Computing and Ethics

Computing is having a big effect on the world today. There was a time when only elite businesses had computers. Now computers have made there way into the lives of humans everyday life. Whether it is buying a package of cookies with and an ATM card or listening to the billboard 100 on your I Pod®, computers have become a huge part of everyday lives. Since the computing world is altering the way things were at one point, it is thought that the ethical nature of computers should be raised. In Computer Ethics and Professional Responsibility edited by Bynum and Rogerson the article "Reason, Relativity and Responsibility" discusses computer ethics.

There is disagreement about "the nature of computer ethics" (22). There are two positions in computer ethics. Routine ethics is an opinion that states that ethical problems in computers are no different than ethical problems in any other area. "Sometimes people steal cars and sometimes steal computers. There is no difference" (22). It is ethically wrong for a computer company to knowingly sell a computer that has a power cord that one day will short circuit the entire house. This position seems to be a little bit too broad though. It will not always apply to all aspects of computing. In some cases it needs to be specialized. Sometimes it is unclear exactly what the ethically right thing to do is. A lot of the time when it comes to computer ethics things is not always so cut and dry. There are some murky areas where it is hard to tell what the ethically appropriate thing to do is.