Ruba Qasem

Professor Martinelli

BMIE 1001

October 20, 2008

Ethical Issues in Computing

.4 million people in 2007 were victims of identity theft and collectively lost $49.3 billion

in 2007. (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse) We live in a very technologically advanced society

where people use the computers for numerous things. They begin to take advantage of such

benefits brought to our community and they do not care much about give it enough credit. When

an individual becomes too attached to something, such as the internet, they begin to learn

everything there is to know about it. Once they have mastered all the tricks, ethical issues begin

to arise in computing. Poor Mary did not know that her entire life would be taken way; she was a

victim of identity theft. A man, who had mastered the art of theft, had taken her credit card

information after she had entered it onto a false counterfeit website, and he had purchased online

goods worth $5,000. This is just one simple case, but there are many other ethical cases that are

occurring as we speak now.

Many online users are subject to diverse problems, such as identity theft, hacking,

viruses, or even illegal sharing of copyrighted material.No one is safe on the internet; users can

be exposed to phishing scams, spyware, and numerous viruses simply by clicking a link or using

an unsecured net work. With a cyberspace that spans the world and back, it is almost impossible

to imagine a day where our personal information could ever be secure. Therefore, more privacy

laws should be instituted that protect the user of the internet and severely punish all those who

hack and maliciously ruin people's lives. James Moor gives an interesting definition of computer
ethics, saying, “Computers are logically malleable in that they can be shaped and molded to do

any activity that can be characterized in terms of inputs, outputs and connecting logical

operations....Because logic applies everywhere, the potential applications of computer

technology appear limitless. The computer is the nearest thing we have to a universal tool.

Indeed, the limits of computers are largely the limits of our own creativity” (Bynum). Once

people have the means of using the computer in any negative shape or form, they will do so

without a problem. Because of this lack on inner sense or conscience, many individuals are

subject to violation of privacy.

One A major issue inhindrance to computer ethics is identity theft, which usually deals

with the embezzlement of one’s credit card information or social security numberwhich affects

tens of millions of Americans each year. People are very egocentric and are not concerned with

the welfare of others. These are very valuable things to steal, so this is a significant aspect of

computer ethics. In today’s cyberspace, a person’s identity is one of the most useful pieces of

information; access to a person’s identity can help consumers verify money transfers, credit card

transactions, and even college registration. These thieves are quite clever; they may dig through

your trash, bring popups to your browser, or simply steal your wallet when you leave it

somewhere. Identity thieves know exactly what access to a person’s identity can do and what

devastating effects it can have on their victims. The Federal Trade Commission tells us that there

are different thingsreports that identity thieves can do with your personal information, such as

open credit card accounts with stolen identities fraud, phone or utilities fraud, bank and finance

fraud, and government documents fraud as well as using utilities and phones on their victim’s

expense. Although these problems are serious, there are simple ways one can avoid identity theft.
Small actions such as never filling out personal information on unfamiliar websites or keeping

your bag and wallet within your reach, can help someone with their problems.

Another issue in the ethics of computing field is hacking, which is defined as a “person

who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities,

as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.” (Stone) Hackers

disrupt people’s lives and place people in a jeopardized situation. Hacking can be utilized as a

means of feeling powerful because once they get in touch with your technology, they hold

influence over you. Once they learn the basics, they begin to steal more confidential information

and involve themselves in burglary. Despite these negative results, hacking can be used

positively. For example, it can be used to discover confidential information that was inaccessible

due to the death of an important individual.

Last but certainly not least from the most crucial ethical issues is viruses. Just like the

function of a human virus, a computer virus attacks the data and hard drive of a computer. it

makes the computer more susceptible to other viruses similar to how our weakened immune

system is susceptible to our immune system. “Computer viruses are most easily spread by

attachments in e-mail messages or by instant messaging messages. Therefore, you must never

open an email attachment unless you know who sent the message or unless you are expecting the

email attachment. Computer viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting

cards, or audio or video files. Computer viruses also spread by using downloads on the internet.

Computer viruses can be hidden in pirated software or in other files or programs that you may

download.” (Microsoft )

Generally, people know that the term ethics means a set of rules and morals, so computer

ethics would deal with your manners in the online world. The Ten Commandments of Computer
Ethics were created to help both companies and their employees. These are as follows: avoid

using harm to others when using computers, do not interfere with other people’s efforts at

accomplishing work with computers, resist the temptation to snoop in other people’s computer

files, do not use computers to promote lies, do not use software without paying the creator for it,

avoid using people’s computer resources, do not claim other people’s intellectual output as your

own, consider the social consequences of the products of your computer’s labor, and only use

computers in ways that show consideration and respect for others. (Evans, Martin and Poatsy)

“The world is very close to having technology that can provide electronic privacy and security

on the internet sufficient to safely conduct international business transactions. Once this

technology is in place, there will be a rapid expansion of global "cyberbusiness". Nations with a

technological infrastructure already in place will enjoy rapid economic growth, while the rest of

the world lags behind.” (Bynum) It is our role in society to assure that there are more privacy

laws enacted and violators are punished for their crimes. Once government begins to realize the

seriousness of this situation, then technology will be not taken advantage of and will start being

utilized only in the proper manner. One major solution to these technological and ethical

problems is to have more people become computer literate. Once they learn how to use the

computer efficiently, they can stop any underlining ethical problems they used to face in the past

and society can rise above such adversity.

Works Cited

Bynum, Terell. Computer and Information Ethics: Basic Concepts and Historical Overview.

August 14 2001. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-computer/#2>.

Evans, Allan, Kendall Martin and Mary Anne Poatsy. Introductory Technology in Action: Fifth
Edition . Upper Saddle River : Pearson Education , 2008 .

Federal Trade Commision. About Identity Theft.

<http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/about-identity-theft.html>.

Harvey, Brian. Computer Hacking and Ethics. <http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~bh/hackers.html>.

Mendels, Pamela. Online Ethics should begin in Classroom, Educators Say . 16 February 2000.

<http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/02/cyber/education/16education.html?scp=6&sq=co

mputer%20ethics&st=cse>.

Microsoft . Computer Viruses: description, prevention, and recovery . 3 December 2007.

<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/129972>.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. How Many Identity Theft Victims Are There? What Is the Impact

on Victims? 2003-2006. <http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/idtheftsurveys.htm>.

Stone, David M. Computer Hacking . 1999. <http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/crime/hacking.htm >.