Ethics in Technology
As part of our module, Computer Services Management, we have been assigned with the task of writing an ethical essay on any ethical aspect within CSM. This was not an easy task, for many reasons like, the wide area within I.T. ethics and the various fields within I.T. it effects. This assignment was very educational, I spent quiet an amount of time researching this topic, and I could have changed my mind on several occasions, but decided to stick with “Ethics in Technology”. It may seem broad initially, I grasped the points that I believe to be relevant to the topic and that should become apparent later.
From the first computer programmable computer of our time called “ENIAC” to today’s everyday powerful computers
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In many cases, the security vulnerabilities in computers and Information Technology software can be and are exploited by the “Black Hats” or cybercriminals as they are known, to invade people’s privacy, and steal people’s identity. We know that computers have no moral compass; they cannot make moral decisions for themselves. Essentially, people make moral decisions that affect others positively or negatively depending on how they use computer technology. Some of the biggest ethical issues facing people in the computing environment include privacy concerns on the web and identity theft.
Privacy concerns and identity theft are two ethical issues that increase with the rapid advancement of computer and cyber technology. Some people lose their moral intuition when using computer technology because they assume that their actions do not have real consequences to others. The lack of physicality on the internet can alter one’s ability to empathize with other, which makes them feel that cybercrime morally acceptable. The moral imperatives in the ACM code of ethics can help people make moral choices with their use of computer
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General imperatives such as avoid harm to others, respect the privacy of others, honour confidentiality can help people re-establish their personal responsibilities on the web. Today’s technologies do not change ethics. Most of the ethical issues that people face with computer technology are rooted in the general ethical issues that people in society deal with daily. For example, the ethical issues such as invasion of privacy, theft, and fraud have been around since human beings began interacting with each other. The fact is that elements of these ethical issues are not unique to society or the field of Computer science/technology alone. I believe that when Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, he didn’t foresee the huge ethical issues, it’s my opinion that Tim Berners-Lee was someone who wanted to give this platform to the world for free and hence was being ethical and not hungry for financial
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Show MoreThese technological services help us to make our lives a little more pleasant and easier. However, same as their advantages, these technologies possesses a great number of disadvantages. The more advanced society becomes technologically, the more people begin to depend on computers and other forms of technologies for everyday lives. Anyone from anywhere can get access to our private information.
Reference: Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2015).Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases (10th
Computers are exceptionally important for communication because of the world wide scope of the Internet. This allows world wide information exchange and cheap, confidential distribution of data (III. The Internet, Par.1). This nature of the Internet has caused a resurrection in Child Pornography. This problem has never been protected under the First Amendment;
(Crane and Matten 2010: 102-105) Analysis of the ethical theories used
The rapid proliferation of information technology has led to a significant rise in the number of people who use the internet in one way or another. With the growth in the number of persons who have an internet connection; certain individuals have begun to exploit this resource through the unethical practice of Identity theft. As more and more individuals are posting their personal information online, cybercriminals are stealing this information with the aim of assuming the victim's identity so as to either obtain financial advantage or benefits that are associated with the victim (Jewkes, 2013). The act of stealing other people's identity cannot be considered as ethical because it violates the victim's right to privacy.
The second course objective that I can apply to both my personal and professional life is the objective Evaluate the ethical concerns that communication networks raise in a global context. Ethics is the principles of right and wrong that individuals, acting as free moral agents, use to make choices to guide their behaviors. Information systems bring about new ethical questions for both individuals and societies because they create opportunities for intense social change, and therefore threaten existing distributions of power, money, rights, and obligations.
In recent years, the number of “hacks” into company systems has increased. For example, the hacker(s) that performed the Ashley Madison breech could have used the information to extort money from each of the millions of users to keep their information from disclosure to the media. Those that have used the site may be inclined to do so as a way to keep the knowledge of their actions out of the public eye and from their spouses or partners. (Hackett,
Dilemmas are various types of situation in which an absolute choice has to be made out of many options. Moral dilemmas are also known as moral problems. Moral dilemmas have two or more alternatives - moral obligations, duties, rights or ideals come into divergence with each other. One moral principle can have two or more contradictory applications for a particular given situation. Moral dilemmas can be arising in many situations.
Cyber security deals with security issues within an organization. There are number of challenges which are involved in the present-day growth in the business action. One of the common challenge which every IT company has to face is supporting the data and privacy of the business organization. Cyber security in the present era faces quite big challenge to hold the data bases of any business organization safe and secure. In any company security threats are randomly increases day by day and susceptibility grows with time period.
New technologies that people had never imagined a decade, or even some decades ago, are now expanding and changing all our lives. Taking smartphones as an example, people in old time had never imagined that small, tiny box could enable people to bring smart computer to everywhere. Yet, smartphones are now completely embedded into our lives and changed how we communicate. Technology lets us live simply, more conveniently, and more easily, but at the same time, it creates complex debates and controversies of ethical problems. In this world, where humans cannot live without the benefits of technology, it is impossible to ignore ethical problems.
In conclusion, with the majority of organizations and individuals using the Internet to store information online, there is a lot of data that can be possibly become uncovered by thieves and used in malicious ways. There are countless methods thieves target their victims therefore it is paramount for individuals and organizations to learn the potential risks involved in handling PII and the ways to combat breeches in their technological security. It is important to be vigilant in what information is shared online and control who has access to it to guard against identity
The internet is a long-established medium that is used for the purpose of real-time global communication and immediate access to international data. With an apparatus that is accessible to nearly 357 million people globally, there is an abundant amount of users that abuse the purpose and privilege of the internet. Many people believe that the increase in online regulations violates the First Amendment and the right to privacy. However, with more internet regulations and censorships, there will be a decrease in internet exploitation and a safer medium for citizens to use. Increasing the amount of internet regulations and censorships will impact many aspects of society; so, is the need for cyber freedom more significant than citizens’ online
In Forbes’ “Has Apple Become More Ethical Since Steve Jobs’ Death A Year Ago?” , the general answer is no. The author of the article, Tim Worstall, takes into account the multiple scandals that happens to Apple after Jobs’ death, for example the extreme working conditions for minors in one of their suppliers in China. The Huffington Post states that “when it comes to business ethics, Apple is a follower, not an innovator” (Hawthorne). The article then proceeds to stating the many occasions in which Apple usually let incidents turn into major scandals before Apple opens investigations against them.
Since the first cybercrime in 1981, many other crimes over the internet have occurred. Every second, 12 adults become a victim of cybercrime, more than one million cybercrime victims each day globally, costing the global economy approximately $113 billion per year (“Symantec”). These crimes can be divided into three broad areas including attacks against computer hardware and software. For example, botnets, malware and network intrusion. Financial crimes, such as online fraud, penetration of online financial services.
The very idea that bursts up in one's mind when one hears of free accessible data in a virtual world is the internet. In the present century, human beings have been institutionalized into