Page 527 - ComputerScience_Class_11

treNdS iN comPutiNg

aNd etHical iSSueS

13

Learning Objectives

13.1 Trends in Computing 13.2 Cyber Security
13.3 Spam 13.4 Phishing
13.5 Digital Arrest 13.6 Protection of an individual’s Right to Privacy
13.7 Netiquette 13.8 Intellectual Property

Ethics are the standards and practices which deal with the moral ideologies of an individual. They refer to the
decisions or actions made by the people in their real lives which affect any particular individual and/or society,
in general.
The word ‘ethics’ originates from the Greek word “ethos” which means “custom” or “character”. In other words, it
determines a person’s character or behaviour that wavers between his passion and caution.
Ethics play a significant role in the life of a person, beginning right from the childhood when parents and guardians
teach various moral lessons which act as a guide in shaping the character of that person.

In every field of life, ethics help in segregating the right from the wrong, the good from the bad and so on. But unlike
the law, ethics does not hold anything as legally and mandatorily right or wrong.

Today, with increasing progress in social and commercial life, the word ethics has now slowly reared its head in the
field of information technology as well. It has thus become very important to set moral standards that govern the use
of computers. Different online activities like social networking, e-commerce, email and so on involve quick transfer
of data, information or even money. However, this has also led to an increase in unwanted online crimes like hacking,
cyber bullying, identity fraud, credit card fraud, etc. All such crimes can be termed as ‘unethical’ crimes as these violate
the code of ethics laid down by society. Hence, to use the services of information technology fruitfully, we must be very
careful as well as aware of such unethical crimes associated with it. The users should also be familiar with different
terms such as spam, cybercrime (such as hacking, piracy), etc. All this, thus, firmly establishes the need for applying
the concept of “Ethos” or “Ethics”.

13.1 TRENDS IN COMPUTING
The evolution of computers from the huge and bulky first-generation computers to modern day’s small and portable
laptops, palmtops and smartphones has been phenomenal. It does not stop here either. Research is still being
done to make our lives easier with the further development of modern technology. Let us discuss some of these
recent trends.

Trends in Computing and Ethical Issues 525