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1. What is cyberethics? How is it different from and similar to computer ethics

ID: 3691618 • Letter: 1

Question

1. What is cyberethics? How is it different from and similar to computer ethics and Internet ethics?

2. Summarize the key aspects of each of the "four phases" we used to describe the evolution of cyberethics as a field of applied ethics.

3. What alternative strategy does James Moor use to analyze the question whether cyberethics issues are unique?

4. Summarize the principal aspects of the perspective of cyberethics as a field of proffessional ethics.

5. What does Brey mean by "morally opaque" or "morally nontransparent" features embedded in computer technology?

Explanation / Answer

1)

Cyberethics is the study of ethics pertaining to computers in a philosapic way that encompassing user behavior and what computers are programmed to do, and how this affects individuals and society....

Computer ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the usage of computers. One of the common issues of computer ethics is violation of copyright issues.

Computer Ethics is a part of practical philosophy which concerns with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. Margaret Anne Pierce, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computers at Georgia Southern University has categorized the ethical decisions related to computer technology and usage into 3 primary influence...

Internet ethics means acceptable behaviour for using internet. We should be honest, respect the rights and property of others on the internet.

Is there a difference between ethics in the real world

and ethics online? While the answer to this question

might seem obvious to parents, for many children,

there is a very real—and potentially dangerous—

disconnect between ethics in the real world and cybers

pace. A recent poll found that nearly half of the

elementary and middle school students who responded said

they don’t believe hacking is a crime. Why is

there this divide between real-world and cyber ethics,

and what can parents do to make sure that their children practice ethical behavior when online..

The Ethical Divide

Is the Internet that much different than

the real world? After all, a crime

is

a crime. There are two

characteristics of the Internet that make it difficult fo

r children to transfer ethical behavior to the online

environment:

The first characteristic is the feeling of anonymity. The

New Yorker

once published a cartoon with the

punch line, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog”; the cartoon was making the point that it is

easy to feel invisible on the Internet. Children ofte

n believe that they are “invisible” online because they

cannot be identified and can get away with more (t

his actually isn’t true—modern computer forensics

makes it very easy to track a user online). Many young

children also feel that regular rules don’t apply to

the Internet.

The second characteristic is distance.

On the Internet, many people do and say things to others that they

would never consider doing to someone face-to

-face. Because children cannot see the direct

consequences of their actions, they often think that

what they are doing won’t harm anyone else. Of

course, parents know that this is not true. Actions

on the Internet still have the same repercussions as

actions in the real world.

Promoting Ethical Behavior Online

Now that we know a little bit about why children d

on’t transfer ethical behavior to the online

environment, we can examine a few strategies for promoting ethical behavior:

Communication

: The most obvious strategy involves taking the time to talk with our children about

acceptable and unacceptable online behavior. Children

need to understand that their actions can

impact others, and that they should practice the same

etiquette online as they would in the real world.

Make comparisons between online and real-world ethi

cs and point out that they are, in reality, the

same.

Modeling

: When online, model ethical behavior and point out areas where ethical behavior makes a

difference.

Contracts

: Sign a “contract” with your children that outlines the type of behavior you expect, as well

as the consequences for breaching the contract. What

should be in this contract? A good source of

information to draw from is the Computer Eticths ..

2)

the four Phases of Cyberethics is as fallows...

Cyber Ethics Phase One

50s-60s
Standalone Machines ( Large mainframe computers)
Deals with Artificial Intelligence, Database Privacy

Cyber Ethics Phase Two

70s-80s
Minicomputers and PCs interconnected via privately owned networks
Deals with AI, DB Privacy, and Intellectual Property and Software Piracy, Computer Crime, Privacy and Exchange of Records..

Cyber Ethics Phase Three

90s-present
Internet and WWW
Deals with AI, DB Privacy, Intellectual Property, Software Piracy, Computer Crime, Privacy and Exchange of Records, and Free Speech, Anonymity, Legal Jurisdiction, Virtual Communities

Cyber Ethics Phase Four

present-near future
Convergence of Information and Communication technologies with nanotechnology research and genetic and genomic research
Deals with AI, DB Privacy, Intellectual Property, Software Piracy, Computer Crime, Privacy and Exchange of Records, Free Speech, Anonymity, Legal Jurisdiction, Virtual Communities and Artifical Electronic Agents (Bots) with Decision making capabilities, bionic chip implants, nano computing research, DNA mapping, etc.

3)

For Analyzing the Uniqueness Issue

James Moor (1985) argues that computer technology generates “new possibilities for human action” because computers are logically malleable.

Logical malleability, in turn, introduces policy vacuums.

Policy vacuums often arise because of conceptual muddles.According to James Moor computer ethics is the analysis of the nature and social impact of computer technology and the corresponding formulation and justification of policies for the ethical use of such technology. he use the phrase "computer technology" because he take the subject matter of the field broadly to include computers and associated technology. For instance, include concerns about software as well as hardware and concerns about networks connecting computers as well as computers themselves.

4)

Cyber Ethics is a development of ethics of the public forum, based on the principle of freedom of communication. The goal is to develop a minimal Cyber Ethic concept that may be accepted by people of all cultures and religions, not as a replacement for their beliefs, but as an acceptance of ethical progress in an Internet-mediated global environment. From this acceptance, the global strategies and actions leading to a better world may be developed. The ideals of journalism contribute to an Internet Code of Ethics. The Code, supplemented with emerging global principles relating to Internet infrastructure development advocates development of a schema to match Habermas' ideal speech situation-a precondition to development of democracy and freedom. Threats to the Internet cultural commercial, and scientific milieu are not only inappropriate regulation, but also adverse development of hardware and informational environments by organisations wishing to exploit the resources of the Internet without constraint. Issues of key importance, identified by defensive activity by the Internet community and by opposing scenarios to that of the Internet Code of Ethics are cyptography, copyright censorship, software patents, privacy universal access, and content provision.

The Cyber Ethical perspective is that the principles represent a paradigm shift away from aggressive nationalism alrd cultural intolerance. It contends that the operation sf a culturally inclusive and diverse Internet public forum will produce a self-protective strategy. This will in turn set the stage for an Internet jurisdiction, global economic and environmental reform, and reform of global governance systems. The immediate strategy for an ethical Internet community is to realise an optimal Internet infrastructure and to provide leadership in a global internet mediated policy making process.....

5)

Brey (2001) believes that because of embedded biases in cybertechnology, the standard applied-ethics methodology is not adequate for identifying cyberethics issues.

We might fail to notice certain features embedded in the design of cybertechnology.

Using the standard model, we might also fail to recognize that certain practices involving cybertechnology can have moral implications

Brey notes that one weakness of the “standard method of applied ethics” is that it tends to focus on known moral controversies

So that model fails to identify those practices involving cybertechnology which have moral implications but that are not yet known.

Brey refers to these practices as having morally opaque (or morally non-transparent) features, which he contrasts with "morally transparent” features.