The concerns of ethics and computer is a constant balancing act. Technology will continue to advance and it’s our job to make sure that we always keep ourselves and our neighbors in mind when it comes to ethical behavior and computer technology. In this paper three article that touch on ethical concerns in computing in their own way. One will discuss how the concerns that we all may be very easily find ourselves in on a daily basis. One will look into more specific areas where ethics and computers intertwine, using cell phones to track pedestrians and home monitoring for the elderly. The other will hit on the risk and rewards of cloud computing and the ethics behind law firms and their move into the 21st century.
Ethics surrounding computer technology are currently an ever evolving conversation. As technology advance so must the ethics and rules of how we handle our personal information and how others can and cannot used that information. With this evolution in technology there are many topics of concern that raise red flags and force people to reevaluate what needs to change in order to make sure that the very principals we hold as a country are not bent to meet the demands of changing technologies. Concerns over personal and private data who can see what and at what point is personal data no longer private. Identity theft is another issue as people become more and more willing to use computers to bank and pay bills they are more at risk of another person electronically stealing their information. Ethics surrounding information processing, the information being inputted into database about you may be incorrect and if so, it can have very serious financial or medical ramifications. Now with digital media copyright infringement has a whole new level of concerns amongst artist and protecting their individual works. In the article titled Computing Ethics Surrounded by machine Kenneth D. Pimple lends his unique point of view on the topic of ethics in computing. Information and communication technologies like the internet and cell phones are at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to communication devices and their role in the ethics of computing. What is more concerning than just the technology its self is the increase in use of information and data through these devices and the exposure to personal data that is sometimes unsanctioned. In one study cell phones where used to transmit a signal to update where a person was every few seconds and used that data to understand what mode of transportation would work best for that person. In this situation there are great benefits not only to the people using this information but the environment around them can also benefit. The issues of control and surveillance that need to be address are still a concern. Abuse of this kind of technology can lend information about people, their routines and the way they travel from place to place. Another place where computer technology and ethics converge is in the realm of elderly care there are more and more older people that don’t feel that moving out of their home and into an assisted living environment is necessary. “An increasing number of people want to live in their homes as they age and begin to become less self-reliant due to slowly increasing frailty of various sorts” (Pimple, K. D. 2011) but for the care givers of the elderly assisted living is the best option that allows for around the clock care and supervision. New technology may allow for the elderly to continue to live in their homes but yet not feel invaded by a security or monitoring system. A clock that has motion sensors that in connected by the internet allows for the caregiver to monitor the movement within the home without having to uses cameras. A clock is set up in both the home of the elderly and the home of the care giver. Different light setting on the clock allow for the caregiver to see that whomever is in the other house is moving around and the proximity , after a period of time the caregiver can notice if there is unusual activity based on the light censor and simple call the elderly person to check in. There is no need to have to run by and check in and this gives the elderly person a sense of independence and the care giver a scene of security. A person may still find this technology a little evasive and not want it in their home but where there are benefits there are also concerns. An even bigger concern than machines and technology that are hidden out of view are machines and technology that are build to run themselves and learn while doing the people involved in its development and creation may not want to take responsibility for any actions that may not have been planned. This can happen when too many people are involved in a project involving an autonomous machine. When there are too many hands involved it’s very easy to play the blame game and fin some on else responsible for the problem instead of being accountable as a whole. Outside of individual’s personal privacy another ethical concern comes into play, the protection of one’s personal information. In the North Dakota Law review a case is made that consistent overview of ever changing technology especially when it comes to cloud computing. “Although it is practically impossible for attorneys - and even for the largest firms - to mitigate every security risk associated with storing confidential information and communications electronically” (Askew, A. L. 2012) Lawyers have very stringent code of ethics and part of that is an obligation to their clients to keep all their personal information completely confidential. In the world of cloud computing this means that a lawyer no longer needs to file away all their paper work in to filling cabinets but they can store that information on a secure server and reach it any time by using the cloud. These changes have cut cost for most law firms that have moved to a “paperless” identity. All their documents and information about their clients is sent by the internet to be held until needed. This has also opened the door to online lawyers they save money by not needing a building to run their business all their information is saved to the cloud and they can simply find what they need by searching on there smart phone. Cutting cot by not using paper or having to pay the lease cut cost make some lawyers a little more affordable. The down fall here is that as law offices with large clientele try to make the move from brick and mortar to cloud computing they are at risk because in some cases like in North Dakota the state bar has no code of ethics or regulation for lawyers to follow. In all three sources that were used a common thread was found in all three. This common thread “ computers provided society with new capabilities, and that computer ethics was the study of how to use these powers wisely and fairly both on a micro or personal level and at the macro level of society itself (Stamatellos, 2007).” (Bowles, M.D. 2013) Understanding what technology can do for us as individuals and as a whole from using cell phones to track pedestrians to better understand locomotion to using cloud computing to simplify the way a layer does their job. Their where also similarity in the understanding of the rick of using new technologies. In the example of the cell phone motoring where do you draw the line? And in the elderly person’s home when does technology cross over into invading personal privacy. Lastly lawyers using cloud computing must be able to understand the new technology is terms of their own code of ethics to protect client personal information.
In these articles there were some areas where they differed as well. In Digital Literacy the focus was on some very common ways that ethics can be lost, were in Computing Ethics surrounded by Machines the article focused on some very not so practical ideas where computer ethics could be violated. In Iethics: How Cloud Computing Has Impacted the Rules of Professional Conduct the main focus was on how law firms can protect themselves and continue to use technology while not losing the ethical back bone of their job. There are many different ways where ethics in computing can become a very important part of our daily lives. Some times there’s nothing we can do we place ourselves at the mercy of others and hope that they follow the same set of rules as we do. There are situations in our lives where computer ethics though we may not realize it but are in constant uses, being on your phone and sending picture through the cloud to a friend, for example. Then there are times when other people may benefit from the use of technology but others may see it as an invasion or privacy, placing a monitoring clock in the home of your elderly parent. These are all different uses where figuring out what right and wrong can some time be blurred by owner person wants and gains. This is where the true issues of ethics lie in a field as saturated with personal information and documents as law having forms moving from paper filling to cloud computing open a big door to what can happen if the wrong person gets a hold of personal information that doesn’t belong to them. Ethics need to be at the for-front as we move forward because as technology becomes more advanced the role of individual privacy and protect begins to waiver.

References

Pimple, K. D. (2011). Computing Ethics Surrounded by Machines. Communications Of The ACM, 54(3), 29-31. doi:10.1145/1897852.1897864
Askew, A. L. (2012). IETHICS: HOW CLOUD COMPUTING HAS IMPACTED THE RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT. North Dakota Law Review, 88(2), 453-475.
Bowles, M. D. (2013). Introduction to Digital Literacy. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.