Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies morality, and Ethics in technology addresses ethical questions specific to the Technology Age.
Professional ethics falls under the sub discipline of applied ethics as its purpose is to reason about, and answer moral issues, that arise in certain specific situations encountered by professionals. There are situations when it becomes difficult for professionals to separate personal interests from professional service.
The Principle of Ethics expects individuals to honour their responsibilities to the professions and accept the professions’ self-imposed standards.
Technology is integral to several sectors today and professionals working in these sectors are respected for their ability to impact lives. But some of their actions can also be detrimental. Rapid advance in Technology has helped mankind, but there are also ethical issues related to it.
Here are a few examples.
Pre-natal testing is seen as a major advancement in the area of health care, as doctors can detect disorders or complications in the child. However, people have also been using this technology for sex-determination and giving preferential treatment to boys, with many choosing to abort the girl child.
In countries like India, determining the sex of the child before birth is now banned.
Another example is that of technology when applied to the classroom. Again, there are several benefits, but can we expect them to behave responsibly and ethically on the internet, where identities of most are hidden? Studies have shown that children benefit from learning ethics in face-to-face interactions, which unfortunately is missing in their screen interactions.
Ethical issues have also been raised regarding the use of technology in Photojournalism, where image-manipulation using computers, high-end camera gear and imaging editing software is common. Lot of readers do not trust the images that they see in newspapers and media because they feel the images are manipulated. This, along with the fake news that gets circulated in social media has made public trust wane in journalism.
Technology today plays an important role in business, education, healthcare and other sectors, and professionals working in these sectors require critical thinking as well as good decision making to ensure there are no bad consequences of their actions.
It’s important to use computer and emerging technologies in ways that show consideration and respect. Professionals also face ethical challenges arising from their responsibilities. And to ensure the ill consequences of their actions are minimised, there are audits, checkpoints, and standards in place to make sure there’s complete information about their actions and scope for intentional distortion is minimized.
Professionals have responsibilities toward their clients, but they also have responsibility towards the society at large. A trustworthy professional does not have to favour the interests of an individual over the interests of the society at large, in order to favour friends or family.
Professionals should also be open to abandoning things that they once believed and should be prepared to sincerely consider what should be believed. When it comes to applying Ethics at the workplace, sincere, accurate understandings, along with strong arguments, will ensure progress for mankind.
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