Technology and data are increasingly prevalent in daily life. While some of the creative ideas ease repetitive tasks, others become critically important. For instance, a warehouse would be impossible to operate without databases and material handling equipment. However, certain businesses and individuals engage in unethical behavior when it comes to technology and records. One such group is the Houston Astros, who were found stealing pitch signs from catchers and thus obtaining unauthorized victories. It is biblical deceit, and false facts used to gain an unfair advantage on one party, and it is highly condemned in the Bible as (1 st Peter 2:1) states that everyone should keep off envy, hypocrisy, and deceit. Therefore, both the general public and religious teachings condemn immoral conduct in the use of technology.
The Houston Astros had a resounding success in 2019, retaining the American League title. Regardless of their sporting accomplishments, the team was prosecuted and investigated for breaching sports regulations. The fact is that the Houston Astros used catchers to steal pitch signs through cameras from above the stadium, which assisted their players and personnel detect movements on their path (Stitzel et al., 2021). And as a result, the unethical use of technologies by the team resulted in more solid and better performances. Additionally, the author of the article gives further explanations of technological theft that are borderline ethics. For instance, gathering analytical data has stopped being a method of audience research. However, it has evolved into a technique for privacy breaching. Businesses use their platforms’ technical capabilities and ecosystem framework to record consumers’ online behavior continuously. As a result, this knowledge is used to target ads to individuals and thereby implicitly influences their purchasing decisions. The fraudulent use of data is becoming more prevalent as competition increases, even though it contains elements of deceit.
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The wrongful use of data and information and the methods by which it is obtained verge on deception and theft. As with the Houston Astros and large online businesses, several vendors unlawfully capture data through creative hardware and analytical applications. The primary objective of this mechanism is to increase competitiveness and establish a favorable market position, though the assurance of success is not guaranteed. The issue of ethics concerns the infringement of objects’ privacy and their ability to function freely in the worldwide network. Houston Astros, on the other hand, have employed off-regulations systems to detect pitch signals, thus interfering with sports discipline. Though online data collection and cheating competitors are inherently distinct methods, dishonesty against the opposing party binds them. When a rival or customer is ignorant of how their knowledge is accessed or processed, ethics are violated. Thus, both cases break the stipulated laws of inter-personal, business, and sport inter-relationships as one of the parties engages in deceptive behavior to achieve an advantage.
Over the ages, there has been biblical worldview modification and application to modern social institutions. However, the teachings and commandments have been constant in their condemnation of deceit and theft. On the other hand, since computers and computer technology are not explicitly defined and explained in the Bible and its teachings, they can be viewed through a religious prism. According to researchers, technology is a tool for transforming the environment, gaining an edge over other artifacts, and displacing required human capabilities (Ahlborg, 2019). In a broader context, creativity and modern transformation have a detrimental effect on social interaction and roles, with individuals constantly consumed by the race to simplify life. This point is consistent with the Houston Astros’ situation, in which the team cheated by using screens and video footage to collect evidence. According to the Bible, this process has resulted in a breach of faithfulness and deceptive methods to alter the normal interaction between humans, and in this case, the team’s players. Thus, the Houston Astros violated the Christian ideals and propagated falsehoods to accomplish their objectives.
The argument that reality is still veiled in secrecy is paradoxical. On the one side, the idea that any concept or thing can be viewed in various ways is logical. On the other hand, truth is regarded as the only certainty that can be believed in any particular case. According to researchers, the theological arguments that were deduced are virtue and religious duality (Bunton, 2019). Therefore, internet giants and the Houston Astros are breaching the idea of a correct path to the truth. In other words, the team and businesses were provided with evidence intended to promote fair competition. Thus, though obtaining the truth can be an unattainable aim, acquiring it by dubious means is far more biblically dishonest and a breach of Christian teachings and virtues as evidenced by the bible verse in proverbs. (Proverbs 12:22).
Inappropriate use of technology and information happens to benefit the consumer. Although businesses gather data through advanced technologies such as sophisticated bots and the application of artificial intelligence that crawls the internet at high speeds and ultimate accuracy, sports teams look past the timeframe to win. The Houston Astros took advantage of cameras to steal pitch signs, giving them an edge over their rivals. From a religious perspective, such systems are unethical because the other party is unaware of the falsehood and deceit. The gathering of data that is private and personal violates the individual’s `privacy since the individual does not agree to the data and information being processed and gathered. As a result, both the Houston Astros and multinational companies use deceit to gain access to information that should remain confidential.
References
Ahlborg, H., Ruiz-Mercado, I., Molander, S., & Masera, O. (2019). Bringing technology into social-ecological systems research—motivations for a socio-technical-ecological systems approach. Sustainability , 11 (7), 2009.
Bunton, Peter. “Reflexivity in practical theology: reflections from studies of founders’ succession in Christian organizations.” Practical Theology 12.1 (2019): 81-96.
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/
Stitzel, B., Mattson, R. S., & Pjesky, R. (2021). The trashy side of baseball: An econometric analysis of the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Economics Bulletin , 41 (2), 507-522.
