Ethical accountability in the cyberspace

ABSTRACT

Conformance with ethical behavior consists of adherence to the standards of conduct for any given group. When standards are not formalized, there can exist ethical disparity from which many diverse problems can result. These problems are especially evident in the cyberspace. Within the cyberspace, the “given group” is culturally and ethnically diverse. As such, it is difficult to hold the individuals to a nonformalized set of standards. Several important issues need to be addressed in order to balance each individual's dual needs for freedom of expression and protection in the cyberspace. These issues include development of formalized standards, a general protocol for cross-cultural interaction, and ethical accountability.

REFERENCES

• 1: Ronald E. Anderson, ACM code of ethics and professional conduct, Communications of the ACM, v.35 n.5, p.94-99, May 1992 [doi>10.1145/129875.129885]
• 2: T. Albrecht and M. Adelman. "Communicating Social Support," Sage, 1987.
• 3: Tom Forester , Perry Morrison, Computer ethics: cautionary tales and ethical dilemmas in computing, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990
• 4: A. Gouldner. "The Norm of Reciprocity: A Preliminary Statement," American Sociological Rev/ew, 25, 161-179, 1960.
• 5: W. Gudykunst and S. Ting-Toomey. "Culture and Interpersonal Communication," Sage, 1988.
• 6: E. Hall. "The Dance of Life," Doubleday, 1983.
• 7: M. Harris. "The Rise of Cultural Theory," Crowell, 1968.
• 8: B. Kantrowitz. "Men, Women and Computers," New,week, May 16:48-55, 1994.
• 9: Ed Krol, The whole Internet user's guide and catalog, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol, CA, 1992
• 10: K. Leung and E. Lind. Procedural justice and Culture: "Effects of Culture, Gender, and Investigator Status on Procedural Preferences," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 1134- 1140, 1986.
• 11: D. Levine. "The Flight from Ambiguity," University of Chicago Press, 1985.
• 12: T. Lowi and 13. Ginsburg. "American Govexnment: Freedom and Power," W. W. Norton and Company, 1994.
• 13: Microsoft (R) Encarta, "Ethics," 1994.
• 14: I. Matder, L. Greenberg, and H. Hayashi. "A Comparative Study of Rules of Justice: Japanese versus Americans," Psychologia, 24, 1-8, 1981.
• 15: T. E. Patterson. "The American Democracy," McGraw-Hill. 1994.
• 16: W. StalHngs. "Operating Systems," MacMillan Publishing, Inc., 1992.
• 17: D. Tannen. "Gender Gap in Cyberspace," Newsweek, May 16:52-53, 1994.
• 18: H. Triandis. "Collectivism vs, Individualism: A Reconceptualization of a basic concept in crosscultural psychology,# Personality, Cognition, and Values: Cross.cultural perspectives of childhood and adolescence. Macmillan Publishing, Inc., 1986.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.7 THE COMPUTING PROFESSION
      K.7.m Miscellaneous
          Subjects: Ethics**

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.0 General
          Subjects: Security and protection (e.g., firewalls)

  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.3 Communications Applications
          Subjects: Electronic mail

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.1 Public Policy Issues
          Subjects: Privacy

General Terms:
Human Factors, Standardization