Values of Computer Ethics

The core values of ethics can help us evaluate the reasonableness and acceptability of public policies formulated to address social problems or market imperfections that arise in cyberspace. Computer ethics is related to the systematic study of the ethical and social impact of computers and computer networks in the information society. Computer ethics has also been used to refer to a kind of professional ethics in which computer professionals apply codes of ethics and standards of good practice within their profession. Moreover, computer ethics is considered to be dealing with practical questions focusing on moral action: how do I know whether an action is morally right or wrong? This question involves two interrelated factors-- the moral action and the moral agent. Professor Herman Tavani, Professor of Philosophy at Rivier College, President of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT), correctly identifies four different kinds of ethical theories relevant to computer ethics decision-making procedures: (1) consequence-based (utilitarian); (2) duty-based (deontological); (3) contract-based (rights based); (4) character based (virtue-based). But will focus more on the utilitarian and deontological theories.

A consequence-based or utilitarian ethics promotes personal happiness and social utility by focusing on the consequences of moral action. An individual act (X) or a social policy (Y) is morally permissible if the consequences that result from (X) or (Y) produce the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of persons affected by the act or policy. Critics reject the emphasis on the consequence of individual acts. They point out that in our day-to-day activities; we tend not to deliberate on each individual action as if that action were unique. Rather, we are inclined to deliberate on the basis of certain principles or general rules that guide our behavior. Consider some principles that may guide your behavior as...