Ethics and Cyber Technology Essay Example

The evolvement of cyber technology has created both positive and negative impacts. Lewis argues that the sector is sensitive to security and has attracted attention from the citizens, government, businesses, banks and various sectors. Improvement in cyber technology goes hand in hand with the growing use of the internet communication. Lack of ethics in the use of cyber technology has led to various impacts such as cybercrime which is the major threat related to internet use and growth of cyber technology. Therefore, it's necessary to find out the major effects of cyber-related crime in the modern age. The main source of data was an analysis of previous publications on the subject. The main limitation of this research is a possible distortion of information gotten from secondary sources, which may adversely influence the validity, and hence the generalization of the research findings. The paper finds out the cause's lack of ethics in the use of cyber technology; how cybercrime is related to lack of ethics and the major effects of cybercrime.

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The individuals who use the internet for the acts of terrorism lack integrity. The law requires that when they are caught, they should face the law and serve their sentence in jail (Shane, 278). The government has laws that deal with cyber terror; however, the laws offenders have from time to time improved their techniques of avoiding being caught. Recently it has unveiled the biggest and most effective tool for passing information is there is the internet through social media. These media include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, email WhatsApp and other means of communication through the internet. According to Patterson, media has attracted the attention of cyber-terrorists who are now all over the media ("Why humans are an intractable cyber-security problem"). The use of these sources helps them to solicit or acquire information illegally to help them achieve their objectives.

Cyber terrorists use technology provided by the internet to cause panic and make governments vulnerable (Shane, 41). Shane argues that with an enhanced technological advantage, terror groups impersonate the government after getting access to confidential state data (42). This data while in the hands of these terror groups will be used for a purpose not intended and not beneficial to the government. The terror groups impersonate the government and use this platform to spread hatred to other states. They may transact business with companies on behalf of the government. They impersonate the government to evade search warrants. This infiltration helps their agents to enter foreign countries and cause even more threat. This infiltration is possible when they the government system to obtain personal documents. These documents will now ensure their access any country anytime they want. However, with all these forms of attacks on the government, it remains stronger. For instance, the US government security agencies are now stronger than any other time before. As cyber terror technology advances, the government also advances their security systems. According to Shane (42), the US government has currently developed its structures to enable them to detect and defeat the acts of terrorism to keep the offenders at the peripheries.

Forms and cases of cybercrime

There are various forms of cybercrime that have occurred in the United States. Misusing of personal information or identity theft increase internet fraud case personal information can be found by exchanging contacts with unknown people and personal data from social media platforms. This data can be used for financial fraud. This type of fraud can affect one's bank account, credit card, social status and many more. More than 25 of financial fraud have been investigated by the United States secret service. Phishing is another popular tool used by cybercriminals. It is a form of fraud whereby the attackers show themselves as a trustworthy person in emails or other channels of communication. In this case, they use phishing emails to spread malicious attachments and links that are meant to perform certain functions such as extraction of the affected victim's login details and account information. The terrorists will now use the affected person's details to cause crime. Distributing child pornography has also taken center stage in the fight against cybercrime. Young children should not be introduced to watching pornography, but through illegal means, pornographic content has been made available in most homesteads in the United States by use of the internet. According to Patterson, some individuals are interested in enticing others to watching illegal live streaming of rape cases ("Why humans are an intractable cyber-security problem").

Spreading hate and inciting terrorism is another form of cybercrime. This spreading of information is done through social media platforms. According to Baylon (213), the offender's login using unknown identities and connect with their friends and the public. They may post messages meant to incite terrorism either from within or other countries. For instance, the offender may spread information on planned on government institutions, hospitals or public gatherings. This message is posted by the unknown person, but it is available for the public to read. The information will then cause panic and psychological discomfort among the readers even when the spread information is inaccurate.

There are many unlikely and unethical means by which cyber terrorism actions take place through hacking. For instance, Langer (121) elaborates a healthcare crime on an individual who was attacked but he, fortunately, survived a bullet. He was taken to a hospital, and his medicine was prescribed. The terrorists hacked the hospital network and accessed the information. They changed the prescription and replaced with a lethal injection. Later they reversed the information that they had changed to ensure the nurses are not victimized by incompetence. In this case, the man was killed by the unethical actions of the hacker. It is possible that in such cases the nurse could be blamed for the death after investigations and post-mortem are done. The hospital and all its workers may suffer from integrity issues surrounding such an incident (Langer 123).

Conclusion

Technology is the biggest tool that contributes to the limitless cybercrime in the United States. Technology has reduced the world into a global village whereby, there are very cheap easy and efficient means of sending and receiving information. This tool makes it easy for the people to be vulnerable. The attackers easily spread horrific information through the internet and within a short time; it is all over the world. Lack of ethics in the use of cyber technology has led to various impacts such as cybercrime which is the major threat related to internet use and growth of cyber technology. Therefore, it's necessary to find out the major effects of cyber-related crime in the modern age. "Most authors have foreseen the future of cyber technology and as time moves some of the documented arguments have come to pass" (Hoffman, 76). It is necessary for the government and concerned urgencies to act fast before the foreseen threats come to pass. During the research process I learned that most people are becoming smatter for wrong reasons, the urge to hack, access other people's information illegally, and involvement in internet related crimes is growing among individuals. Cyber technology is an important tool, but while it is being used, ethics has to be the guide.

References

Main article

Patterson Dan. "Why humans are an intractable cybersecurity problem," TechRepublic. (June 25 2018). URL: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-humans-are-an-intractable-cybersecurity-problem/, Accessed: July 20, 2018.

Other References

Baylon, Caroline. "Lessons from Stuxnet and the Realm of Cyber and Nuclear Security: Implications for Ethics in Cyber Warfare." Ethics and Policies for Cyber Operations: a Nato Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Initiative. (2017): 213-229.

Hoffman, Bruce. "A First Draft of the History of America's Ongoing Wars on Terrorism." Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 38.1 (2015): 75-83. Print. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2014.974405

Langer, Steve G. "Cyber-security Issues in Healthcare Information Technology." Journal of Digital Imaging. 30.1 (2017): 117-125.

Shane, Peter M, and Jeffrey A. Hunker. Cybersecurity: Shared Risks, Shared Responsibilities. Durham: North Carolina. Carolina Academic Press, 2013. Print. 330pages