Ethics in Technology - Essay Example

In contrast, the Trojan Horse was specifically classified as a virus which manifests damaging capabilities to the computer in terms of infecting the user’s files virtually undetected. Its origin was reported to have be sourced from the story in the Greek mythology regarding the invasion of Troy where Greek warriors reported hid in the huge wooden Trojan horse that was presented, supposedly as a gift. Part 2: Examining the Morality of Releasing a Worm 1. Through Kantian Ethics Explaining Kantian ethics in simpler terms, the ethical theory is expounded through the scenario where a perpetuator of an act focuses on the act itself, without apparent regard to the act’s repercussion or outcome.

Kant asserted that by virtue of the task, duty, or job, actions are evaluated on their own precepts. Kantian ethics was also explained in terms of seeing one’s behavior or actions in terms of one’s duty or obligation. In the case of Morris, as a student, it was his duty to conform and adhere to the standards and ideals of the university where he was enrolled. As such, his actions were governed by the university’s rules, policies, and codes of coduct and ethical behavior. Therefore, looking at Morris’ actions regarding the issue of releasing the Internet worm that apparently created damage to more than 6,000 computers globally , the act still violated both ethical and moral standards using the Kantian ethics in terms of discerning that the act itself was already wrong at the onset.

Releasing the worm as the act was found to be described as “the unfocused intellectual meandering of a hacker completely absorbed with his creation and unharnessed by considerations of explicit purpose or potential effect” (Eisenberg, Gries, Hartmanis, Holcomb, Lynn, & Santoro, 1989, p. 706). The committee who reviewed the ethical dilemma found that Morris’ actions failed to abide by the ethical standards of professionalism and of discerning that the act was initially morally wrong. 2. Through Utilitarian Ethics Utilitarian ethics, on the other hand was described as an ethical theory that focuses on the results or outcome, specifically, how the action affects the greater number of people for the greater good (National Endowment for Financial Education, 2006).

With the premise that utilitarian ethics focuses on the outcome, Morris’ release of the worm is definitely seen as morally wrong since the results have been proven to be destructive. Likewise, as revealed from the Cornell Commission, while reviewing Morris’ actions, the committee tasked to impose sanctions to Morris revealed that by being a student of Cornell and who accepted accountability for releasing the worm through the Internet, he exemplified failure to take a proactive stance in seriously considering the repercussions of his actions and what the potential effects would be in the owners and users of the computers he infected.

Therefore, the action is also a violation of moral standards using the utilitarian ethics framework, since it resulted to negative impact on a significantly large number of people, whose files and databases had been compromised, lost and damaged due to his actions. Conclusion In evaluating the ethical issues pertinent to Morris’