Cyberethics
is a social issue that is becoming increasingly important as the amount of
cybercitizens who engage in internet use grow. The internet gives cybercitizens
easy access to the entire world right at their fingertips. With this level of
access comes a new ethical responsibility on the part of everyone who uses a
computer. Cyberethics is a term that is fairly difficult to define as it
encompasses myriad moral and ethical issues. Put simply, cyberethics is defined
as computer-based ethics that revolve around “copyrights, plagiarism, privacy,
and hacking” (Bell, 2002, p. 33). Behaving in an ethical way while in
cyberspace requires that cybercitizens behave in a way that is respectful,
responsible, and in a way that demonstrates self-mastery.
