Ethics assignment

In my opinion, one of the biggest problems and moral dilemmas in the world of computing today, and for many years, is (has been) music piracy. According to a credible study by the Institute for Policy Innovation quoted on the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) website, the annual harm is $12.5 billion dollars in losses to the U.S. economy, as well as more than 70,000 lost jobs and $2 billion in lost wages to American workers. (http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php?content_selector=What-is-Online-Piracy)

As you can see from those numbers, this is a huge problem. People should not steal or share music, regardless of how easy it may be. I doubt anyone would think it is “right” to go into a music store and steal a CD. So, why would it be okay to steal songs or albums on the Internet? Do people do this simply because they think they can do it easily and not get caught? Do they know the risks and do it to save a few bucks? Whatever the reasoning for doing it, it needs to stop. I’m not saying I’m perfect and that I haven’t done some file sharing in the past, but after reading about this issue, educating myself and learning the true scope of the problem, realizing how wrong it is, this is certainly something I will no longer do and honestly haven’t done in a number of years.

I believe the underlying principle behind people illegally downloading and/or uploading pirated music is self-interest. Times are tough. We don’t all have boatloads of money and if we can get something we want for free and we think we won’t get caught, some people don’t have that moral dilemma that others may have. To some people, I’m sure they sincerely believe downloading “free” music from the Internet is completely different than walking into a store and taking a CD they didn’t pay for – even though in actuality it is not different at all.