Computer Ethics

 Computer Ethics

What are Ethics?

Ethics basically is a structure of moral values, standards and principles that differentiates the rights from wrongs and influence the people to lead their lives in correct way.

What are Computer Ethics?

Computer ethics can be defined as those set of moral principles that teaches how to use the computers in proper and ethical manner. It usually provides a structure or guidelines so that people can avoid using computers and related technology to harm other people or affect them in any way. Privacy concerns, intellectual property rights and effects on society are some of the common issues of computer ethics.

There has been significant rise in technological advancement in 21^st century and consequently it also has an increasing impact on our society as well. As a liable citizen we need to ensure that it affects positively on society and does not cause any harm. Therefore, computer ethics must be part of the discussion whenever someone invents or creates a new piece of technology. A modern example is how virtual reality affects the existing world morally, religiously, politically, financially and by any other means possible.

Computer Ethics applied on Virtual reality:

Unfortunately, we can find several instances where programmers and developers break the rules of Computer Ethics in the field of Virtual Reality. We all remember the tragic events happened on September 11^th, 2001, when a plane strikes through the World Trade Centre live on American television which has left some unforgettable jarring images on our mind. After that the second plane striking, the billowing smoke, the falling bodies, and the final collapse of the towers creating a huge cloud is an unimaginable horror that speaks for itself. The irony is that, in 2015, a controversial virtual reality simulator titled "08:46" put users in the perspective of an office worker trapped in the World Trade Center.

People who are against this disastrous act claims that it’s just reminds horror and tragedy to those affected by this event. However, Supporters of this painful immersive experience says it’s just to sympathize with the victims and people should see it as an immersive recreation of that historical event. The thing who will differentiate between both this positive and negative aspect of this virtual simulator of that event, is it acceptable to watch real falling bodies on the news, but morally questionable to undertake immersive fictional re-creation? Now that is where computer ethics comes into play to explain this ethical dilemma with the help of its ten commandments, especially regarding the use of this revolutionary technology with children and teens. With regards to computer ethics, this immersive experience should be available to those who really wants to try it and those who don’t want to participate, should not be forced. following is the list Ten Commandments of computer ethics that everyone should follow:

For this purpose, the commandment that best suits this virtual reality topic in the most possible way is that “Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write or the system you design”. This means that the designer in virtual reality has the ability to create certain imaginary situations which can create negative impact on the society especially children. For instance, nowadays the designers and organizations develop such games and videos that are quite violent and shows the depiction of such scenes that are harmful for the society. They should work within the boundaries of computer ethics and its commandments

At last, the reason of highlighting this commandment in that it is directly linked to the program and software used in virtual reality and our goal is that it should have positive influence on people using this technology.

References:

Computer, T., 2022. Computer Ethics | Ethics, Laws, Definition & Privacy. [online] Teach Computer Science. Available at: <https://teachcomputerscience.com/computer-ethics/> [Accessed 24 May 2022].

Techterms.com. 2022. Computer Ethics Definition. [online] Available at: <https://techterms.com/definition/computer_ethics> [Accessed 24 May 2022].

KQED. 2022. Five Ethical Considerations For Using Virtual Reality with Children and Adolescents | KQED. [online] Available at: <https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/46103/five-ethical-considerations-for-using-virtual-reality-with-children-and-adolescents> [Accessed 24 May 2022].

Kenwright, B., 2022. Virtual Reality: Ethical Challenges and Dangers - IEEE Technology and Society. [online] IEEE Technology and Society. Available at: <https://technologyandsociety.org/virtual-reality-ethical-challenges-and-dangers/> [Accessed 24 May 2022].