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Online ethics involves behavior on the Internet guided by both law and personal philosophy. Major concerns include protecting private information, limits of freedom of expression, and defamation. Anonymity can be protective or offensive, and online bullying is a major issue. Acting online as in real life is a commonly cited code of ethics.
The Internet age has introduced many new dimensions to the study and practice of ethics. Online ethics refers to patterns of behavior employed on the Internet, guided by both the law and personal philosophy. The large capabilities of this medium allow for the potential for great harm, cruelty and even crime. Major concerns in online ethics include the protection of private information, the limits of a purported freedom of expression, and defamation issues. Understanding the legal ramifications and trusting the personal philosophy used in other areas of life can help a person determine their online ethics.
Perhaps one of the Internet’s most tantalizing promises is its ability to create anonymity. On discussion forums, blogs, and via various email addresses, one person can easily create dozens of personas, each accessible to different people. But one of the most pervasive moral questions in online ethics concerns the difference between protecting anonymity and deceiving others.
To some extent, hiding personal details is a wise idea on the web. Posting contact information or financial data is an unfortunate way to attract identity thieves or scammers, leaving you and family members vulnerable to crime. Many social networking sites offer extensive privacy options that allow users to determine how much personal data is visible. While the protection of personal information is considered reasonable by many, anonymity can also go from protective to offensive quite easily.
A person going through divorce, for example, may use a false nickname or give vague details about the circumstances when venting feelings of anger or hurt on a discussion forum for divorced people. In this case, the user could protect the anonymity of himself and other parties. If, however, a person uses web anonymity to provide specific details about another person that could lead to possible harm, it becomes an ethical gray area.
Another major issue in online ethics is the prevalence and influence of online bullying. With social networking sites being a large part of many people’s Internet experience, a whole new format for bullying or manipulation has arisen. In a famous piece of news in the age of online ethics, bereaved parents sought to sue a grown woman for contributing to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl. According to reports, the woman had befriended and then cut off contact with the girl through a social media site under an assumed identity, allegedly to gain her trust and then hurt her feelings. Whether or not this type of action is criminal will be a question for legal systems for years to come, but whether it is ethical is hotly debated.
In general, a commonly cited online code of ethics is to act on the Internet in the same way that is personally acceptable in other areas of life. While the ability to withhold details can be useful as a security measure, ethical issues arise when used to obtain or distribute information or achieve results that could not be handled without anonymity. This most basic of all online ethics conundrums goes back to Plato’s famous “Parable of the Ring,” which asks that if a person had the ability to become invisible and thus get away with anything, would it be okay to use the ability?
