Ethics and the Internet: Challenges of Online Behavior

Introduction

As the computer has evolved in the modern world, so too has the potential for communication. The computer, and the development of the Internet, has meant that human society has become more connected than ever before, and the barriers between nations and people around the globe have been broken down. While this is a positive development in many ways, the growth of the Internet has also brought an increase in a wide range of new problems. One of these is the issue of ethics. "Just as ethics evolve as human societies grow and change, so similar ethical questions are raised during the evolution of this global electronic community." (Ethics on the Web)

The more that technology for communication and open publication of information advances, the more questions are raised about moral codes of behavior and about what is right and wrong on the Internet. The easy access to information and the ability to use and manipulate that information can result in serious consequences when there is no control.

As electronic communication becomes essential to the daily lives of more and more people, ethical questions take on a practical urgency — sometimes the hacker can kill. According to Britain's Scotland Yard, someone broke into the weather computer network, interrupting the weather forecast for the English Channel. In this case, unauthorized entry led directly to the loss of a ship at sea. (Ethics on the Web)

Overview of the Internet and Ethical Concerns

Other, less severe forms of unethical Internet behavior include spam mail and credit card fraud. This paper examines the issue of ethics and the Internet by discussing the foundations of this technology, investigating the ways in which the Internet relates to ethical problems, and considering what can be done to address those problems.

The Internet is the most important storage base and communication platform for information in the world today. Millions of users access data and read information on the Web each day, and thousands of new Web pages are produced and updated daily. The information offered for easy access on the Internet is therefore extremely extensive, ranging from legal information to health and medical advice, to business and personal data. The central problem from an ethical standpoint is that all of this data is essentially uncontrolled. There is no single authority or group of editors to determine what information is correct and ethically appropriate, and which data is potentially risky or incorrect. In the current "free for all" environment, any person can post any kind of information online as they see fit, and viewers of an attractively designed website are often unable to determine whether the content is valid.

In order to combat this problem, the Internet needs some form of organization to evaluate and control information posted online. The chief function of such an organization would be to ensure that information provided for online publication is not only accurate but also consistent with ethical norms. Yet this immediately raises further problems: what is meant by ethical norms, and whose ethical norms apply when the entire world is simultaneously involved on the Internet?

One of the most essential areas of ethical concern is the correctness of information provided online. Fraudulent and incorrect information can endanger the lives of others. A clear example is health and medical information made available to the general public, which can contain errors and misleading views that may negatively influence human health. Some websites publish incorrect and unchecked information specifically to attract readers and sell products. Recent studies and surveys have found that many medical websites offer information that is incorrect or misleading, and because these sites are professionally designed and appear authentic, many people accept the information at face value — often to their detriment. This has become a serious concern for doctors and medical professionals.

"There's much current concern among health professionals about 'the absence of real protection from harm for citizens who use the Internet for health purposes.' One response has been the development, by a number of organizations, of codes of conduct. Their purpose is to attempt to address the issue of the quality of health information available via the Internet." (Till J.)

This is only one example of how the Internet can be used for unethical practices. The problem lies in the fact that the Internet is so large and extensive that control of all information is practically impossible. No single group or even a coalition of authorities could control the output of data on the Internet, and even if this were possible, it would go against the spirit of the Internet as a source of free information — raising additional ethical issues about the restriction of public access. Furthermore, anyone can create a website in a matter of hours, which adds to the impossibility of direct control over the flow of online information.

What is needed is a general consensus about ethical procedures and actions accepted by the entire online community. This has already been achieved to a certain extent in newsgroups, where procedures and rules — known as "netiquette" — have been agreed upon and enforced by group members. This model may offer guidance for future ethical structures on the Internet.

Ethics and Its Relation to the Internet

There are many definitions of ethics and ethical action. Very simply, ethics refers to an understanding of certain forms of behavior as either right or wrong. "The field of ethics, also called moral philosophy, involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior." (Ethics) However, there are many complex dimensions to this understanding.

An early idea of ethics was put forward by the philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill in the nineteenth century. They argued that ethical action was concerned with providing "the greatest balance of good over evil." (ibid) In the context of the Internet, this definition immediately raises questions such as: who determines what is right and wrong for all people, and for whom are the ethics intended? One answer, in terms of this theory, is that ethical rules exist to serve the greatest good for the greatest number of people. However, one can also argue that minority groups have an equal right to a say in what is considered right or wrong.

Another approach that attempts to address this dilemma is the "rights approach" to ethics, drawing on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, among others. This view stresses individual choice and is possibly a better framework for investigating Internet ethics. From this perspective, the individual has a right to truth, a right to correct and non-fraudulent information, a right to privacy, and a right to hold personal beliefs and views, as long as those views do not violate the rights of others.

A third approach, also worth considering in relation to the Internet, is the "common good" approach. This perspective "assumes that community members are bound by the pursuit of common values and goals." (ibid) This view has roots in the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, and is particularly relevant given how the Internet has developed and the foundational "spirit" of the Web. "The common good approach challenges us to view ourselves as members of the same community, reflecting on broad questions concerning the kind of society we want to become and how we are to achieve that society." (Waern, Y.)

The investigation of ethics and the Internet draws on all three of these approaches. It is the third — the common good approach — that seems most appropriate to the nature of the Internet. However, in order to fully understand the relationship between ethics and the Internet, it is important first to understand how the Internet functions.

Essentially, the Internet is a large and complex network of interlinked computers. It was originally developed in 1969 by the U.S. Department of Defense to "provide a distributed, flexible and self-healing command network which would enable the U.S. military to continue operating even if Soviet military missiles took out certain geographical locations on the network." (INTERNET ETHICS: OXYMORON OR ORTHODOXY?) The concept of a computer network was subsequently adopted by the academic community to increase research capabilities and facilitate communication over long distances. The early Internet also enabled people to share and discuss large amounts of information.

The Internet then began to expand, and newsgroups were created — an important development because this technology allowed anyone to share information on any subject, including, unfortunately, unethical content such as pornographic material. This in turn led to the development of chat rooms.

Conclusion

There are a number of problem areas that need to be considered in implementing ethical standards on the Internet. These include aspects such as the sensitivity to other cultures and minorities.