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Information Warfare: A Response to Taddeo

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Abstract

Taddeo’s recent article, ‘Information Warfare: A Philosophical Perspective’ (Philos. Technol. 25:105–120, 2012) is a useful addition to the literature on information communications technologies (ICTs) and warfare. In this short response, I draw attention to two issues arising from the article. The first concerns the applicability of ‘information warfare’ terminology to current political and military discourse, on account of its relative lack of contemporary usage. The second engages with the political and ethical implications of treating ICT environments as a ‘domain’, with its ramifications for the pursuit of ‘dominion’, particularly through military action.

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Notes

  1. Notable exceptions include Gray (1997) and Der Derian (2009).

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the support of an Economic & Social Research Council scholarship (ES/H022678/1), funded under the Research Councils UK ‘Global Uncertainties’ programme. Thanks also to Mariarosaria Taddeo.

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Correspondence to Tim Stevens.

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Stevens, T. Information Warfare: A Response to Taddeo. Philos. Technol. 26, 221–225 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-012-0070-y

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