Computer Ethics

Essay by Red_Riding_Hood November 2004

download word file, 4 pages 3.9

One of the major concerns for business currently is Computer Ethics (CE) or information ethics. Computer Ethics is a new division of ethics growing and changing at a startling rate as technology evolves. The term "Computer Ethics" can be interpreted from different perspectives. For instance, as explained by Luciano Floridi, Computer Ethics can be viewed as the efforts of professional philosophers to apply traditional ethical theories, for instance utilitatianism, Kantianism, or virtue ethics to issues regarding the use of computer technology. From a different perspective however, Computer Ethics can be viewed as very inclusive and broad, by including standards of business practices, code of conduct and public policy.

In industrialized nations, technology has touched and modified many aspects of life; for instance, banking, shopping, medical care, employment and entertainment. In some aspects these changes have been of great benefit to all, however in some instances it has been of great detriment; case in point, community life, family life and relationships.

Of great impact to all has been the loss of privacy, freedom and democracy in this post 9-11 environment mostly due to the U.S. Patriot Act. Computer Ethics tries to study and analyze the social and ethical impact of technology in society.

Computer Ethics in recent years have grown to a major field of studies in universities, conferences, professional organizations, books, journals and research centers. In this new field of studies, greatly accelerated by the advancement of the Internet and the World-Wide-Web, Computer Ethics is rapidly growing into a global information ethics field.

As a field of studies, Professor Norbert Wiener and a team of engineers founded Computer Ethics during the 1940's World War II era. The project was to develop a weapon that would track down an airplane, calculate the planes heading, and transfer this data to...