【正确答案】Computers are having a profound effect on social behavior. With easy access to processing power, individuals who, in every other respect, could be regarded as good citizens now find themselves indulging in unethical—and even unlawful—behavior. The theft of copyright software is widespread, while recent, well-publicized incidents of hacking, virus creation, computer-based fraud, and invasion of privacy have been followed by a rising chorus of calls for a new morality in computing and new laws to protect citizens from computerized anarchy.
In the short space of forty years, computers have become central to the operation of complex societies. Without computers and communication systems, much of manufacturing, industry, commerce, transport and distribution, government, the military, health services, education, and research would grind to a halt. Yet as society becomes more dependent on computers, it also becomes more vulnerable to the misuse of computers by human beings.