Unveiling technological arcanes: algorithmic ethics in the informacional state

Abstract

Introduction: the information surveillance diffuse practices by state institutions and large corporations of the 21st century run into issues and dilemmas related to the networked information such as the various forms of opacity, individuals’ privacy, and governance systems. Objective: we propose the idea of "technological arcanes" to understand the secrets tangled in the networked society, in order to promote a debate that includes contemporary themes related to information ethics. Methodology: through a bibliographic review, we explore the context of informational state surveillance and the “panspectron” model; the notion of secrecy by the social perspective and by the approach of cyberactivism; and the ethical dimension that permeates the presence of algorithms in digital networks. Results: we see that the technological sophistication and complexity involved in the global governance process of cyberspace constitute a new and unknown sociopolitical sphere. In this sense, effective forms of resistance such as counter-vigilance strategies, leaks of official documents by cyberactivists, media actions in specific cases, and measures for accountability by society emerge. Conclusions: a pragmatic ethics of algorithms should highlight accountability to society by both state and non-state actors. Digital realms made up of internet oligopolies need to accept the same burden of liability they require of individuals, making it imperative to raise everyone's awareness of the power structures that pass through the "technological arcanes".