Digital Technology. Ethical, Global, Political, and Social Problems caused by Hacking

Digital Technology
Student Name
Institution Affiliation
Ethical, Global, Political, and Social Problems caused by Hacking
Technological and digital innovations that continue to characterize the 21st century are having immense contributions in various sectors and industries in the economy. For instance, e-commerce channels and platform have revolutionized the business landscape and fostered the development of online shopping. Nonetheless, computer and digital technology has paved the way for new criminal environments through enhancing and promoting illegal activities such as fraud, industrial espionage, stock manipulation and forgery. Gone are the day when bank robbers used to storm banking halls armed to teeth and force the attendants to open the safes and vaults to access physical cash. Currently, these bank robbers effortlessly steal huge sums of money from financial institutions at the comfort of their homes by hacking their systems. Hacking which involves the unauthorized access to computer systems not only leads to theft but also disruption of essential public services. The essay purports to examine some of the ethical, social, global, political, and economic problems that can be caused by hacking.
Ethical Problems caused by Hacking
It is essential to note that it is not only illegal but also unethical to gain access into another person’s computer system without their permission. According to Baase (2013), “Hacking is intentional, unauthorized access to computer systems and includes a wide range of activities from minor pranks to huge thefts and shutdowns of services on which lives and livelihoods depend”. In this regard, one of the primary problems that can be caused by hacking is invasion of privacy. Hackers are usually skilled individuals who are able to bypass established security measures to access private and confidential information. For instance, hackers may gain access into a company’s records private records such emails and conversations from members of management where they were strategizing on ways to counter increased competition. With this information, hackers can then proceed to ask for money and other favors and failure to which they will make it public. Similarly, they can sell confidential company information to competitors. Therefore, hacking often results in invasion and theft of private data that can cripple the reputation of an individ...