Don’t cross that line isn’t as easy as it sounds in business ethics because that line isn’t clear. A few months after Microsoft released the Kinect for Xbox 360 it was modified by a group of hackers. According to Gizmo.com, Microsoft immediately released a statement that they don’t condone modifications to its products. The ethical issue is that people shouldn’t be tampering with a company’s technology without consent. The hackers ignored this and have been using the Kinect for advances in technology such as sight for robots. Does this mean its ethical now because of the positive application?
The best products have come from ‘stealing’ other people’s ideas. Sounds harsh but its true. Look at Apple, do you think that iPhone’s facetime was the first of its kind? Nope. And that’s just off the top of my head. People may think that hacking the Kinect is unethical, maybe it is, but without this, technology wouldn’t be where it is today. In this special situation I believe this isn’t unethical since it is done so often and is beneficial to everyone. Microsoft gets more sales, the hackers get to be innovative, and new products will follow for the consumer.