Lawrence,

Many thanks for the links. I am aware of that effect, which 
I have historically termed simply as a blinkered approach.

Two good 
prime examples I always recall when such things arise are:-

1. Being 
subjected to covert (but obvious) ethical testing by an organisation 
after innocently questioning the implications of a particular (and 
legally questionable issue) which was being implemented.

2. And 
separately, having a police officer instructed to ram a member of the 
publics motor vehicle (whilst it was being driven) so as to disable it 
because other officers were in the drivers home address installing 
surveillance devices, and he had headed home unexpectedly early so 
would inevitably catch them - and yes the instruction was carried out 
as a road traffic accident between the two vehicles happened. (The 
subject in question had broken no laws and was not suspected of doing 
so, he was merely very supportive of a particular policy of the 
incumbent government at that time.)

Such things constantly remind me 
how fragile free nations really are and how easily the routes 
identified by the literature you refer to are taken.


Ian W

> -----
Original Message-----
> From: Lawrence Serewicz [mailto:Lawrence.
[log in to unmask]] 
> Sent: 05 April 2011 12:25
> To: 'Ian 
Welton'; [log in to unmask]
> Subject: RE: [data-
protection] Wilful blindness
> 
> 
> Ian,
> I would suggest going to an 
alternative source for 
> information on this issue. Wilful blindness 
is also about the 
> systematic indoctrination of people to a specific 
view of the 
> institution.  To put it differently, it is called being 

> institutionalised i.e. living within the institution so long 
> that 
the person forgets that there is a world, norms, or 
> morals, or 
ethics beyond those of the institution.  What is 
> scary, for me, is 
how quickly this institutionalisation can 
> take hold as suggested by 
Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment.
> 
> In a sense, this returns us 
(anyone working within an 
> organisation) to the age-old dilemma 
within the relationship 
> of the agent and the principle.  Are we 
simply agents, 
> working at the interest of the organisation, or do we 
have to 
> act as principles, individual moral beings responsible to 
the 
> higher law (the constitution or common law)?  Similar 
> 
questions on a wider scale, and in response to a wider scale 
> of 
events, emerged within the Nuremberg trials.  Therein lies 
> the 
difference of degree rather than a difference of kind.
> 
> Philip 
Zimbardo has written extensively on this issue and he 
> is well worth 
reading.  The first link takes you to his home 
> page relating to his 
book The Lucifer Effect. 
> http://zimbardo.com/lucifer.html> 
> The second link takes you 
specifically to his discussion of 
> his book and the wider work around 
it and its ideas.
> 
> http://www.lucifereffect.org/> 
> The book and the page make 
sobering reading.  From a data 
> protection and access to information 
perspective, it makes 
> you aware of the ongoing tension between the 
public interest 
> and the organisational interest and the personal 
interest and 
> how all of these need to be balanced and reconciled.
> 

> Best,
> 
> Lawrence
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
This list is for those interested in Data Protection 
> issues [mailto:
[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Welton
> Sent: 05 
April 2011 10:15
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [data-
protection] Wilful blindness
> 
> Is anybody in the group able to 
advise if the legal concept 
> of 'wilful blindness' is available, and 
useable, within the 
> UK legal system?
> 
> My
> reason for enquiring 
is a reading of:-
> 
> https://theweekinethics.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/the-week-in-e> 
thics-the-ethics-of-willful-blindness/
> 
> which brought back many 
memories of work in the data protection area.
> 
> 
> Whilst this legal 
concept is available by other means in the 
> public sector, the one 
above would seem to have a wider coverage.
> 
> Ian W
> 

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