Computer Ethics Awareness Among University Students Essay

The problem to be investigated is the ethical use of Information Technology (IT) in today’s world. In the past, the information technology advancements had limited impact on societies and cultures. However, in today’s world, information technology is almost part of every business, educational institute, and even personal activity (Brooks, 2010). This paper presents the power of information technology field and whether developing a code of ethics would be worthwhile to focus on the challenges in the usage of information technology.

As the utilization of PCs and the web turns out to be more predominant, moral issues identified with PC use will keep on making a bigger effect on individuals' lives and the way that society capacities. PC morals include the ethical standards and behavioral rules related to the path in which people, associations, and society all in all utilization PCs and data innovation. A few cases of moral issues identified with PC utilize incorporate individual data protection, PC security, wholesale fraud, licensed innovation, level with access to data and so on.

According to the Ethics Awareness Inventory [EAI] (Williams Institute for Ethics and Management [WIEM], 2003), "[My] ethical perspective is most likely to be based on obligation, and…least likely to be based on equity." In this paper, I will apply the results of this inventory to my personal and professional development, explaining how my educational experience has shaped my ethical thinking, addressing my use of ethics in thinking and decision-making, and discussing my potential for conflict in situations with people of different ethical perspectives.

Legal and ethical issues in computing are not as straight forward as one expects, these two comprehensive concepts can be divided into many sub-sections such as computer Ethics which is a moral standard used as a guideline for computer users, Code of ethics is a guideline in ICT, intellectual property is the own work that is created by individuals, privacy refers to the rights that individual and companies have and how their data is collected and restricted to outside sources, computer crime is an illegal act that involves computers and finally cyber law which is laws that are related to helping protect the internet and other online communication.

Computer crimes are criminal activities, which involve the use of information technology to gain an illegal or an unauthorized access to a computer system with intent of damaging, deleting or altering computer data. Computer crimes also include the activities such as electronic frauds, misuse of devices, identity theft and data as well as system interference. Computer crimes involve activities of software theft, whereas the privacy of the users is hampered. These criminal activities involve the breach of human and information privacy, as also the theft and illegal alteration of system critical information. The different types of computer crimes have caused the introduction and use of newer and more effective security measures.

Cyberethics consists of the moral, legal and social issues that involve technology used over the internet. It assesses the social policies and laws that we formulate with response to issues created by the development and use of cyber technology. The code of ethics for the cyber technology world is mainly related to issues such as:

I personally believe that one of the greatest challenges facing computing today is security. Nowadays, we have seen a tremendous growth in the usage of computer, whether it is for education, work, communication, science, or for any other reason. However, as our society becomes more computer oriented, the issue of security raises with it. Some people have made their first priority to use the Internet to hurt both individuals and/or organizations. These people have developed techniques to

As technology changes every day, you can always expect many more new offenders, offenses, and victims simply based on the caliber of knowledge someone possesses, and by the role of the technology they are able to access. Computers can be used in the different ways to perpetrate these offenses. For instance, hackers use computers to infect the functions of a computer or a computer system by putting viruses into te network.. The cyber-criminal’s activities play an intricate role in economics, largely in the physical aspect, software costs are involved because of needed improvement constantly needed to combat new threats.

In today's society computers are used to commit crimes. These crimes are separated into four categories. These categories are as follows, the computer as a target, the computer as an instrument of crime, the computer as incidental to a crime, and crimes associated with the prevalence of computers.

With the advent of computer technology and how much we use it as part of our daily lives, there is great opportunity for people to do good while there is also a great opportunity for people use it to benefit themselves at the expense of others. Ethical computing is a set of moral standards, right or wrong, pertaining to the use of a computer. Being morally ethical is being respectful of other computer users and their rights and properties and not using a computer to harm others or commits criminal activity. Although not ethical, technology can allow someone to steal, harm others, invade privacy and other illegal activities on a computer. These activities may benefit the user but harm and damage is being done to the recipient.

Technology in the classroom is important to assist in the learning process; however this is creating new challenges for teachers. Teachers are now required to educate students on the importance of technology ethics. Computer ethics is the moral guidelines that govern the use of computers and networks (Shelly, G, Gunter, G, and Gunter, R 2012). Ethics in the classroom also requires teachers to explain what plagiarism is and the proper way for students to give credit for information attained from another source. Teachers must also have a plan in place to address internet security, as well as devise a student use agreement and discuss ethical practices while using technology in the classroom.

Computer-crime or commonly referred to as Cyber-Crime or ICT Crime (van der Merwe, 2008, p.61) is a new type of criminal activity which started showing its ugly head in the early 90 's as the internet became a common place for online users worldwide. This is due to the fact that computer criminals now have the opportunity to gain access to sensitive information if they possess the necessary know-how. This generally causes huge problems in the economic sphere and results in companies and individuals having to take costly steps to ensure their safety and reduction in commission of cyber-crime (Gordon, 2000, p.423). Cybercrime or also known as computer crime can be defined as any criminal activity that involves a computer and can be divided into two

In the early years of computers and computerized technology, computer engineers had to believe that their contribution to the development of computer technology would produce positive impacts on the people that would use it. During the infancy of computer technology, ethical issues concerning computer technology were almost nonexistent because computers back then were not as multifaceted as they are today. However, ethical issues relating to computer technology and cyber technology is undeniable in today’s society. Computer technology plays a crucial role in all aspects of our daily lives. Different forms of computer technology provide unique functionalities that allow people to perform daily activities effectively and efficiently. In

Computer crime is a growing threat to society by the criminal or irresponsible actions of computer individuals who are taking advantage of the widespread use and vulnerability of computers and the Internet and other networks. It thus presents a major challenge to the ethical use of information technologies. E-computer crime poses serious threats to the integrity, safety, and survival of most e-business systems, and thus makes the development of effective security methods a top priority. The Association of Information Technology professionals (ATIP) defines computer crime as including:

Prevalent to the current trend now is the dependency of the society on Information technology and communication systems. Every aspect of human life is one way or the other linked and controlled by information technology tools. The importance of information technology cannot be over emphasized as its unavailability could lead to a form of disaster or the other. Pivotal infrastructures like finance, healthcare, education and security are driven by information technology. However, information technology and its benefits are accompanied by vulnerabilities and risks that can be exploited by people with the necessary technical skills. Individuals like ‘Hackers’ and ‘Cyber Terrorist’ can cause disruption to information systems, commit financial fraud and also attack computers and networks. These attacks and disruptions could result to violence against people and properties. In some cases, death, serious injuries and severe economic loss could occur as a result of these attacks.