Publication

In this article, I wish to explore some of the ways in which considerations of gender should be taken seriously in the newly developing discipline of computer ethics. Over the last two decades, computer ethics has developed into a separate academic and practical discipline. Much of the rationale for its formation derives from the attempts of computer and IT workers to form themselves into a recognized profession with suitable codes of ethics. Additionally, legislation must keep pace with new forms of crime as they become possible via networked technology. Alongside this, every week seems to bring new examples of ethical problems relating to information and communication technology (ICT): cyberstalking, new invasions of privacy, and new and more worrying examples of hacking into computer systems. All of these things make good copy for the media. At the same time, the apparent urgency of many ethical problems in computing forces computer ethics into a reactive mode, one which does not permit of a more reflective positioning against problems which are, perhaps, more chronic rather then pressingly urgent. One such problem is the question of gender in relation to ICTs. Computer ethics is now being taught on university computer science curricula in many countries including the USA and UK, as demanded by their respective professional bodies. Hence there is all the more reason to ask whether computer ethics treats all its subjects equally or whether, in fact, the voices of underrepresented groups are not being heard in the new, and increasingly vocal, debates surrounding computer ethics.

This article is part of a special issue of the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) Newsletter.