profound consequences, both positive and
negative, for the psychological, moral and social development of persons,
the structure and functioning of societies, intercultural communications, and
the perception and transmission of values, world views, ideologies, and
religious beliefs
• The Internet is the latest and in many respects most powerful in a line of
media—telegraph, telephone, radio, television—that for many people have
progressively eliminated time and space as obstacles to communication
during the last century and a half. It has enormous consequences for
individuals, nations, and the world.
• As with other media, the person and the community of persons are central to ethical
evaluation of the Internet. In regard to the message communicated, the process of
communicating, and structural and systemic issues in communication, “the fundamental
ethical principle is this: The human person and the human community are the end and
measure of the use of the media of social communication; communication should be by
persons to persons for the integral development of persons
• The international common good, the virtue of solidarity, the revolution in communications
media and information technology, and the Internet are all relevant to the process of
globalization.
• One major consequence of the deregulation of recent years has been a shift of power
from national states to transnational corporations. It is important that these corporations
be encouraged and helped to use their power for the good of humanity; and this points to
a need for more communication and dialogue between them and concerned bodies like
the Church.
• The spread of the Internet also raises a number of other ethical questions about matters
like privacy, the security and confidentiality of data, copyright and intellectual property law,
pornography, hate sites, the dissemination of rumor and character assassination under
the guise of news, and much else. We shall speak briefly about some of these things
below, while recognizing that they call for continued analysis and discussion by all
concerned parties. Fundamentally, though, we do not view the Internet only as a source of
problems; we see it as a source of benefits to the human race. But the benefits can be
fully realized only if the problems are solved.
ABOUT THE INTERNET
• The Internet has a number of striking features. It is instantaneous, immediate, worldwide,
decentralized, interactive, endlessly expandable in contents and outreach, flexible and
adaptable to a remarkable degree. It is egalitarian, in the sense that anyone with the
necessary equipment and modest technical skill can be an active presence in cyberspace,
declare his or her message to the world, and demand a hearing. It allows individuals to
indulge in anonymity, role-playing, and fantasizing and also to enter into community with
others and engage in sharing. According to users' tastes, it lends itself equally well to
active participation and to passive absorption into “a narcissistic, self-referential world of
stimuli with near-narcotic effects”.15 It can be used to break down the isolation of
individuals and groups or to deepen it.
• The technological configuration underlying the Internet has a considerable bearing on its
ethical aspects: People have tended to use it according to the way it was designed, and to
design it to suit that kind of use. This ‘new' system in fact dates back to the cold war years
of the 1960s, when it was intended to foil nuclear attack by creating a decentralized
network of computers holding vital data. Decentralization was the key to the scheme,
since in this way, so it was reasoned, the loss of one or even many computers would not
mean the loss of the data.
• The explosion of information technology has increased the communication capabilities of
some favored individuals and groups many times over. The Internet can serve people in
their responsible use of freedom and democracy, expand the range of choices available in
diverse spheres of life, broaden educational and cultural horizons, break down divisions,
promote human development in a multitude of ways. “The free flow of images and speech
on a global scale is transforming not only political and economic relations between
peoples, but even our understanding of the world. It opens up a range of hitherto
unthinkable possibilities”.18 When based upon shared values rooted in the nature of the
person, the intercultural dialogue made possible by the Internet and other media of social
communication can be “a privileged means for building the civilization of love”.

But that is not the whole story. “Paradoxically, the very forces which can lead to better
communication can also lead to increasing self-centeredness and alienation”.20 The Internet
can unite people, but it also can divide them, both as individuals and as mutually suspicious
groups separated by ideology, politics, possessions, race and ethnicity, intergenerational
differences, and even religion. Already it has been used in aggressive ways, almost as a
weapon of war, and people speak of the danger of ‘cyber-terrorism.' It would be painfully ironic
if this instrument of communication with so much potential for bringing people together
reverted to its origins in the cold war and became an arena of international conflict.
SOME AREAS OF CONCERN
• A number of concerns about the Internet are implicit in what has been said so far. One of
the most important of these involves what today is called the digital divide —a form of
discrimination dividing the rich from the poor, both within and among nations, on the basis
of access, or lack of access, to the new information technology. In this sense it is an
updated version of an older gap between the ‘information rich' and ‘information poor'.
• We are particularly concerned about the cultural dimensions of what is now taking place.
Precisely as powerful tools of the globalization process, the new information technology
and the Internet transmit and help instill a set of cultural values —ways of thinking about
social relationships, family, religion, the human condition—whose novelty and glamour
can challenge and overwhelm traditional cultures.
• The question of freedom of expression on the Internet is similarly complex and gives rise
to another set of concerns.
• We strongly support freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas. Freedom to
seek and know the truth is a fundamental human right, 26 and freedom of expression is a
cornerstone of democracy. “Man, provided he respects the moral order and the common
interest, is entitled to seek after truth, express and make known his opinions...he ought to
be truthfully informed about matters of public interest”. 27 And public opinion, “an essential
expression of human nature organized in society,” absolutely requires “freedom to
express ideas and attitudes”. 28
As the new global economy takes shape, the Church is
concerned “that the winner in this process will be humanity as a
whole” and not just “a wealthy elite that controls science,
technology and the planet's resources”; this is to say that the
Church desires “a globalization which will be at the service of the
whole person and of all people”.22
In this connection it should be borne in mind that the causes and
consequences of the divide are not only economic but also
technical, social, and cultural. So, for example, another Internet
‘divide' operates to the disadvantage of women, and it, too, needs
to be closed.
Intercultural dialogue and enrichment are of course highly desirable. Indeed, “dialogue between cultures is
especially needed today because of the impact of new communications technology on the lives of
individuals and peoples”.23 But this has to be a two-way street. Cultures have much to learn from one
another, and merely imposing the world view, values, and even language of one culture upon another is not
dialogue but cultural imperialism.

