Essays on Computer Ethics

Executive summary

The ever increasing use of computer based information system and internet in the personal, professional and commercial segments is accompanied by relevant collateral issues relating to privacy, security, and ethics as regards use of the system. The privacy and security issues mainly stem from two elements; advancement in information technology that makes privacy and security of information vulnerable to breaches, and inability of the service providers to adequately protect information and data. During 1970s Walter Maner introduced the term ‘computer ethics’ in order to define ethical problems aggravated, transformed, and created by information technology (Joshi, 2015). This paper is ...

Introduction

The advancement in computing technologies has been accompanied by increased exposure of the users to ethical violations including software threats, immorality, legal issues, confidentiality, and trust. The use of computers affects people’s decisions as well as how they make them. Computers persuade, facilitate, and enable various human cognitive processes, attitudes or processes while inhibiting and discouraging others. For example, while performing an internet search, internet search engines usually prioritize and provide information in a given order. As such, they influence what internet users see. These technological artifacts become “active mediators” because they shape people’s actions and perceptions, ...

Ethics can be defined as the rules of behaviour based on ideas about what is morally good and bad. Computer ethics, therefore, means a set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers. Computer ethics extends not only to computers per se but also to computer-based devices such as cell phones, CCTV cameras, GPS trackers among other devices.

The concept of implanting GPS microchips into pets by veterinarians seems like an innovative way of applying technology to our everyday life since the same can be used to easily track pets when they get lost. However, this process violates the ...

Computer ethics has a very important professional responsibility of serving the public interest as well as welfare to further improve the understanding public of the science of computers. Computer ethics should therefore take personal responsibility in maintaining high standards of integrity, honesty, and due diligence in the way they conduct education, research, and other professional duties. They should also be concerned with the condition of health and safety relating to the consumers, co-workers, and the community. Intellectual property is defined as original expressions of symbols, as well as words and ideas that represent the services or products of a person or ...

This text offers clear and accessible information with reference to its state of the art introduction of the burgeoning area of computer ethics as well as professional responsibility. It covers discussions of lead topics like the social contexts of computing, history of basic computing, techniques and methods of ethical analysis and professional responsibility. This case study also mentions much to do with risks and liabilities, codes of ethics, computer security, computer crime and mostly viruses and hacking. The related issues that emerge from the basic focus o the case include data privacy and protection, intellectual property and ‘open ...

Introduction

Believe it or not, a dramatic technological revolution has transformed the global environment of the 21st century. Though this era has witnessed many triumphs in technology, the most transforming technological event is the Information Technology revolution. The impact of computer based information technology, one of the most known manifestations in technology, is considered both as a boon and a bane. Apparently, computers have gripped our life firmly and its wings are impacting all aspects of human interactions and relationships. At the same time, we have to be globally competitive in providing quality product, service, and delivery. So, due to this tug of ...

The paper of Chuck Huff, fellow of the Psychology Department, St. Olaf College, entitled “Unintentional Power in the Design of Computer Systems” discusses on the problems that occur in the design of a computer system which results to harm, destruction or even instability. As the title says, the design glitch was done unintentional or simply, the author doesn’t know about it in the first place. His paper was a wake-up call to everybody in both software and hardware developers to be very careful in the design aspect of their modules. This is to help trim down the events that ...

Veith (2002) provides a detailed discussion on the meaning of vocation and he provides various examples to state that vocation is not only about a single occupation however it comprises of the various responsibilities that are usually handled by an individual in various roles. Similarly for an IT professional, there are multiple roles played by an individual and therefore there is a strong similarity between the vocation about which Veith discussed, and the normal vocation calling of an IT professional. It is usually observed that the roles related to information technology professionals are multidimensional and therefore it is very difficult to create a boundary ...

Since the introduction of computers, human lives have been improved tremendously. Computers and computerized systems have become part of the human lives. They are used in everyday day, in almost all the industries and wings of life. The government and private sectors have endorsed the use of computers and computerized systems in all their operations. The good thing about this is that their works have been made more efficient and faster. Human labor has even been replaced in some industries by the computers and computerized systems. The performance of the employees is even monitored through computerized systems which is ...

Today, in the century of well-developed technologies, all people tend to use electronic devices, particularly computers. Computers play one of the main parts of our everyday life. We got used to do everything with the help of computers. They have changed our lives completely. They can be used for a range of purposes. We work, study, listen to music, browse the Internet, contact with our friends, play games, watch and even make films using computers. Moreover, nowadays, we even do shopping staying at home. We search for the things from the Internet and easily can order it without going to ...

Ethics is set of principles that determine the behavior of an individual or group in terms of moral duties. Ethics is also defined as set of moral codes. Ethics helps to determine and differentiate what is right and what is wrong. Professional ethics is a set of principles, linked morally to a specific profession. Natural Moral Sense is the basis of professional ethics. Every human being is granted moral sense that helps him to determine ethics link to his profession. The ethics about IT professionals include property rights in the form of electronic content, protection of customer information and how information ...

