Utilitarianism and Windows 10

Discuss About The Microsoft Blatantly Disregards User Choice?

 Microsoft introduces their recent operating system with new features as compared to earlier operating systems. One among this operating system is Windows 10 which was being introduced with new features but with flaws in user choice and having many privacy concerns. Users are not much happy with the usage of this new operating system as it breaches the security concerns with respect to their personal tasks and official data security. Users are considering windows 10 as just another evolution by Microsoft. Moreover, users are considering it as an unfinished product as it makes its user busy in installing upgrades forcefully instead of completing their task on the system.

Ethics theory of utilitarian says that decency implies that no moral act such as an act of abducting or rule such as keeping any promise is essentially right or wrong (McGee, 2009). However, the rightness or wrongness of any act or rule is just a matter of the overall satisfaction of the user in terms of pleasure, knowledge, or individual desire initiate in following the steps of doing that act or following that rule (McGee, 2009). Therefore if the user is happy with its present state of the system then Microsoft has no rights to force the user to update to windows 10 or its updates. However, this is happening as Microsoft is forcing user’s machines to update their systems without any option to stop it until it completes its update. No matter whether user like to install or not. So all depends on the final consequences like the majority of users like these updates or not so as per the theory of utilitarian, windows 10 breaches this attribute of ethical theory (McGee, 2009).

As per deontological ethics which states that responsibility is the point on which one can judge the trueness of the task which further follows some set of rules and emphasizes on duties or rules As these set of rules binds the person to complete its task with responsibility. Therefore, in case of windows 10, Microsoft is responsible for the breach of any personal or official information. Users of Window 10 are having a low level of privacy (Schwickert & Miller, 2005). Here in case of windows 10, according to deontological theory users must have priority to have accurate and true features without hiding the Right content to display good features of it. If it is not so, then those good features are of no use. Therefore, information that is being stored by Windows10 feature is good, but not right as per privacy concerns (Schwickert & Miller, 2005). Microsoft Windows10 is designed to support the adults to keep track of their children what they access on the system which is good, but the same access to information which is official breaches the privacy concerns (Schwickert & Miller, 2005). 

Deontological Ethics and Windows 10

 As per Ongoing privacy concerns, users are arguing that Microsoft provides the services as we demand by accessing all kinds of data of our system. To exemplify Cortana is one of the features that is having the ability to look inside your emails and calendar and provides necessary notifications as you demand (Loreau, 2014). As per Virtue theory of ethics which says the moral character is very necessary. It goes like things having a specific character to complete a task like to notice, to choose something, to act, to expect and to react in certain ways only that comes under morality. In case of Windows10, Microsoft pushes their users to install the operating system with a free subscription for a year and create such pops up to update the existing windows10 with new features (Schwickert & Miller, 2005). Therefore, it’s an act which violates morality as a user is willing or not is not the matter of concern but the thing which is important is to make the user update their system as any new update arrives. There is one drawback of virtue theory that it does not recognize the change in the moral behavior of the person. For instance, a company who made some mistake in the past may have the same case as that of good companies (Schwickert & Miller, 2005). These kind of companies are not plagiarizing intentionally but still, it happens. As is Windows 10, Microsoft intention was just to update the operating system at times but the user did not feel it necessary to upgrade but Microsoft forcing the user to do so. Here a thing to be concentrated is “what is the intention?”

Ultimately, Microsoft attracts the users of Windows 10 by providing Windows Update system. It works for users by pre-selecting the download button and starting the process of downloading on their systems (Michener, 2008). If users are still not convinced then there is other recommended update with which new operating systems will be downloaded on the user’s system without their permission. While meeting any issue or problem with the existing system, users are expecting for the patch to work out for resolving the problem but Windows security update provides a whole new operating system (Michener, 2008).

As per users experience, one of the actions formatted by Microsoft was an act of juggling. In actual Microsoft has changed the design of a dialog window which is a user interface and its being used and looks around the same way since the birth of the modern desktop systems (Michener, 2008). In case when a user is prompted with a Windows 10 update and user tries to  decline it by pressing the ‘No ‘ button  then  Microsoft  automatically  interpret it as positive consent to download Windows 10 (Loreau, 2014).

Virtue Ethics and Windows 10

Ethics theory of conduct points towards the agreement that the company or any individual must follow in order to live in a society which demands moral behaviour and some political obligations. Whenever any new product launched in the market some are excited to use it and many are waiting for the rolling off the first batch of product to known the users review so in this way smart users got to known about the product and company came to know about the pitfalls of the product. As per Ethics theory of conduct  when a product is launched, its agreement of terms and conditions state that the product won’t violates the privacy concerns of the users as in case of windows10  End user licence agreement (Michener, 2008). Microsoft’s privacy policy clearly states that they will use, disclose the personal data which includes the content of emails or any other private data when a company requires doing as per security concerns enforced by the government agencies. Another reason of doing so is to protect the users from spam or fraud attempts (Michener, 2008). They can maintain the security checks to get rid of any upcoming attack on system or network. If someone is trying to make use of services just to create traffic in the intellectual and physical property then the inspection of private content is referred to law enforcement.

In General, as per rules of conduct, the company is prohibited from revealing any kind of information that breaches security concern of the customers. All ethical theories stick to particular principles that show the path of success by choosing the suitable decision. Microsoft has clearly mentioned that Windows Update would not be available on the replicas of the operating system. At the same point, Microsoft states that providing more privacy to ordinary users would risk the concern of security as they would no longer get security update. Undoubtedly Windows 10 has provided few s security improvements over previous versions of the operating system (Simmons, 2006). But Microsoft made their users choose between having privacy and security which is really an awful act by the company.

It is expected that Microsoft should provide a clear view to its user groups. According to ethics theory company must accept its misleading steps and provide clear cut pop ups to the users who require them, by choosing a single collective screen (Simmons, 2006). Another recommendation is that company should provide genuine security updates from operating system upgrades going forward, and do not try to neglect user choice and privacy expectations.

References

Loreau, M. (2014). Reconciling utilitarian and non-utilitarian approaches to biodiversity conservation. Ethics In Science And Environmental Politics, 14(1), 27-32. https://dx.doi.org/10.3354/esep00149

McGee, R. (2009). Analyzing Insider Trading from the Perspectives of Utilitarian Ethics and Rights Theory. Journal Of Business Ethics, 91(1), 65-82. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0068-2

Michener, J. (2008). Common Permissions in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, 6(3), 63-67. https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/msp.2008.59

Schwickert, E., & Miller, S. (2005). Gender, Morality, and Ethics of Responsibility: Complementing Teleological and Deontological Ethics. Hypatia, 20(2), 164-187. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/hyp.2005.0089

Simmons, W. (2006). Discussing personal details at bedside disregards privacy. Nursing Standard, 21(10), 32-32. https://dx.doi.org/10.7748/ns.21.10.32.s42

With Windows 10, Microsoft Blatantly Disregards User Choice and Privacy: A Deep Dive. (2017). Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved 21 September 2017, from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/windows-10-microsoft-blatantly-disregards-user-choice-and-privacy-deep-dive