Business Ethics Case Study Information Technology Essay

Business Ethics Case Study Information Technology Essay   Many people believe that the World Wide Web can offer a great deal of anonymity and security from censorship but, they are dead wrong. Governments, the intelligence machinery, legal structures and any other relevant bodies can access information, censor, examine and even trace materials on the web because they have been granted the subpoena powers. These powers allow the aforementioned bodies to comb through computer servers in search of the identity of the person that created a specific file in question. People may see this as the infringement of their rights to privacy, however, threats posed by cyber criminals necessitate this ‘invasion of privacy’. In June 2000, a software program called Publius was created and launched. This program has the capacity to encrypt files into secret codes which are then, in effect, scattered all over the World Wide Web. This encrypting of published files by the software made the use of the subpoena powers granted to government and r elevant bodies almost irrelevant because anyone wanting to trace the origin of a particular file to be censored or, examine the contents of a specific file must have the help of the person that created the files, in order to decode the files’ encryption. Because of its ability to effectively ‘hide’ files on the internet, the software came as a relief to people who felt that their right to privacy was being infringed upon and they welcomed the software as they felt it could enhance their freedom of expression on the web. The software definitely promotes the anonymity of people using web resources but, one question that arises is why would anyone with so-called ‘good intentions’ want to remain anonymous? It is the criminals, terrorists, child pornographers and cyber stalkers who would like to remain anonymous and who, arguably, could benefit the most from this type of web encryption. The creators of the software aimed at helping people in repressive re gimes where freedom of expression was being curtailed but, the software is also being marketed in countries that do not have repressive elements. Is the marketing of this software really ethical? One may argue that the software benefits people whose privacy is being threatened but, looking at the other side of the coin, there are also losers in this debate. To determine whether it is ethical to market this software, it is important to look at the utilitarian ethical theory. What is utilitarianism? Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that holds that the moral worth of any action can only be determined by its usefulness or utility. This utility is judged by the ability of the action to provide happiness and pleasure to the majority. Simply put, the theories hold that the moral worth of an action is determinable by its outcome. Utilitarianism is also refereed to as the greatest happiness principle and it focuses on the ability of an action to provide the greatest good to the greatest n umber of people (Lyons, 1995). Thus, the guiding principle in utilitarianism is the maximization of the good whether it be measured by individuals, the society or the government. Utilitarianism provides a code that determines the worth of public actions and even personal actions. If an action is bound to create significant harm to a bigger percentage of the society, then utilitarianism holds that that action has no moral worth and therefore reductionist policies or intervention measures need to be put in place to mitigate or prevent that harm. If an action is bound to benefit a larger percentage of the society, then that action is said to be ethical and has moral worth from a utilitarian view point. An action may be moral and even in accordance with the law but if that action does not benefit the majority; it is unethical from a utilitarian point of view. On the other hand, an action may be immoral and even against the law but if it serves public good by benefiting the majority, the n that action is ethical (Lyons, 1995).