Ethical Issues Facing Internet Technology Essay

Ethical Issues Facing Internet Technology - Essay Example The print media have undergone a facelift by adapting website technology and blogging. Human interactions have been redefined by social networking, internet forums and instant messaging. Online shopping is another major boon from the internet technology. However, something with a positive effect will have a negative side too. However, as Williamson, Clow, Walker and Ellis (2011) point out, these technological advancements in information and technology have resulted in negative effects of which raise various ethical questions with regard to the Internet. This paper discusses the ethical issues that surround internet use. An area of concern in modern times includes the bad effects of internet on students and children. According to Salma and Ali (2013), one ethical question that arises because of internet use is whether the Internet is doing more harm or good on children. It is found that girls and boys use internet at the same rate at home. As Newburger (2001) points out, children†™s internet use varies with age. Only 7 percent children of the age 3 to 5 use internet at home; and 25 percent of children of the age group 6 to 11 and 48 percent of children of the age 12 to 17 use internet. Internet has the worst effect on children if it is misused. Children spend more time on the internet thereby evading home works and spending time with family and friends. Michael A. Weinstein, professor of Political Science at Purdue University believes â€Å"Internet will intensify the negative effect television has already had on our social skills† (Weinstein, 1995, as cited in Affonso, 1999). Internet browsing without proper supervision gives children easy access to inappropriate contents like pornography, violence, profanity etc. Pornography has serious effect on child’s mental make up. Pornography is unchecked on the internet as pedophiles can download illegal pictures from anonymous sites and escape law enforcement (Verdik.Org). If one searches the word à ¢â‚¬Å"sex†, one will receive more than 180,102 websites that contain pornographic material (Westfall, 2013). Overuse of internet leads to addiction thereby making the individuals secluded or isolated entities living in a virtual world. Experts say that exposure to inappropriate content at a younger age may lead children to anxiety and ‘behavioral expression disorders’. Another deleterious effect of internet on children is that spending excessive time on it makes the child lose his/her confidence, diet, activity levels leading to health problems like constant head ache and sleep disorders. Unmonitored use of internet can lead children astray by wandering in online chat groups, forums and social networking sites where they are prone to be in contact with people ranging from pedophiles to people with personality disorders. The only remedy for internet addiction is providing unconditional parental love, care, and support so that the kids don’t turn to internet overuse. Another important issue related to ethical issues arising from internet use is cyber crimes. Crimes like online fraud activities associated with internet banking, copyright infringement, espionage and cyber warfare are all on the rise with the advent of internet. Online heist has advanced from identity thefts to much organized ones. The attacks leads to compromising a bank’s database with system level implications. Credit card fraud is usually done through personal information accessed through the Internet (Wall, 2007). Another offence is cyber