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The Changing Of The Guard : The New Face Of It Ethics

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The Changing of the Guard: The New Face of IT Ethics in Younger Generations In America
Ask anyone what ethics means and the number of different answers will likely equal the number of different people that were asked. One person may say that ethics are like lines in the sand that establish right from wrong. Another may use that same description to define morals or principles. A company might have a specific view of what is considered ethical and not broach the subject of morals. Most individuals, however, mix the meaning of ethics, morals, integrity, principles and values into a blanket concept that covers the idea of how people ought to be; and this is rightly done, as the reality is that although there are specific distinctions and …show more content…

Much of the complexity comes from the fact that an answer can be different from person to person. Also, different types of ethics, such as business and corporate ethics, may be judged by different criteria than personal ethics. Oftentimes there may be no clear answer, and so both good and bad apply (Reynolds, 2015). To further complicate the issue, consider that what was ethical to prior generations may not be so for younger generations, and so the answer can change over time or generationally.
An example of this generational shift can be found when, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act ended segregation. It was brought about by a generation of youth that encompassed a social perspective that recognized segregation as unethical and unlawful. However, the concept of segregation was considered ethical to three generations of citizens prior to that. In fact, only 68 years earlier, in Plessy vs. Ferguson, the Supreme Court mirrored the societal ethics of the time and ruled in favor of segregation (Plessy vs. Ferguson, 1896).
Another broad example is the shift in privacy ethics during recent years. Since the invention of the telephone, there have been concerns regarding the potential abuse and unethical uses of information technology (IT). Laws were passed early on, such as the Communications Act of 1934, to deal with growing concerns regarding privacy. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, laws such as the Wiretap Act and

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