While reading this article, I thought whether technology companies should be held accountable for the bad things that occur on the Internet, like cyberbullying. Even though these companies do not control human choices and try to put up blockers, they provide the opportunity for us to do bad things on the internet as well as have a huge influence on us. So, my question to all of you is should technology companies have responsibility over the technology they create and the bad that goes on in social media and the Internet? If so, is this a big responsibilty or a little one? Also if so, are technology companies doing enough to keep their technology in check? Should they be held accountable for human actions over the Internet?
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
The Responsibility of Technology Companies
In the Room for Debate article "Apple's Corporate Responsibilty for Distracted Driving", an argument arises about whether Apple should be sued for creating technology that creates distractions while driving. On the one side, Mangu-Ward argues that Apple should be sued because their systems to stop distracted driving can be easily turned off and that all technology comes with bad. On the other hand, Mars states that Apple should not be sued becuase they do not control human choices and even if their blocking systems can be easily turned off, they are near-perfect when turned on.
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Technology is essential in the way people live today. Although they provide ways for bad things to happen, technology companies should not be responsible for the bad things that happen on the Internet because they created it for good reasons and people can use it in a bad way. Companies can not control the way people use their products, but they can try to stop bad things from happening by fixing the problem. Technology companies are trying their best to fix the problems that happen, but it is difficult because people can find ways around it. They should not be held accountable for the way people use technology because there is only so much they can do to stop bad things from happening. The only way to stop bad from happening is to get rid of technology or the things that are causing bad things to happen, but a lot of these they provide can be useful for peoples' lives. Technology was meant for good things to happen and should not be misused for bad things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Devin as, technology had been made for the intention of being used for good things. Only because people decide that what they use it for ends up being for bad does not make the creator responsible for that considering the fact that they never intend for their creation to be use as such nor ever influenced the people to do so in any sort of way. For example, a pencil is a form of technology clearly meant for the purpose of writing. We have access to using it everyday and we could easily decide to one day chuck it at somebody if we’d like however, due to our morals that we our taught at a young age as well as common sense, we don’t. If someone did decide to throw their pencils at people, we wouldn’t blame the person who created the pencil, yet we would blame the thrower because what they did was clearly not right and hurtful to others. When people are online, they have the decision to be a bad person and try hurting others emotionally when given the chance just as we are given the chance to throw pencils at people. Whether the person decided to do so or not is not the fault of the people who made technology because they never created it with the intentions of causing harm and have even provided way in which to stay safe in case of the worst case scenarios that may come with their invention. To summarize the answer to your question, no, companies are not responsible for what humans decide to do with their creations because their intentions when making it were for good purposes, and those who use it for bad purposes are to blame due to their lack of morals and initiative to try and be a good person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alene and Devin with the opinion that companies should not be held accountable for how people decide to use their creations. Like they both mentioned, they do not decide how their creations are to be used, which is either in a good way or a bad way. Technology was created for good purposes, without the thought of something going wrong, but to have many benefits. People find ways to do something negative no matter what. Although this may make the technology seem bad, it is not the creators fault because they never intended it to be used in that negative way. A similar example is when someone discovers or invents something. Similar to the technology situation, if someone invents something they should not be blamed or responsible for the actions of others and how they decide to use their inventions. They have no control over people’s decisions and what they think is right or wrong. Therefore, their invention may be used in a way they never thought about. For example, if someone invents a toy car and a kid uses it to hit others, it is in no way the creators fault. It’s intention was to be played with, being used for fun, and not intended to be used as an object to hurt others. Also, if someone discovers something new, like a dangerous plant, they do not tell people to consume it due to the dangers in it. However, people decide what they do, not making the person who discovered it responsible. So, in conclusion, it is not the company's fault for how users decide to use their creations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the people who commented above that electronic companies should not be sued because of bad things that happen due to people being on their electronic devices. I believe that companies have done what they can to ensure the safety of their customers by adding safety features like do not disturb or message people who try contacting you saying you can’t get to the phone right now. The accidents that happen involving someone being on their phone or in some way distracted due to an electronic device is out of the company's control. Putting the blame on one company doesn’t do anything when it comes down to the amount of accidents that happen yearly by distracted drivers. It is a huge responsibility for companies who have no control on what their customers do once they purchase whatever electronic device they wish to have. Also, whatever happens on the internet to others is not the company's responsibility. Like I stated before, companies do not have control over what their clients do with the device after purchase. Plus, it would be an invasion of privacy if electronic companies watched over what each customer did on their phone.
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