New and emerging perspectives for technology assessment: Malevolent creativity and civil security

Abstract

The characteristics of new technologies can cause significant harm to society. This does not only apply to unintended consequences, but even more so when the technologies are used for malicious purposes. The latter can be observed in the domain of civil security. Here, negative developments such as social polarization, increasing radicalization, and democratic regression alongside a deteriorating security situation are increasingly associated with technological innovation and malevolent creativity. As society becomes more and more aware of such correlations, technology assessment is called upon to provide orientation knowledge. This requires appropriate approaches and knowledge tools to assess the potential role of technology in relation to radicalization and political extremism.