Chapter 1: The internet, ethical values, and conceptual frameworks

“Disclosive Computer Ethics” (Philip Brey)

Learning Expectations:

            I expect to be provided with more insights on computer ethics.

Quote:

            “The notion that technologies are themselves worthy objects of moral analysis is perhaps especially true for computer technology. This is because computer systems have become, because of their information processing abilities, important determinants in many human decision making processes, behaviors and, social relations. Computer systems often function less as background technologies and more as acting constituents in the shaping of society.”

Book Review:

            Brey focused on 4 fundamentals of disclosive computer ethics namely, justice, autonomy, democracy and, privacy. All terms are correlated in the sense that they imply rights of people using computer technology. He stressed out the bias he observed, for example, in search engines, the order of the results are categorized not by relevance of the search query but the reputation of large and well-known sites, thus compromising smaller sites but relevant in information. This example portrays the inefficient distribution of on-line information.

            The study of justice focuses on the relation to computer applications and uses. The distribution of power and influence from information must be balanced and in the favor of no one.

            Autonomy, as a study on disclosive computer ethics, focuses on the possible effects of freedom on users. All users must have developed independence from other users in the system.

            Democracy, according to Brey, “These are studies designed to investigate whether particular computer technologies or applications effect redistributions of political power in societies or organizations such that a loss or gain in democratic content is applied.”

             The study of privacy determines the implications of the use of computer technology for relational and informational privacy.

Integrative Questions:

1.      What feasible courses of actions can be done to eliminate bias in search engines?

2.      Are social networking sites invading the privacy of its users?