Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
SUMMARY OF ETHICAL ANALYSES
To summarize our ethical evaluation of police sting operations, the actions of the police
seem immoral from a Kantian point of view. Evaluations using the other ethical theories
do not yield a clear-cut endorsement or condemnation of the stings. While the goals of
the police are laudable, they accomplish their goals by deceiving other chat-room users
and revealing details of conversations thought to be private. Sting operations are more
likely to be viewed as morally acceptable by someone who is more focused on the results
of an action than the methods used; in other words, a consequentialist.
The Web is a more open communication medium than newspapers, radio stations, or
television stations. Individuals or groups whose points of view may never be published in
a newspaper or broadcast on a television or radio show may create an attractive Web site.
The ease with which people may get information out via the Web is one of the reasons
the Web contains billions of pages. However, the fact that no one has to review a Web
page before it is published means the quality of information available on the Web varies
widely.
You can find many Web sites devoted to the American manned space program. You
can also find many Web sites that provide evidence the moon landings were a hoax
by NASA. Many Web sites describe the Holocaust committed by the Nazis before and
during World War II. Other sites explain why the Holocaust could not have happened.
Disputes about commonly held assumptions did not begin with the Web. Some
television networks and newspapers are well known for giving a forum to people who
question information provided through government agencies. Twice in 2001, the Fox
TV network aired a program called “Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?”
The program concludes NASA faked the Moon landing in the Nevada desert. Super-
market tabloids are notorious for their provocative, misleading headlines. Experienced
consumers take into account the source of the information. Most people would agree
that
60 Minutes
on CBS is a more reliable source of information than
Conspiracy Theory
on Fox. Similarly, people expect information they find in the
New York Times
to be more
reliable than the stories they read in a tabloid.
In traditional publishing, various mechanisms are put in place to improve the qual-
ity of the final product. For example, before Addison-Wesley published the first edition
of this topic, an editor sent draft copies of the manuscript to a dozen reviewers who
checked it for errors, omissions, or misleading statements. The author revised the man-
uscript to respond to the reviewers' suggestions. After the author submitted a revised
manuscript, a copy editor made final changes to improve the readability of the text, and
a proofreader corrected typographical errors.
Web pages, on the other hand, can be published without any review. As you're un-
doubtedly well aware, the quality of Web pages varies dramatically. Fortunately, search
engines can help people identify those Web pages that are most relevant and of the high-
est quality. Let's take a look at how the Google search engine does this.
