What is the relationship between computer technology and ethical issues?

Abstract

The question of how a technology can generate an ethical issue generally goes unasked. The question is interesting in its own right and also important for understanding the two things that are brought together in the question, technology and ethics. Focusing on computer technology, the question is answered here first by examining the language used to introduce computer ethical issues and, second, by examining the debate about who should teach and do research on computer ethics. The answer involves acknowledging the complex relationship between computer technology, society, and ethics. Computer technologies shape (and are shaped by) social contexts, social arrangements and values, and these are the subject matter of ethical analysis.