Ethics plays a very critical role in today’s IT world. Ethics will define how we do, what we should do and how we should treat each other. The framework that assists in the determination of what is wrong or right follows several approaches. The underlining steps in the approaches determine the necessity of evil in the society or a good in the same society. This paper is going to discuss an ethical emerging issue in the IT world, the exact problem that arises due to the issue and the framework for making an ethical decision. It will, also, determine the impact of the decision made on the issue and analyze the validity of the decision using one ethical theory
Current IT-Related Ethical Issue
One of the emerging IT issues that present an ethical dilemma is cyberbullying. Cyber bullying is the bullying that takes place using electronic technology. It will include devices like cell phones, laptops, communication tools like chats, texts, websites and social media sites.
Imagine your brother waking up in the morning all sullen. He cannot go to social media because some kids at school have posted photos of him and exaggerated on his size. The photo-shopped image of a potbellied kid with small legs and with more than twenty thousand comments like fat, hippopotamus all down on the photos. All his friends are tagged in the photo. Another kid decides to make a video ridiculing your fat brother dancing and posting it on YouTube making it the most shared video in the school. It is worsened since some kid calls him now on his phone just to call him more even in languages he cannot comprehend. Welcome to cyberbullying in today’s IT world.
Concise Problem Statement
The exact problem from cyberbullying case scenario presented above is that the self-esteem of the child will be lowered. He goes at school, and he is bullied in person by his peers and even when he leaves school, the bullies keep on following him through any available social space and communication devices. Even the others who chance upon the video or photo will just share it with a numerous number of people, and they will exaggerate it in the name of making it fun for them. To them it is fun but to the child posted, it is the worst moment of embarrassment that might continue to torment him even after the issue will have subsided. The child can feel a lessened sense of self-worth and might even contemplate suicide.
Analysis
Kidders Model for Ethical Framework
Recognizing That There is an Issue
The issue is the fact that although there is the freedom of the use of the cyberspace by any person, in this case, one party might feel bad or might have their reputation tarnished. The moral issue here might be deception, misrepresentation, violence, invasion of privacy, greed, and lack of respect for persons .
Determine the Actor
The actor, in this case, is the cyber regulatory commissions. They have a moral issue of protecting vulnerable individuals in the society from cyber-attacks while at the same time not to inhibit or infringe on the freedom and privacy of the individuals. They have a responsibility of setting conduct of individuals in the cyberspace
Gather the Relevant Facts
The facts presented in cyber-bullying is that the actors may be of any age, race or religious inclination. The context of cyberbullying in schools can be attributed to the naïve age of the children. Other facts are that there are various avenues that cyberbullying can be propagated from considering the growing level of interconnection in the world. The other fact is that there is a need for the maintenance of privacy of the individuals since nobody has a right to infringe on the privacy of another person and thus it is not easy to confiscate personal devices from individuals.
Test for Right-Versus-Wrong Issues
In the case, the set laws within the freedom of expression should be determined. Do the majority of the people consider the act committed wrong and if given a chance to be in the same shoe, will consider it wrong .
Test for the Right-Versus-Right Paradigms
The ethical dilemma in this is the infringement on privacy and the freedom of expression of people. This is conflicted with the right of expression from any individual and also the fact that some of these actors in cyberbullying might just be driven by their arrogant and rude behavior.
Apply the Resolution Principles
The best resolution principle in this kind of IT ethical issue is the rule-based approach. Various laws need to be put in place to limit or regulate the use of devices, and the rules would concentrate on the protection of the privacy and dignity of individuals. The accuracy in the reporting of personal or any other information that might greatly affect another person can be used as admissible evidence in a court of law in the case of any defamation of misrepresentation case. Also for the kids, there should be a regulation on the use of social media and devices in case there is a reported instance of cyberbullying on an innocent kid and the ones found should be suspended from using their devices for some time.
Investigate the Trilemma Options
The common ground in the resolution of this ethical issue is the education of the various parties on their freedom as far as the cyberspace is concerned and the limitation of this freedom especially when information that can damage the reputation or that the other person is uncomfortable with is concerned. It will create awareness and make it easy to follow those who flaunt these rules .
Make Decisions
The decision, in this case, is the setting up of laws that punish those found culpable by defining what constitutes an offense in the cyberspace. The appropriate channels for reporting of these instances will work. Also, social media monitoring can be effected only in the reported cases to ascertain whether there is cyber-bullying to avoid privacy of the individuals. The vulnerable in the cyberspace will be protected and taken care of by this decision since they will not have to keep quite when injustice is committed to them. The next decision in case an upload on the cyberspace that is untruthful and the afflicted has expressed his discontentment will be pulled down so that it does not spread more as the investigation continues .
Revisit and Reflect on the Decision
The decision presented is in the best interest of any individual who has been cyberbullied. It is very democratic since the perpetrators can also see the impact of the same on the other individual
Impact of the Decision
The impact of the decision to the bullied individual is that it protects him from the endless taunting by these cyber bullies. Although the impact might be large still since the cyber bullies are everywhere, the governments are barring the airing or publication of the content assists in the reduction its spread. On the perpetrators, the impact is he might be forced to consider whatever he posts about others so that he does not become culpable of the offense.
Applicable Ethical Theory That Supports the Decision
The ethical theory that supports the decision is the care ethics. This is because the decision to deal with cyberbullying from the aggrieved person point of view is the fact that the determination of whether it is good or bad is influenced by the relationship and care that people develop in the cyberspace. The decision promotes respect and care of vulnerable individuals in the cyberspace. The decision supports greatly the people who are vulnerable in the cyberspace like children. It will justify and lead to the acceptability of the decision .
References
Cali, D. D. (1997). Kidder Model of Decision Making in Media Ethics. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 12(4), 205.
Sadler, G. B. (2011). Five Ethical Theories: bare bones for business educators. Retrieved September 3, 2016, from http://www.academia.edu/1702607/Five_Ethical_Theories_Bare_Bones_for_Business_Educators
Speak Up. (2013). An Action Plan to Address Bullying and Cyberbullying Behavior. Nova Scotia.
WRHA. (2015). Ethical Decision-Making Framework: Evidence Informed. Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
