Computer crimes,ethics, and privacy Research Paper

Computer crimes,ethics, and privacy - Research Paper Example The advent of computers and internet in our daily life has given rise to computer crimes, illicit activity that is carried out by the help of computers, and these crimes have had a ponderous impact on the moral values of the people, especially adolescents. In this paper we will attempt to highlight some computer crimes and explain how these crimes give rise to ethical issues. Also a detailed discussion will be made on the breach of privacy through computer crimes. The paper talks about computer technology and ethical issues it poses therefore it is perfectly related to the chapter. Computer Crimes Computer crimes are formally defined as crimes that involve a computer and a network (Moore, 4). Crimes that are carried out by the help of a computer or where computer is the target also come under computer crimes. The word cyber crime is also used interchangeably for computer crime. The most common of computer crimes include identity theft, financial theft, spamming, and breach of privacy . There has been seen a surge in cyber crimes mainly due to the increasing reliance on computers and network. Almost everything is run by computers these days and therefore can be targeted by cyber criminals. Malware (short form for malicious software) is the most prevalent form of computer crime where a person controls a computer by planting some malicious code. The attacker can install or plant the code on a system and then can enjoy great access to the computer without authorization of the user (Skoudis & Zeltser, 2). Common types of Malware include Virus, Trojan, and Worm. Malwares are used to gain access to computers, sometimes just for fun. They can delete important files and can also slow down the speed of the system. Identity theft is another computer crime that can make life of a computer user miserable. The effects of this computer crime are more ponderous than Malware as it can financially hurt the individual. Identity theft involves stealing information of extremely pers onal nature in order to use it for some benefit. Mainly hackers try to gain access to bank account passwords, credit card numbers etc to steal money from the users. The crime of identity theft is extremely prevalent and many people lose their money on a daily basis as a result of it. E commerce has given users opportunity to shop online using credit cards and online merchant accounts. This has in turn increased the chances of identity theft. Other computer crimes include cyber stalking, spamming, and child pornography. Cyber stalking refers to the use of internet for stalking purposes by using personal information of a person. Cyber stalkers use internet to repeatedly harass a person and therefore it is listed as a computer crime (Pot, 1). Spamming refers to the bulk messages that are sent to users. These are unwanted messages that fill the inboxes of users. Spamming is a big business for many people and causes problems for users. Child pornography is also propagated through interne t and it is a serious offense. Children are left vulnerable because child pornography has become a business today through internet. Ethical Issues Involving Computer Crimes Computer crimes pose many ethical issues for the society. The main problem of computer crimes is that they are mostly conducted by teenagers or young people in general. This has posed many problems for the society at large. Younger generation is the