by Scott M. Ligocki Jr. Computer Ethics

ITSC 1309 –

BC

9/20/11

Computer Ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct online.

Ethical decisions related to computer technology and usage can typically be categorized into 3 primary influences:

The individual’s own personal code. Any informal code of ethical behavior that exists in the

work place. Exposure to formal code of ethics.

The Beginning

To understand the foundation of Computer Ethics, it is important to examine the different schools of ethical theory.

Relativism - the understanding that there are no universal moral norms of right and wrong.

Kantianism - the belief that people’s actions are to be guided by moral laws, and that these moral laws are universal.

Utilitarianism - the belief that an action is good if it benefits someone and an action is bad if it harms someone.

Social contract - the concept that for a society to arise and maintain order, a morality based set of rules must be agreed upon.

The Foundation

In 1950 Norbert Weiner, an MIT professor and inventor of an information feedback system called “Cybernetics", published a book called: The Human Use of Human Beings, which laid out the basic foundations of computer ethics and made Norbert Weiner the father of computer ethics.

The 1990's were a time when computers were reaching their pinnacle. The combination of computers, with telecommunication, the internet and other media meant that many new ethical issues were being raised.

In the year 1992, the Association for Computing Machinery adopted a new set of ethical rules called: ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, which consisted of 24 statements of personal responsibility.

The History

With the increase in social networking, more and more people are allowing their private information to be shared publicly.

The power struggles of the real world have easily transferred onto the internet. Independent users, businesses, and search engines are subject to manipulation, bias and censorship, whether they realize it or not.

This gives views to certain issues or events that may or may not be modified, which could easily bend public opinion in frightening ways. International news can spread across the globe in very little time. The internet can easily be controlled by companies or organizations trying to get the public to buy in to certain things.

In reference to Computer Ethics, there is a lot to be said about Internet Privacy.

The Internet

Identifying ethical issues as they arise, as well as defining how to

deal with them.

Computer Ethics