Considering the Human Implications of New and Emerging Technologies in the Area of Human Security

This special issue of Science and Engineering Ethics is devoted to the ethical, societal and political implications of new and emerging technologies in the area of Human Security. Its aim is to address the wider implications of an altered security landscape. Specifically, and in accordance with SEE’s main area of interest, contributions to this special issue focus on those ethical considerations warranted by scientific and technological advances in the field of human security. This includes, but is not restricted to, issues of privacy and data protection, control, trust, surveillance, authority, and freedom. Papers consider some of the ethical and societal challenges related to new and emerging technologies in the context of the Human Security Doctrine (HSD), as it has been initially formulated by the United Nations Commission on Human Security (UNCHS 2003). The HSD argues for a paradigm shift from understanding security based on tangible assets (e.g., national borders, goods, properties, etc.) to one based on intangible human values. ‘‘The focus must broaden from the state to the security of people—to human security. Human security means protecting vital freedoms. [...] Human security connects different types of freedoms—freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to take action on one’s own behalf’’ (UNCHS 2003, p. 1). This special issue provides a multidisciplinary overview of some of the issues that have become central to security debates, focussing particularly at the intersection between technology and human values.