Computer ethics

Computer ethics is a field that explores the ethical and moral implications of the design, development, and use of computer technologies, including hardware, software, data systems, artificial intelligence, and the internet. The field grew exponentially in the twenty-first century with the increased use of computers and related technology. Computer ethics includes issues such as online piracy, hacking, online privacy, and electronic surveillance.

Origins

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Norbert Wiener is widely regarded as the founder of computer ethics. Wiener was a prominent engineer famous for his work in cybernetics, the science of making one part of a machine communicate with another part. Though he never called his work computer ethics, his book The Human Use of Human Beings (1950) introduced a variety of concepts that would become essential to computer ethics. Wiener believed that the spread of computer technology would begin a "second industrial revolution," altering every aspect of civilized life.

The study of computer ethics grew slowly during the 1950s and 1960s. As computer technology became widely available, the field began to attract more attention. Deborah Johnson published Computer Ethics, the first textbook in the field, in 1985. She also published and edited a variety of essays on the topic. Johnson asserted that as computer ethics grew, others would use it as a springboard for writings that would influence all types of ethics. She cited the writings of famous ethical philosophers Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham, whose writings were originally a response to the invention of the printing press, as evidence.

Intellectual Property

Computers and digital devices are deeply integrated into nearly every aspect of daily life. Many people remain constantly connected through portable technology, from smartphones and laptops to smartwatches and tablets. As a result, the field of computer ethics expanded to address a wide range of legal, social, and moral issues related to digital behavior, such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property violations like digital piracy.

Intellectual property is the ownership of something that is not a physical object. It is divided into two schools: industrial property and copyright. Industrial property deals with items such as trademarks, which identify a company or product, and patents, which protect inventions. Copyright deals primarily with artistic works, such as music, films, writings, artwork, and computer code. The internet and digital media allowed rapid distribution, sharing, and duplication of copyrighted content, leading to challenges in intellectual property theft.

Computer piracy is the act of downloading copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder. With modern technology, pirating media takes minimal effort and costs. Experts estimated that, in the early 2000s and 2010s, about half of Americans pirated copyrighted content at some point. Though downloading copyrighted content without permission or without compensating the copyright holder is morally wrong, legally addressing the problem did little to stop it. Despite increased prosecution, the number of people who pirated copyrighted media remained high. However, with the increase in affordable, subscription-based streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, and Amazon Prime in the late 2010s and 2020s, digital piracy of music, movies, and television shows declined significantly in the US. However, new forms of piracy emerged, including unauthorized live streaming of sporting events, account sharing on subscription platforms, and the use of modified software that circumvents paywalls.

Privacy

Most people keep a large amount of personal information on their computers. They communicate through email and other messaging services, use credit cards to make online purchases, and leave records of websites routinely visited. When using their own hardware, most computer users expect that their data will remain private. However, this is not always the case.

Hackers, computer experts who specialize in accessing private or forbidden data, can steal passwords or sensitive information. According to computer ethicists, viewing private information without permission is considered unethical. Experts continue to debate whether it is ethical for internet service providers and government agencies to copy and store this data without the knowledge and consent of users. Some argue that surveillance is needed because it helps authorities find and apprehend criminals. Others assert that the government should only be able to acquire and search an individual's data with a warrant.

An ethical examination of a computer user's expectation of privacy becomes significantly more complicated when the individual is using a computer at a workplace. On one hand, a work computer is not considered an employee's property. Additionally, the employer is paying employees to spend their time working. For example, employees playing games or browsing the internet might violate their work contracts. To counter this, workplace surveillance expanded, and many employers adopted tools like productivity trackers, keystroke loggers, and webcam monitoring software. These practices raise ethical concerns about employee consent, transparency, and the balance between productivity and personal privacy. Experts argue that employers should clearly disclose surveillance measures and obtain informed consent to ensure fair and respectful workplace monitoring.

Many other online privacy issues developed as computers became more advanced and ubiquitous. Often, these issues are complicated by a lack of government regulation or legal guidelines, allowing the ethical debate to come to the forefront. One prominent example is the ongoing controversy regarding the collection of user information by search engines, such as Google. Search engine companies can collect detailed information about what users search for and then use or sell this information to create customized advertisements or other means. Other ethical questions of privacy and censorship in the early twenty-first century include the potential for social media companies to exert power over public opinion by selective display of news and other content, which could impact politics; the line between illegal hacking and whistleblowing activity, as in the cases of WikiLeaks; and the use of the deep web (or dark internet) as both a tool for criminal activity and social justice. Many ethical debates center on the pervasiveness of the internet in everyday life and its potential to impact aspects of life beyond actually using a computer. These include the implications of big data in areas such as medical research and concerns over internet access as a socioeconomic problem and possibly a human right.

Artificial intelligence (AI) introduced new ethical concerns, such as algorithmic bias, where AI systems unintentionally reinforce social inequalities by reflecting the biases present in their training data. Additionally, generative AI tools raise questions about intellectual property, authorship, and misinformation. As AI increasingly automates tasks, ethical considerations surrounding job displacement and workforce impacts became pressing concerns.

Bibliography

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