June 2010 Edition
Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town
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New technologies bring with them new possibilities for both good and bad applications. Of course, this is not limited to the field of computing.
Think about ethical issues that are involved in carrying out your job or day to day activity. Focus on those tasks which are non-computing related. Are they any ethical guidelines for doing your job or activity. How were these ethical guidelines developed over time, and are how often are changes made to them. What are the trigger of these changes if any.
There is no doubt that computers and related information and communication technology have introduced new possibilities to many activities that we do. In some cases, they allow people to do things that they have been doing for years, but now in a different way. For example,
Consumers are able to buy goods on and offline using computers. The nature of the goods might be different (eg abstract data) but the principal remain the same.
Computers allows for individual to be track without their knowledge.
Computers eliminates human contact, for better or for worse
Computers give wide access to data and information
There are also other activities that were hard to do without computer such as data mining. It was so hard to do that it was not done. This accounts for the lack of policy concerning data mining.
What is it about computers that make the computer environment different? Factors that have been raised included:
Speed: Computers are able to do things at exponentially faster rate than ever before. For example, data mining was only possible (or rather made economically viable) by the advent of computers
Storage and accessibility of data: Vast amount of data can be stored and easily accessible for processing.
Concept of a program: How should one treat a computer program. Is it property or an idea. Is it something to be copyrighted or patented. We will deal with this later in the module.
Breadth of Distribution: Information technologies have present consumers with a new channel of distribution that is faster and as yet not as regulated internationally as traditional channels.
Can you think of other factors that make the computer and IT environment different to a more traditional non-computing medium? As new technologies are introduced new factors are arising every day. Think about relatively new technologies such as cellular communication or satellite tracking devices? Have they cause new ethical questions? For each technologies you can think of, try to work out what it is about the technology that cause those ethical questions.
Another area that we should be considering is the use of computers in social context. This includes the use of a large database for governmental agency such as home affairs (to keep birth, death, address etc), police or the judiciary (for criminal records, fine etc). These agencies have always kept records in paper form long before computers came along.
What is the implication of keeping large databases by government agencies, ethical or otherwise?
Does introduction of these database affect Free Speech? If so how?
Consider the rights of the individual. Should they be given rights of access to their own data or the ability to change incorrect data. Also consider the impact of incorrect data even if they are changed but not propagated in a timely fashion.
There are often many points of view to consider when it comes to dealing ethical issues. A good solution walks a fine line in balancing all these factors. However, often another factor against policymakers is time. Often there is a policy vacuum because ethical frameworks and laws are lagging behind the innovation. Sometime it takes a considerable time for the ethical framework to be developed for an innovation as the technology itself evolves so quickly. A policy vacuum is most effectively filled by introduction of appropriate laws, but this takes time. Company or personal policies or social conventions can often filled effectively filled the gap, while at the same time provide a starting point to framework creation and eventually laws.