The information revolution has changed the world profoundly and irreversibly at a breath-taking pace. Given its unprecedented scope, vital issues have emerged concerning the creation, management, and utilisation of information. The information revolution has brought enormous benefits and opportunities. However, it has outpaced our understanding of its foundations and consequences. It has raised conceptual issues that are rapidly expanding, evolving, and becoming increasingly serious. Today, philosophy faces the challenge of providing a foundational treatment of the concepts and phenomena underlying the information revolution, in order to foster our understanding and guide the responsible construction of our information society. This article describes how the philosophy of information meets this challenge, and investigates the conceptual nature and basic principles of information, including its ethical consequences.