History of Computing Technology

The Evolution of Computing Technology

• The first phase of computing technology (1950s-1960s) consisted of huge, unconnected mainframe computers.
• In the 1940s, the term "computer" referred to a person who calculated numbers, but after World War II, it referred to a calculating machine.
• By the 1980s, a computer was seen as more than a machine, but a new kind of medium for communication.

The Evolution of Cybertechnology and Cyberethics

• Phase 1 (1950s-1960s) of cybertechnology and cyberethics raised questions about the impact of computing machines on humanity and the threat of "giant brains."
• Questions arose about whether machines can think, and if so, what it means for human identity.
• Another concern in Phase 1 was the fear of Big Brother and the potential for governments to misuse personal data.

Phase 2 of Cybertechnology and Cyberethics (1970s-1980s)

• Computing machines and communications devices began to converge in Phase 2.
• This led to the emergence of three kinds of ethical/social issues:
  • Privacy concerns, exacerbated by the ability to exchange confidential information between networked databases.
  • Intellectual property issues, as personal computers could be used to duplicate and exchange proprietary software programs.
  • Computer crime and the potential for misuse of personal data.

Phase 3 of Cybertechnology and Cyberethics (1990s-present)

• The availability of Internet access to the general public increased significantly in Phase 3.
• This led to the emergence of new ethical and social concerns, including:
  • Free speech: Whether Internet users can post any message they wish on publicly accessible websites.
  • Anonymity: Whether Internet users should be permitted to post anonymous messages on web pages.
  • Jurisdiction: Where Internet crimes should be prosecuted.
  • Trust: Concerns about doing online business and the public vs. private aspects of personal information on the Internet.

Phase 4 of Cybertechnology and Cyberethics (present to near future)

• The convergence of information and communication technologies with nanotechnology research and bioinformatics research has led to new ethical and social concerns.
• These concerns include the use of artificial agents, autonomous machines, and sophisticated robots, as well as AI-induced bionic chip implants.

The Uniqueness Debate

• There are two points of view on whether cybertechnology has generated any new or unique ethical issues.
• Traditionalists argue that nothing is new, and that crime is still crime, regardless of the technology used.
• Uniqueness proponents argue that cybertechnology has introduced new and unique ethical issues that could not have existed before.

Cyberethics as a Branch of Applied Ethics

• Cyberethics is a branch of applied ethics that examines practical ethical issues in the context of computer technology.
• Applied ethics analyzes moral issues from the vantage-point of one or more ethical theories.
• There are three distinct perspectives of applied ethics as applied to cyberethics:
  • Professional Ethics: Identifying and analyzing issues of ethical responsibility for computer/IT professionals.
  • Philosophical Ethics: Examining cyberethics as a field of philosophical analysis and inquiry.
  • Sociological/Descriptive Ethics: Reporting on "what is the case" in terms of cyberethics issues.