1. What is cyber ethics? Do ethics matter in information technology?
Cyber ethics refers to the study of the means of behavior and personal conduct that pertains to the utilization of interconnected computers within the network. It defines the ethical use of the rules of utilization as well and how the incorporation and execution of such use affects the society. According to Kizza, ethics is defined within a specific scope that is ‘governed by guidelines and rules of thumb called codes of ethics’. These rules and ethical guidelines within the domain are set to be respected and adhered to by the respective domain users. The ethical codes take several forms that can take a variety of forms depending on their environment of application. For instance the policies of the public that may include the aspects of behavior that is acceptable within the society, such as acceptable behavior, practices as well as the norms of a society or group of people.
2. What are the three ethical perspectives in applied ethics?
The ethical perspectives, refers to the point of view of usage of computers in terms of the moral upstanding in cyber technology usage. The first perspective is the professional perspective. This considers cyber ethics by the identification and the analysis of the ethical responsibility considering computer professionals. For instance computer professionals involved in the designing of computer software and programs, they bear the responsibility of ensuring that their products are up to standard regardless of the consequences that the action they take will cost in criticizing the program. The second perspective is the Philosophical Ethics. This considers cyber ethics as the study of the philosophical inquiry as well as the analysis that surpasses the professional ethics involved in cyber ethics.
The third perspective is the perspective that considers cyber ethics as the field of ethics that is descriptive in nature. This is a perspective that pitches the professional and the philosophical perspectives against each other, in the sense that both the professional and the philosophical perspectives are normative inquiries.
3. What is the relationship between ethics and the law?
Cyber ethics are highly linked with the law due to the numerous technological products that are hosted online. Consequently laws are put in place to regulate their exploitation. For instance: the downloading of copyrighted software, duplicating it, and then selling it. To curb some of these vices, some countries such as the United States have institutions such as the United States institute of Computer Ethics (SMKSH,2008), and have been able to come with the “Ten commandments of Computer ethics.”
4. What is Deontology? Can you provide an example how we can use this theory in IT?
Deontology refers to the study of moral systems that are determined and related by the focus on self moral upstanding as well as duties. Deontology opposes the consequentialism on particular focal points (Darwall, 2003). In IT deontology is used to come with an analysis of the negative social , political and economic effects, and to come up with information that can be used in decision making (Leviner, 2012).
5. What is Relativism? Can you provide an example how we can use this theory in IT?
this refers to the concept of cyber ethics that considers the belief that universal moral norms that determine right or wrong . it is usually split into the anthropological as well as the subjective or moral perspective. In IT this concept can be utilized in the sense that a computer professional is free to create and spread ideas freely without considering the harm that the program or idea will cause to the product user.
6. What is Consequentialism? Can you provide an example how we can use this theory in IT?
Consequentialism refers to the group of normative cyber ethical theories that propound the idea that the results of a person’s action, justify the morality as well as the rightness or fault of the conduct. Therefore according to this concept to determine whether a particular action is morally right, the consequences have to be seen first. Hence a good conduct is one that results in positive results in the consumer, while a bad conduct or an immoral conduct is one that has negative effects on the end users. In IT, it can be utilized in the determination of the consequences of particular programs, for instance, if some virus program is created the consequence of the program, is the effects that it has on the end users computer, while the anti-virus created is considered as the correct program as it provides the good consequence.
7. What is Categorical Imperative (Kant’s theory)? Can you provide an example how we can use this theory in IT?
This concept was forwarded by Immanuel Kant. This theory supposes that imperative refers to as proposition or the set of actions that call for another set of justifying actions. This could also be inaction. The set of propositions could be compelling or at times arise from free will. In IT, this theory can be considered in the sense that if a person wishes to become a fluent and established professional programmer, then they must practice more by creating many smaller programs. Additionally it could be used to justify the actions that must be taken in order to curb a particular IT related system problem
REFERENCES
Darwall, S.L. (2003). Deontology, Hoboken, NJ: Blackwell Pub.
Kizza, J.M. (2011). Computer Network Security and Cyber Ethics, Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Leviner, Sagit. (2012). From Deontology to Practical Application: The Vision of a Good Society and the Tax System. Virginia Tax Review, Vol. 26, pp. 405-446, 2006.
Mulgan, T.(2005).The Demands of Consequentialism: Oxford University Press, USA.
Paton, H.J. (1971). The categorical imperative: a study in Kant's moral philosophy: University of Pennsylvania Press.
SMKSH (2008). Computer Ethics and Cyber Law. Information and Communication
Technology. Retrieved From: http://ictsmksh.blogspot.com/2010/02/computer-ethics.html
