Ethical Issues in Virtual Worlds

Having pondered this a bit, it seems to me that ethical issues in virtual worlds fall into four categories: anonymity, attachment, regulation, and the moral basis for ethical decisions. There are almost certainly more. But these are the ones I came up with for now.

Anonymity considers the trade off between a person's right to privacy as they conduct themselves in a virtual world and that person's responsibility to be who they claim to be. Certainly anonymity allows a person to be things or to do things in a virtual world that they may not do in the real world. This freedom of self expression may be important but must be weighed against the impacts that these behaviors have on other people.

Attachment addresses the phenomenon that occurs when people begin to experience the virtual through the experiences of their avatar. If you insult their avatar or treat it badly, they may feel as through they have been insulted or treated badly in real life. If this is the case do we need to establish boundaries on acceptable behavior in the virtual world or do the people who are experiencing the world through their avatar just need to get a real life?

The third question is the extent to which the virtual world should be regulated. Since nobody can really get hurt in a virtual world the most harm somebody can achieve is to be annoying. But with attachment and real money things are not so simple. On the other hand, virtual worlds are great places for creativity and self expression. Unnecessary regulation can inhibit that.

Finally, what is the moral basis for ethical decision making in a virtual world? Do we make decisions as we would in the real world or does the fact that a virtual world is a simulation have any influence on the moral basis.

These questions will be examined in more detail in upcoming posts.