You come home from a hard day at work, just wanting to sit down and relax in front of the computer and space out on the Internet for a while. You hit the sign on button on your America Online screen, only to be told, “only one screen name is to be signed on at one time per account”. No one else you know could possibly be online using your screen name, and you think to yourself, "what could possibly be going on?"
Congratulations, you’ve been hit with the latest in computer scams going on. It appears after a lengthy call to the America Online Help Center that someone has stolen your password. “No, couldn’t happen to me” you say. Well, it does, and is happening to millions of people nationwide. Emails come addressed appearing as coming from friends and family, when really they are just multiplied emails of a password stealer that sends your user name and password back to the author of the virus, allowing him or her complete access to your internet service provider account. This, along with many other computer and Internet scams, are becoming a harsh reality.
Ethics within the computer world are a touchy subject. On one side, people are telling the government to stay out of the internet, that the internet is governed by their first amendment rights, and so on and so forth. One the other hand, thousands of people are having their computers crashed by viruses and the like, as well as major corporations being shutdown due to viruses and hackers crashing their websites and servers. At what point do ethics come into play? What moral standards must be followed for use, not abuse of the Internet?
There are many examples of way that the Internet is being used unethically, a few of them are:
· Stealing copyright and credit for intellectual property
· Interception of private email
· Display of pornographic materials
· Deliberate public misinformation
· Misuse of research material
· Improper commercial/personal use of network (Ethics on the Web, Pg. 1.)
Ethics are defined as:
A. A set of principles of right conduct.
B .A theory or a system of moral values (www.dictionary.com)
SPAM has grown to be a major problem on the Internet. Internet users can set up a virtually fictitious email address in order to send out millions of unwanted email letters including in such advertisements, free pornography pictures, as well as a wealth of more unwanted information. This activity plugs up email servers daily, as well as clogs the users mailbox with tons of unwanted information. This is similar to the junk mail that would arrive via US Postal Service to your home mailbox. Companies that collect your information from visiting their website have sold your email address and all other information about you to someone, or a business, in order for them to email you with information about their product, service, etc. If there were an ethical code in place for people to follow, this type of activity would not be occurring most likely. Users of the Internet should go by the code, “do unto others, as you would want them to do unto you”. Which, in all respect should be the code of the Internet. Users for the most part, would not want someone crashing their home system, or filling their mailbox with junk emails on a daily basis. I spoke with computer enthusiast, Chris Tribout, who has dealt with the Internet on a daily basis and made it his choice line of work on more than one occasion. He feels that computer viruses could be obsolete if “people would just spend an extra ten seconds of prevention, and heed the warnings that the computer warns the user against.” He feels that “SPAM is the same as junk mail in your home mailbox”, and he does the same with SPAM as he does the latter “with junk mail, you can opt to have your name taken off a list, you can almost always do the same with SPAM, if not, you can always do things easier, and just hit the delete button, and not worry about it”.
The content of the Internet has risen more than a few eyebrows in the past few years. With the rise of adult websites on the run, more and more children are in danger of being subjected to viewing these pages very easily. There have been attempts by many of them to stop children viewing these sites, such as the addition of AdultCheck and other such services, which allow users, for a nominal fee to receive an ID number, which verifies that they are of age to view the content of the site. By putting in place systems such as these, it shows that the controllers of this site are playing their part in the role of ethical standards facing the Internet by making it virtually impossible for children to view the pages “accidentally”.
A recently growing debate of ethicality on the Internet is the subject of the .mp3 format of file sharing. Files encoded in an MP3, have the same musical quality as a compact disc, and allow users for free to access these files, download them to their computer, and listen for no charge. The most notable service that allows such to go on goes by the name of Napster. Many users also have access to a disc burner, which allows them to create their own disc of the music, with almost no cost to them. Ethics play a major role in this, as this is almost the same as theft. In doing so, the artists receive no compensation from the theft of their music. Many artists have taken the makers of Napster to court, as well as the banning of many Napster users who share files or certain bands, most notably, the group Metallica. The moral standards that many users must set for themselves are that they are not stealing anything. They are just using what is given to them, and that the artists are already rich in the first place, so they are not losing anything. In reality, the artists are suffering a loss, because every person who feels that way is taking money from their pockets, and what they have worked hard to succeed at in life, and taking that away from them. In speaking to Mr. Tribout about his feelings about Napster and other like file sharing programs he responded, “ I support Napster, however, I do not support those who are using the program to steal from the artists and burn their own copies”. He “feels it is a great way to hear more about a band before purchasing the CD, but should not be used as a substitute”.
Most recently Napster has come under fire from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has taken Napster and founder Shawn Fanning to court to get the Napster service shutdown. The court battle has just recently begun and is under current litigation. The outcome of this case will surely serve as a landmark case for others surely to follow in the age of technology, and the outcome will certainly have an impact for other services yet to follow.
Recently, the Computer Ethics Institute (CEI) has been founded. The CEI is founded through The Brookings Institution, in Washington, DC. (CEI Website) The CEI has compiled a list, which it feels are the Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics, and are as follows:
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not copy of use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write or the system you design.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect for your fellow humans.
The CEI was founded in 1985 as the Coalition for Computer Ethics and incorporated in 1992, and is a research, education, and policy study organization that has “focused on the interface of advances in information technologies, ethics, and corporate and public policy”. As a leader in the field, CEI has provided an advanced forum and resource for identifying, assessing and responding to ethical issues associated with the advancement of information technologies in society. Through advisory and consultative activities, research and education, and public outreach, CEI has stimulated awareness of the issues likely to arise as technology continues to develop. As a result, many organizations have taken actions to monitor and respond to these issues. (CEI Website)
The future of ethical decisions concerning computers and the Internet, rely directly on the users themselves. No matter what restrictive devices comes into place, or what the government or other agencies do to restrict the Internet, the technology will always be there to allow users to move freely. It is up to each individual to assure that the actions that they take while using a computer and the Internet are not going to harm them or most importantly, another, and that they will not deliberately do so. Until each person takes this ethical and moral responsibility for the well being of others, problems such as computer viruses, pornography, and Napster will continue to be everyday problems in our society. Just as every person has the right to use the Internet, whether it is for pleasure, or for work, they have the same right to respect other users, and their well being. No one can tell just what the future is to hold, but it almost certainly will involve a computer, and/or the Internet in some way, shape or form.
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