Computers have created ethical issues related to privacy, equal access, and cyber defense. Privacy is a debated issue as identifying information is almost always available, and companies collect sensitive consumer information. The Internet’s global nature creates unique ethical problems, including regulating Internet traffic and free speech. The use of computers for tasks could lead to job loss.
There are a number of computer ethics issues that have emerged as computers have become more widespread, accessible, and advanced. Ease of access for many people has led to issues relating to the moral use and social ramifications of actions taken online. The methods employed by many institutions, which often require the use of computers for document storage and processing, have raised ethical questions regarding privacy and equal access. Governments that rely on computers, sometimes centralizing databases and utility processes, face questions of cyber ethics as they relate to defense and law enforcement over public privacy. There are also legal issues surrounding the possibility of operating from a computer as an unknown and anonymous user and thus potentially committing a crime that cannot be traced.
Privacy is by far one of the most debated cyber ethics issues. On the one hand, users do not want information that can be easily obtained from available technology to be accessible to the servers or websites they visit. At the same time, this type of information can be invaluable to law enforcement when tracking an Internet criminal. While the issue could be discussed from different angles, one reality is that the way global network protocols operate means that identifying information about a computer user is almost always available, cutting off any chance of true online anonymity.
The privacy issue also arises from the way many companies and retailers do business. In a computerized marketplace that allows instant access to funds and instant purchases, it is necessary to maintain large databases with highly sensitive consumer information. This information can be combined with other compiled databases that track users’ browsing habits and create a very detailed digital profile of an individual. The collection and storage of information is one of the problems of computer ethics that has been difficult to solve. One argument is that, without this information, the cost of using the Internet could go up and the convenience of shopping through a point-of-sale terminal, or online, could become obsolete; detractors believe this information should not be sorted, compiled, or kept on file after a purchase is made.
The Internet is a single global data network, so a unique set of computing ethics issues emerges. Digital data on the Internet does not naturally follow the political boundaries of countries around the world. When a country decides that parts of the Internet violate local laws, that country may attempt to regulate Internet traffic within and across borders to prevent users from accessing information available online. The real ethical problem is that this is often ineffective when done solely by a country’s government and can often require the cooperation of software developers and server operators located in other parts of the world. In countries that have free speech laws, the ethical dilemma may come down to whether to be complicit in helping enforce restrictions with the services and software they create or actively defy the wishes of a sovereign nation and remove any benefits that the software or the service could also be had in a restricted form.
Within some industries, there are computing ethics issues that arise from the fact that a computer can perform certain tasks more efficiently and less costly than a human being. This could lead to the replacement of human personnel with computers and software. The ethical issue here is that, as technology progresses, it may become more and more profitable to use computers for tasks and not offer those jobs to human employees at all, reducing the amount of jobs available.
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