Essay 2

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. . 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. . Harvey, Brian. Computer Hacking and Ethics. . Mendels, Pamela. Online Ethics should begin in Classroom, Educators Say . 16 February 2000. . Microsoft . Computer Viruses: description, prevention, and recovery . 3 December 2007. . Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. How Many Identity Theft Victims Are There? What Is the Impact on Victims? 2003-2006. . Stone, David M. Computer Hacking . 1999. .