Abstract 3

Introduction 3 Ethical Issues in Information Technology 4 Ethical Case Study in IT 5 IT Laws 6 Cultural Differences in the Use of IT 7 Conclusion 8

Abstract

People continuously thrive in making their lives easier; thereby inventing different kinds of technology to suffice what is needed for different kinds of human work. The Internet emerges as the greatest invention yet in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as it transcends the barriers of communication. However, ethical issues arise in its use, one of which is seen in the rampant inequality in the access of cyberspace ...

Day by day, our life spectrum is widening, and new technologies are introduced. Computers remain a crucial part in our lives as they are present in all aspects that we encounter. Countless individuals use a computer before the day ends to perform multiple functions. Surprisingly, not many people understand how a computer works, or even think about the changes introduced by the devices. Computer technology is associated with a constant changing nature, and this makes it hard to establish ethics and moral codes to govern the use of computers in people’s life. The American Heritage Dictionary defines ethics as "The rules or ...

With the advancement in information technology and increased globalization, the use of the internet has been faced with a number of challenges. One divisive discourse arising as a consequence informs the subject of this paper. That is, which has ethical import? Is there free speech or content control on the internet? This submission supports content control on the internet and would be seeking to lay out the reasons for such a position. Foremost, it should be appreciated that the internet is accessible to all and sundry. From the priests in the Vatican to the soldiers in the DRC Congo, from the ...

Introduction

The term ethics used to refer to a set of principles that govern a character of a society . What is deemed to be acceptable before the society is termed as ethical and vice-versa unethical. Similarly, in computing, the term ethics refer to a set of good principles that govern the discourse that is computing . Some of the main facets of computing that can be discussed in the purview of computer ethics include privacy concerns, intellectual property and the use of computer for the betterment of society. This paper reviews a scenario that brings the ethics of computing into discussion.

Scenario

The possibility to finding important ...

Definition of ethics for the information age

Information technology has been bombarded with several issues related to ethics. Ethical issues arise when one tries to achieve its goal someone behaves such that the behavior will affect the ability of other to achieve their goals. The definition for ethics for the computer age must be based on the definition of computer ethics. Computer ethics is a relatively new field of ethics that is first given definition by Walter Maner, His definition is “one that studies ethical problems aggravated, transformed or created by computer technology”. (Bynum, 2011) A closely related and an expansion theory the computer ethics is ...

Introduction

Ethics is set of principles that govern morally the behavior of an individual or a group. Ethics can also be define as moral codes. Ethics describes how we determine that what is right from what is wrong. Ethics differentiate us from other creatures of our world. Therefore we can say that computer ethics is a set of principles that regulate morally use of computers. Some issues of ethics about computer include property rights of intellectual such as electronic content and how can computers affect our society and its privacy concerns. For a person in everyday life is important to have good ethics ...

Globalization is defined as the tendencies in which business, philosophies and technologies tend to expand and spread worldwide. Since globalization makes markets interconnected to each other they are sometimes referred to as globality.In globality, trading is not hampered by national boundaries or the different time zones. Globalization has brought a lot of benefits to different nations’ economy. For the third world countries, they have been able to provide employment to their large unemployed citizens pushing them to a level of developed countries. Others argue that globalization presents the developed countries with an opportunity to exploit the poorest nations. The diversity in ...

The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

Introduction

Computer ethics is a field of ethics that is undergoing a lot of changes as computer technology advances and develops (Alavudeen, Rahman & Jayakumaran, 2008). It can be viewed as the efforts of professional philosophers to apply traditional ethical theories to the issues on the use of computer technology where such theories include virtue ethics, Kantian ethics, and utilitarian ethics. On the other hand, computer ethics can also be viewed as encompassing a wider spectrum by including things such as corporate ethics, public policy, aspects of computer law, codes of conduct, and standards of professional practice.

This field of ethics has become ...

Believe it or not, the present world is mushrooming with information and knowledge revolution. In this era of knowledge sharing and information explosion, the role of change and transformation due to the evolution of internet in in all walks of life has revolutionized the society and life of the people. No matter what we do and where we go, there is a tangible impact of internet on every layer of life. And this is a challenge before us to adjust or customize our style of action and reaction to suit the need of the situations or circumstances. But, the domain of ...

1. What is cyber ethics? Do ethics matter in information technology? Cyber ethics refers to the study of the means of behavior and personal conduct that pertains to the utilization of interconnected computers within the network. It defines the ethical use of the rules of utilization as well and how the incorporation and execution of such use affects the society. According to Kizza, ethics is defined within a specific scope that is ‘governed by guidelines and rules of thumb called codes of ethics’. These rules and ethical guidelines within the domain are set to be respected and adhered to ...

Information pervasiveness, along with all its benefits, brings concerns with respect to security issues. Data is no longer hidden behind the walls of companies. It does not reside only on mainframes physically isolated within an organization where all kind of physical security measures are taken to defend the data and the systems. Systems are increasingly open and interconnected, which poses new challenges for security technologies.

A number of privacy issues also arise with the proliferation of digital technologies. Personalized services such as reward programs require collection, processing, and often even distribution of personal data and sensitive information. With ubiquitous ...