| Computer Ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how
computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct.
The term “computer ethics” was first coined by Walter Maner in the mid-1970s, but only since the 1990s has it
started being integrated into professional development programs in academic settings.
Issues
The core issues of computer ethics include, but are not limited to: professional responsibility, intellectual property rights, privacy, and the impact of technology in society:
- Professional responsibility relates to the decisions the computer professional makes regarding customer–professional
and professional–professional relationships.
- The issue of intellectual property rights relates to respecting established copyright rights as defined by law.
- Issues of privacy relate to the usage of information collected about individuals and stored in databases.
- The final issue, the impact of technology in society, is perhaps the controlling issue in computer ethics. This issue relates
to the consequences of the introduction of technology for society as a whole, as well as the place computers have in
society.
Identifying issues
Identifying ethical issues as they arise, as well as defining how to deal with them, has traditionally been problematic in
computer ethics. Some have argued against the idea of computer ethics as a whole. However, Collins and Miller proposed a method
of identifying issues in computer ethics in their Paramedic Ethics model. The model is a data-centered view of judging ethical
issues, involving the gathering, analysis, negotiation, and judging of data about the issue.
In solving problems relating to ethical issues, Davis proposed a unique problem-solving method. In Davis's model, the ethical
problem is stated, facts are checked, and a list of options is generated by considering relevant factors relating to the problem.
The actual action taken is influenced by specific ethical standards.
Ethical standards
One of the most definitive sets of ethical standards is the Association for Computing Machinery Code of Ethics. The code is a four-point standard
governing ethical behavior among computing professionals. It covers the core set of computer ethics from professional
responsibility to the consequences of technology in society. [1] (http://www.acm.org/constitution/code.html)
The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) defines ethical
behavior from the standpoint of legality, specifically during the contracting process of computing. It defines how valid
computing contracts are formed, and how issues such as breach of contract are defined and settled. However, legality does not
completely encompass computer ethics, being just one facet of the constantly expanding field of computer ethics. [2] (http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/ulc/ucita/ucita200.htm)
The future of Computer Ethics
Although computer ethics is still in its infancy, both in practice and academically, its importance increased through the
1990s. With the growth of the Internet, privacy issues as well as concerns regarding computing technologies such as spyware and web browser cookies have
called into question ethical behavior in technology. The field of computer ethics shows signs of growth in the near future as
technology continues to grow as part of international commerce and daily life.
References
- Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. Association for Computing Machinery: Code of Ethics.
- Martin, C. Dianne and Weltz, Elaine Yale. From Awareness to Action: Integrating Ethics and Social Responsibility into the
Computer Science Curriculum. Computers and Society, June 1999.
- National Conference on Uniform State Laws. Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act.
- Tavani, Herman T. Applying an Interdiscplinary Approach to Teaching Computer Ethics. IEEE Technology and Society
Magazine, Fall 2002.
- Bynum, Terrell Ward. The Foundation of Computer Ethics. Computers and Society, June 2000,
- Werth, Laurie Honor. Getting Started with Computer Ethics. Proceedings of the twenty-eighth SIGCSE technical symposium on
Computer science education
External links
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