To be or not to be ethical? That is the question.

Who holds the power when it comes to deciding what is “ethically correct?” Is there some magical wand that swoops down from the sky and sprinkles fairy dust that distinguishes the good vs. the bad? In life we all have a general consensus. Philanthophy, family, love, kindness….these are all words that we immediately generalize with what is good in the world. Death, taxes, and drugs are all things we can quickly put into the not so good box. But here I am talking about real, tangible life going on right in front of our eyes. But what about when it comes to ethics on the web? Do the same rules apply or is it easier to stray away to the dark side when nobody is looking?

According to a website I encountered that discusses online ethics, the first example of unethical and criminal behavior listed is stealing copyright and credit for intellectual property. Although stealing copyright and credit can happen offline, with the new wave of “doing it all online” it seems like it makes it easier for those who are on the darkside to steal, cheat, and slander. So, when trying to decipher ethical behavior online where do we draw the line and bring about a form of internet police that come to lock up and prosecute all the villians online? Well, if we are all aware of what we are doing and where we are going online then we can all form our own tracking systems to help protect ourselves and make it harder for those unethical folks on the web, because we all know they exist, to attack.

So, although the reailites between the web and real life differ, that doesn’t mean the ethics have to. That is not to say that we need authorities watching our every move, but simply to hold one another responsible for the information being given online.

 

- In regards to ethics on social spaces such as myspace, what can be done to make sure that slandering and verbal abuse do not go on, especially amongst young children and teenagers?

-When it comes to ethics on the web, what rules apply?