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Is there an ethical code,when engaging in the digital space,we can all agree on?

Updated: Apr 15, 2021

Digital ethics refer to the role in shaping policies, procedures and standards for online governance, as well as the legislation and rules by which the online world is run (esafety.gov.au). These digital ethics are the safety procedures into keeping the users of the online world safe. Thus I’m firmly convinced that there is an ethical code, when engaging in the digital space that we all can all agree on.

For instance it is clear that, ‘there is an ethical duty for businesses, governments and international bodies to preserve the rights and dignity of users online’ (Esafety.gov.au). For many organisations this is done by maintaining their privacy and attaching conditions to the online users which states the guidelines to using their online application for example Instagram or Facebook and the actions that can be taken if they have been breached. Most of these actions include blocking the user from commenting, deactivating the users account or putting limitations to their access.

However, with a large scale of online users it can become harder to maintain everyone's safety. ‘Human rights and digital ethics need to develop interactively together in order to create safe user environments’ (esafety.gov.au). This is due to ethical codes in the digital space being breached by a minority of the users as they go against the guidelines which have been placed as an ethical code to protect users. This is done by hacking into other users accounts or using other users pictures and creating a fake profile. Therefore an ethical code, when engaging in the digital space, that we can agree on as users, is that there is an increased need for users protection of their information.

Additionally another ethical code when engaging in the digital space, we can all agree is promoting trust with the platform we are using whether it is social media or news platforms. ‘When social media users have better knowledge about the use of personal information, they are more likely to disclose personal information’ (Benson, 2015).

On one hand, as a social media user knowing about how they use my information/personal data and how much of that data they store for a lifetime makes me feel more comfortable about sharing that information and can create a trusting communication. As on the other hand even though creating that trusting communication is a benefit, there is also the concern about how much personal information do i really trust them with for example is it really vital for me to trust with access to my location?.Consequently, i will need to continue to enhance my knowledge on this topic as there are many ethical codes that many of us can agree on when it comes to engaging in the digital space that i haven't discussed above. Thus, there are many ethical codes, when engaging in the digital space, we can all agree on.

IMAGE BY WIX WEBSITE


REFERENCES


Benson, Vladlena, Saridakis, George, & Tennakoon, Hemamaali. (2015). Information disclosure of social media users. Information Technology & People (West Linn, Or.), 28(3), 426–441. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-10-2014-0232


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