Transcript Readings in Cyberethics

Readings in Cyberethics
Notes from book by
Spinello
Chapter One
• Cybertechnology, Ethical Concepts, and
Methodological Frameworks: An
Introduction to Cyberethics 1
Contents
• Privacy in Cyberspace
• Security and Crime in Cyberspace
• Professional Ethics, Codes of Conduct, and
Computer/Information Professionals
Cyberethics
• The field of applied ethics that examines
moral, legal, and social issues in the
development and use of cybertechnology.
Cybertechnology
• Cybertechnology: the broad spectrum of
technologies that range from stand-alone
computers to the cluster of networked
computing, information, and
communication technologies.
Pioneers in Field
• Terrell Bynum -- applied ethics
• Deborah Johnson -- “new species” theory
• James Moore -- logical malleability (general
purpose machines) gives rise to “vacuums.”
Terrell Byrnum
• “Ethics and the Information Revolution”
• History of cyberethics beginning with
Norbert Weiner, 1940s
• Unique moral issues?
• Powerful technologies have profound social
consequences
Deborah Johnson
• “Ethics Online”
• Unique ethical considerations:
– Global and interactive scope of the Net
– Anonymity
– reproducibility
James Moore
• “What is Computer Ethics?”
• Multipurpose machine
• Vacuums
– Laws and social policies
– Conceptual frameworks and muddles
James Moore
• 4 steps
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–
–
–
Identify any policy vacuums
Clarify conceptual muddles
Revise policies or formulate new ones
Justify them
• “routine ethics” not sufficient
Cyberethics methodology
• Brey’s “disclosive computer ethics”
• 3-levels
– Disclosive
– Theoretical
– application
Rational Ethical Theory
• Consequences or duty
• Utilitarianism -- assess consequences of a
policy -- advance the greatest good for the
greatest number
• Deontological (duty-based) -- everyone is
respected as an individual.