Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
rule might be the following: “If I can write and release a helpful worm that
improves the security of the computers it infects, I should do so.”
What would be the benefits if everyone followed the proposed moral rule?
Many people do not keep their computers up to date with the latest patches
to the operating system. They would benefit from a worm that automatically
removed their network vulnerabilities.
What harm would be caused by the universal adoption of the rule? If
everyone followed this rule, the appearance of every new harmful worm would
be followed by the release of many other worms designed to eradicate the
harmful worm. Worms make networks less usable by creating a lot of extra
network traffic. For example, the Nachi worm disabled networks of Diebold
ATM machines at two financial institutions [20]. The universal adoption of
the moral rule would reduce the usefulness of the Internet while the various
“helpful” worms were circulating.
Another negative consequence would be potential harm done to computers
by the supposedly helpful worms. Even worms designed to be benevolent may
contain bugs. If many people are releasing worms, there is a good chance some
of the worms may accidentally harm data or programs on the computers they
infect.
A third harmful consequence would be the extra work placed on system
administrators. When system administrators detect a new worm, it is not
immediately obvious whether the worm is harmful or beneficial. Hence the
prudent response of system administrators is to combat every new worm that
attacks their computers. If the proposed moral rule were adopted, more worms
would be released, forcing system administrators to spend more of their time
fighting worms [21].
In conclusion, the harms caused by the universal adoption of this moral
rule appear to outweigh the benefits. Therefore, the action of the person who
released the Nachi worm is morally wrong.
1.
Not every moral decision requires performing the utilitarian calculus.
A person who relies on rules of behavior does not have to spend a lot of time and
effort analyzing every particular moral action in order to determine if it is right or
wrong.
2.
Exceptional situations do not overthrow moral rules.
Remember the problem of choosing between keeping a promise to A and producing
1,000 units of good for A, or breaking the promise to A and producing 1,001 units of
good for B? A rule utilitarian would not be trapped on the horns of this dilemma. A
rule utilitarian would reason that the long-term consequences of everyone keeping
their promises produce more good than giving everyone the liberty to break their
promises, so in this situation a rule utilitarian would conclude the right thing to do
is to keep the promise to A.
