Ethics In Cyberspace

Ethics in Cyberspace

In an article by Robert Hauptman and Susan Motin they stated: “Computers have changed the way we create. The internet is changing the way we communicate. We should make certain that these innovations do not change the way we act.”(Hauptman & Motin, 1994)
The dawn of the computer age set in motion a new method of communication. This format requires the user to be responsible for what they post on-line when it comes to ethical behavior. This has led to a crisis of sorts many never envisioned we would face. For many readers if it is posted on the internet then it must be true, however according to the standards we have today nothing could be farther from the truth. Any and everyone one who has access to a computer can pretty much post what they think. This allows people who seek to incite others to their way of thinking to post their beliefs. In computer lingo these people troll for victims even if just one person falls prey to their vile remarks or untruths we are all victims.
In the beginning computers ethics held on to the belief that, as according to Arlene H. Rinaldi “manners, courteous behavior, decorum, common consideration and decency” was what one should expect to receive on-line. (Rinaldi, 1996). This viewpoint has more to do with manners than ethics and while it is a base line for internet behavior it does not offer any moral compass on how we behave on line except to be nice to each other. This leaves the door wide open for contamination of the internet with inadvertent errors and falsifications. This ability to post with a spontaneous reply leaves us little room for editing our posts and errors happen. Areas which seem most likely to be in the line of fire for ethical breeches are: professional conduct, scholarly research, peer review, publication, computer usage and data base searching. (Hauptman & Motin, 1994).
The main concerns in seeking a better foundation for ethical behavior on-line are: avoid censorship; the internet with its wide range of diverse users must make a conscious effort to allow the internet to remain free of constraints on content. Even a small attempt to control content could set off a fire storm of debate as in the case that authors are concerning blog postings unless the post is a threat to physically harm someone in any way we must allow for the free speech. As stated by the chairman of the SPJ(Society of Professional Journalists) Ethics Committee and I quote “The biggest ethical challenges facing our profession come from cyberspace” during a BlogWorld and New Media Expo in 2010 out of 140 workshops only one addressed ethics in journalism(Smith, 2010).
Value confidentiality this is the trademark of a true professional we must make every effort to protect each individual from communicating this type of information. The failure to shield a person or company from this release of information could lead to potential liability or even malpractice suits. We need to guard against an attack on a person’s privacy as this could lead to even bigger breeches in ethical behavior. This includes the undertaking of any form of hacking into another person’s computer. We see the harm this does to the daily user in the form of virus or spyware attacks (Hauptman & Motin, 1994).
Respect copyright information. We need not offer or accept unauthorized software or printed documents. This includes using someone else’s ideas or taking credit for something not your own (Hauptman & Motin, 1994).
We all need to avoid ideology as it is misleading especially in the form of propaganda. We need to understand how this type of information should be viewed in a format other than the internet. We still have access to phone service, books journals and magazines.
We all need to be held accountable for what we post and treat the internet as a privilege that comes with responsibility.


 
References
Hauptman, R., & Motin, S. (94, March). The internet, cyber ethics, and virtual morality. Online, 18(2), 8-10.

Rinaldi, A. H. (1996, May 1). The net: user guidelines and netiquette. Retrieved from http://courses.cs.vt.edu

Smith, K. Z. (2010). Avoid journalistic pigpens. Quill, 98(6), 36-39.

Cindi