C OMPUTER E THICS : A G LOBAL PERSPECTIVE BY G IANNIS S TAMATELLOS Chapter 1 – Ranette Halverson

C HAPTER 1: W HAT IS C OMPUTER E THICS ? Information Technology Application of appropriate technologies to the organization, manipulations & distribution of information by computers & telecommunications Computer Ethics From MIT Professor Norbert Weiner (1948+) “What is computer ethics?” James Moor (1985) Def: the analysis of the nature & social impact of computer technology & the corresponding formulation & justification of policies for the ethical use of such technology (Moor)

W HY THE NEED FOR N EW S TUDY ? New Technology provides New Choices & Abilities Behavior Public Policies Personal Policies

1.2 C OMPUTER E THICS & M ORALITY Ethics: Systematic study of morality A branch of philosophy Involves Freedom, privacy, equality, duty, obligations choice, justification of judgments, rights, claims The code or set of principles, standards, or rules that guide the moral actions of an individual within a particular social framework Moral judgment & decision: how a person ought to act & the extent to which the action is described as right or wrong

C OMPUTER E THICS The systematic study of the ethical & social impact of computer in the information society Involve the acquisition, distribution, storage, processing & dissemination of digital data & how individuals & groups interact with the systems & data Responsibility & accountability Policies, regulations, legislation

E FFECTS OF I NFORMATION T ECHNOLOGY Exaggerate traditional ethical problems New ways to invade privacy Convert already know ethical issues into analogous issues Change idea of ownership & intellectual property Create entirely new ethical problems Viruses, hacking

1.3 E THICAL D ECISION M AKING How do I know if an action is ethical? Law Codes of Practice Professional ethics Personal ethics Two Factors Person who acts Those affected by act

F ACTORS OF E THICAL A CTION Intentions Action Consequences Each factor is addressed differently by different philosophies of ethics. Example: Shooting someone with a gun

W HAT ARE YOUR M ORAL V IEWS ? In my opinion, this is a VERY significant question that you should answer. How will you behave out in the real world? How have you behaved in college? How have you behaved at home? What are you willing to sacrifice for you principles?

R EAL W ORLD E THICS Name some ethics of ethical or moral situations in current society?