Cultural domination is an especially serious problem when a dominant culture carries false values inimical
to the true good of individuals and groups. As matters stand, the Internet, along with the other media of
social communication, is transmitting the value-laden message of Western secular culture to people and
societies in many cases ill-prepared to evaluate and cope with it. Many serious problems result—for
example, in regard to marriage and family life, which are experiencing “a radical and widespread crisis”24 in
many parts of the world.

Cultural sensitivity and respect for other people's values and beliefs are imperative in these circumstances.
Intercultural dialogue that “protects the distinctiveness of cultures as historical and creative expressions of
the underlying unity of the human family, and...sustains understanding and communion between them” 25 is
needed to build and maintain the sense of international solidarity.
In light of these requirements of the common good, we deplore
attempts by public authorities to block access to information—on the
Internet or in other media of social communication—because they
find it threatening or embarrassing to them, to manipulate the public
by propaganda and disinformation, or to impede legitimate freedom
of expression and opinion. Authoritarian regimes are by far the worst
offenders in this regard; but the problem also exists in liberal
democracies, where access to media for political expression often
depends on wealth, and politicians and their advisors violate
truthfulness and fairness by misrepresenting opponents and
shrinking issues to sound-bite dimensions.
• In this new environment, journalism is undergoing profound changes. The
combination of new technologies and globalization has “increased the powers of the
media, but has also made them more liable to ideological and commercial
pressures”,29 and this is true of journalism as well.
• Standing alongside issues that have to do with freedom of expression, the integrity
and accuracy of news, and the sharing of ideas and information, is another set of
concerns generated by libertarianism. The ideology of radical libertarianism is both
mistaken and harmful—not least, to legitimate free expression in the service of truth.
The error lies in exalting freedom “to such an extent that it becomes an absolute,
which would then be the source of values....In this way the inescapable claims of
truth disappear, yielding their place to a criterion of sincerity, authenticity and ‘being
at peace with oneself”'.31 There is no room for authentic community, the common
good, and solidarity in this way of thinking.
The Internet is a highly effective instrument for bringing news and
information rapidly to people. But the economic competitiveness
and round-the-clock nature of Internet journalism also contribute to
sensationalism and rumor-mongering, to a merging of news,
advertising, and entertainment, and to an apparent decline in
serious reporting and commentary. Honest journalism is essential
to the common good of nations and the international community.
Problems now visible in the practice of journalism on the Internet
call for speedy correcting by journalists themselves.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
• As we have seen, the virtue of solidarity is the measure of the Internet's service of the
common good. It is the common good that supplies the context for considering the ethical
question: “Are the media being used for good or evil?” Many individuals and groups share
responsibility in this matter—for example, the transnational corporations of which we
spoke above. All users of the Internet are obliged to use it in an informed, disciplined way,
for morally good purposes; parents should guide and supervise children's use.33 Schools
and other educational institutions and programs for children and adults should provide
training in discerning use of the Internet as part of a comprehensive media education
including not just training in technical skills—‘computer literacy' and the like—but a
capacity for informed, discerning evaluation of content. Those whose decisions and
actions contribute to shaping the structure and contents of the Internet have an especially
serious duty to practice solidarity in the service of the common good.
• Prior censorship by government should be avoided; “censorship...should only be used in
the very last extremity”.34 But the Internet is no more exempt than other media from
reasonable laws against hate speech, libel, fraud, child pornography and pornography in
general, and other offenses. Criminal behavior in other contexts is criminal behavior in
cyberspace, and the civil authorities have a duty and a right to enforce such laws. New
regulations also may be needed to deal with special ‘Internet' crimes like the
dissemination of computer viruses, the theft of personal data stored on hard disks, and
the like.
• The Internet's transnational, boundary-bridging character and its role in globalization
require international cooperation in setting standards and establishing mechanisms to
promote and protect the international common good. In regard to media technology, as in
regard to much else, “there is a pressing need for equity at the international level”.39
Determined action in the private and public sectors is needed to close and eventually
eliminate the digital divide.
As we pointed out above, a companion document to this one called The
Church and Internet speaks specifically about the Church's use of the
Internet and the Internet's role in the life of the Church. Here we wish only to
emphasize that the Catholic Church, along with other religious bodies,
should have a visible, active presence on the Internet and be a partner in
the public dialogue about its development. “The Church does not presume
to dictate these decisions and choices, but it does seek to be of help by
indicating ethical and moral criteria which are relevant to the process—
criteria which are to be found in both human and Christian values”.
The Internet can make an enormously valuable contribution to human life. It
can foster prosperity and peace, intellectual and aesthetic growth, mutual
understanding among peoples and nations on a global scale.