Computer ethics
Computer scientists follow computer ethics to provide safe, fair, and equal access to computing resources. Computer ethics are usually soft laws that should be followed to improve consumer trust. To expand on that, it would be unethical to collect data from users that could be used to harm them. This could come in the form of blackmail using leaked data or writing algorithms that implement the data in a predatory way to exploit the user. To expand on fairness and equality, users should not have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to access the software they need or be discriminated against when trying to access information or software.
Ethical Theories
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory based solely on consequence and outcome. Actions are only determined to be right or wrong if the outcome is better for most people. Utilitarianism evaluates decisions as pleasure versus pain and tries to quantify human suffering and success. Utilitarianism can be discriminatory toward minority groups because it ignores just or fair distribution (Savulescu, 2020).
In a business context, utilitarianism is my preference. That is because it is good to appeal to most people if you are trying to sell a product (mass appeal). Utilitarianism is the best in a political environment, but I would concede that some principles from other ethical theories are also fundamental. For example, distributive justice from virtue ethics, which rewards individual merit and worth. In a democratic society, I think that utilitarianism must be the best option because providing the best for the majority in a majority-rule society should lead to the retention of power. To improve utilitarianism, I would suggest substantial minority rights to account for negative externalities.
Business Case
Ethics must guide software professionals in their decisions because of issues like algorithmic bias, addictive app design, questionable data ownership, and poor security and protection of personally identifiable information (PII) (Lawton, 2020). Computer science professionals should create software with some intention and consequence in mind and understand the negative externalities that may arise. These issues are best solved by following Kantian ethics. With GDPR and CCPA in mind, when personal data is collected with duty in mind, businesses should collect minimal personal data and securely store and transfer sensitive information and PII. Aligned with Kantian ethics, following data privacy can make an actual difference on the ground.
Recently, fashion retailer Forever 21 suffered a data breach that exposed names, Social Security numbers, date of birth, bank account numbers, and information about Forever 21 health plans, including enrollment and premiums paid by over 500,000 individuals(Hope, 2023). On one end, if the malicious actors acted ethically, they would not have attacked their system. On the other end, if the data controllers acted with more significant duty, they could have possibly protected the users by defending against the attack. There is absolutely a business case for computer ethics, and I think data privacy is paramount to that. In the era of GDPR fines, it is economical to be ethical and follow the duty to adhere to the law. In May 2023, Meta was fined $1.3 Billion for failing to comply with GDPR (Satariano, 2023). Consumers lose trust when businesses act unethically (over-collect data, fail to make dutiful decisions). Personally speaking, I allow Meta only to collect the minimum required data to use their services. I won’t download TikTok because I have concerns about their trustworthiness regarding ethics and privacy (Gillies, 2022). In closing, companies may have more consumer trust if ethics are properly implemented in the computing industry, which could lead to a net business benefit.
References & Sources:
- Wörsdörfer, Manuel, Ethical Theories (Aristotelianism, Utilitarianism, Kantianism) (Supplemental Material) (Week 1)
- Savulescu J, Persson I, Wilkinson D. Utilitarianism and the pandemic. Bioethics. 2020 Jul;34(6):620-632. doi: 10.1111/bioe.12771. PMID: 32433782; PMCID: PMC7276855.
- Lee, Francis, et al. “Utilitarianism: Pros and Cons.” Phronesis, Eidenai OER, 1 July 2019, pressbooks.
- Lawton, George. “5 Examples of Ethical Issues in Software Development: TechTarget.” Software Quality, TechTarget, 22 Dec. 2020, www.techtarget.com/searchsoftwarequality/tip/5-examples-of-ethical-issues-in-software-development.
- Johnson, Robert, and Adam Cureton. “Kant’s Moral Philosophy.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 21 Jan. 2022, plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/.
- Hope, Alicia. “Data Breach at Apparel Giant Forever 21 Impacts over 500,000 Individuals.” CPO Magazine, 5 Sept. 2023, www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/data-breach-at-apparel-giant-forever-21-impacts-over-500000-individuals/.
- Satariano, Adam. “Meta Fined $1.3 Billion for Violating E.U. Data Privacy Rules.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 May 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/05/22/business/meta-facebook-eu-privacy-fine.html.
- Gillies, Sierra. “TikTok’s Addictive and Unethical Algorithm.” Medium, SI 410: Ethics and Information Technology, 10 Mar. 2022, medium.com/si-410-ethics-and-information-technology/tiktoks-addictive-and-unethical-algorithm-3f44f41f1f3c.