Networks

The ethical question raised by this article is whether or not it’s O.K. that it was created by hacking into a whole bunch of people’s computers around the world.  Hard to say.

Philosophically, I’d say, the means never justifies the ends because the means are actual things in the real world which have ends of their own, so that even if the desired ends were achieved, other things were set in motion, so you never know.  But it’s never that simple.  How evil are the means, and how worthwhile are the ends?

There is basic math to consider, and there should be a formula for figuring this out.  If the evil means amounts to a little white lie, reading somebody’s diary, or bending the rules a bit, and the ends are tremendous, you’re probably going to go for it, and you’re probably a fool if you don’t.

Also, the hackers weren’t assholes who just weaseled their way into people’s accounts so they could hurl 6th grade invective at everybody on your mailing list.  So, the no-harm, no-foul rule applies.

So, in this case, I side with the hackers.

If you are a hacker, you have exceptional computer skills.  You are not the average user like me.  I’m sure there are better uses of those skills, such as figuring out the solution to world hunger, but I’m not in your shoes.

I am glad they created the map, though.  It was basically a population map; lots of internet usage in East Asia and India, Europe was covered and the U.S.  are covered, Africa  truly is the dark continent and you can see where the mountains of Asia are, because that’s were a lot of people aren’t.  Those last two regions, along with the Australian Outback, blend into the darkness of the sea on this map.

Nonetheless, I find the map interesting.