COMPUTER AND INTERNET ETHICS AND CRIMES

I. DISCUSSION - COURSE CONTENT

Computer and internet ethics and crimes

Internet ethics means  acceptable behaviour for using Internet. We should be honest, respect
the rights and property of others on the Internet.

Acceptance
One has to accept that Internet is not a value free-zone .It means World Wide Web is a place
where values are considered in  the broadest sense so we must take care while shaping content
and services and we should recognize that Internet is not apart from universal society but it is a
primary component of it.

Sensitivity to National and Local cultures

It belongs to all and there is no barrier of national and local cultures. It cannot be subject to one
set of values like the local TV channel or  the local newspaper  we have to accommodate
multiplicity of usage.

Pretending to be someone else

We must not use Internet to fool others by pretending to be someone else. Hiding our own
identity to fool others in the Internet world is a crime and may also be a risk to others

Avoid Bad language

We must not use rude or bad language while using e-Mail, chatting, blogging and social
networking, We need to respect their views and should not criticize anyone on the Internet.

Hide personal information

We should not give personal details like home address, phone numbers, interests, passwords.
No photographs should be sent to strangers because it might be misused and shared with others
without their knowledge.

ETHICAL RULES FOR COMPUTER USERS

 Do not use computers to harm other users.
 Do not use computers to steal others information.
 Do not access files without the permission of the owner.
 Do not copy copyrighted software without the author’s permission.
 Always respect copyright laws and policies.
 Respect the privacy of others, just as you expect the same from others.

 Do not use other user's computer resources without their permission.

  Use Internet ethically.
 Complain about illegal communication and activities, if found, to Internet service Providers and
local law enforcement authorities.
 Users are responsible for safeguarding their User Id and Passwords. They should not write them
on paper or anywhere else for remembrance.
 Users should not intentionally use the computers to retrieve or modify the information of
others, which may include password information, files, etc..

Computer Ethics, Privacy and Security

Computer Ethics
 Computers are involved to some extent in almost every aspect of our lives
o They often perform life-critical tasks
 Therefore, we need to carefully consider the issues of ethics

Ethics
 Ethics are standards of moral conduct
o Standards of right and wrong behavior
o A measurement of personal integrity
o The basis of trust and cooperation in relationships with others

Ethical Principals
 Ethical principals are tools which are used to think through difficult situations.
 Three useful ethical principals:
o An act is ethical if all of society benefits from the act.
o An act is ethical if people are treated as an end and not as a means to an end.
 (people are not values but are used)
o An act is ethical if it is fair to all parties involved.

Computer Ethics
 Computer ethics are morally acceptable use of computers
o i.e. using computers appropriately
 Standards or guidelines are important in this industry, because technology changes are
overtaking the legal system’s ability to keep up

Ethics for Computer Professionals

Computer Professionals:
 Are experts in their field,
 Know customers rely on their knowledge, expertise, and honesty,
 Understand their products (and related risks) affect many people,
  Follow good professional standards and practices,
 Maintain an expected level of competence and are up-to-date on current
knowledge and technology, and
 Educate the non-computer professional

Four primary issues

Privacy – responsibility to protect data about individuals
Accuracy - responsibility of data collectors to authenticate information and ensure its
accuracy
Property - who owns information and software and how can they be sold and
exchanged
Access - responsibility of data collectors to control access and determine what
information a person has the right to obtain about others and how the information can
be used
Private Networks
 Employers may legally monitor electronic mail
o In 2001, 63% of companies monitored employee Internet connections including about
two-thirds of the 60 billion electronic messages sent by 40 million e-mail users.
 Most online services reserve the right to censor content
 These rights lead to contentious issues over property rights versus free speech and privacy

The Internet and the Web

 Most people don’t worry about email privacy on the Web due to illusion of anonymity
o Each e-mail you send results in at least 3 or 4 copies being stored on different
computers.
 Web sites often load files on your computer called cookies to record times and pages visited
and other personal information
 Spyware - software that tracks your online movements, mines the information stored on your
computer, or uses your computer for some task you know nothing about.

General Internet Issues

 Inflammatory interchange of messages via internet (email, chat rooms, etc.)
 Chain mail
 Virus warning hoaxes
 “Spam” – unsolicited, bulk email

E-Mail Netiquette
 Promptly respond to messages.
 Delete messages after you read them if you don’t need to save the information.
 Don’t send messages you wouldn’t want others to read.
 Keep the message short and to the point.
  Don’t type in all capital letters.
 Be careful with sarcasm and humor in your message.

Internet Content & Free Speech Issues

 Information on internet includes hate, violence, and information that is harmful for children
o How much of this should be regulated?
o Do filters solve problems or create more?
 Is web site information used for course work and research reliable?

Information Ownership Issues

 Illegal software copying (pirating)
 Infringement of copyrights by copying of pictures or text from web pages
 Plagiarism by copying text from other sources when original work is expected

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: Intangible creations protected by law

TRADE SECRET: Intellectual work or products belonging to a business, not in public domain
COPYRIGHT: Statutory grant protecting intellectual property from copying by others for 28 years
PATENT: Legal document granting owner exclusive monopoly on an invention for 17 years

Copyright Laws

 Software developers (or the companies they work for) own their programs.
 Software buyers only own the right to use the software according to the license agreement.
 No copying, reselling, lending, renting, leasing, or distributing is legal without the software
owner’s permission.

Software Licenses
There are four types of software licenses:
1. Public Domain License
 Public domain software has no owner and is not protected by copyright law.
 It was either created with public funds, or the ownership was forfeited by the creator.
 Can be copied, sold, and/or modified
 Often is of poor quality/unreliable
2. Freeware License
 Freeware is copyrighted software that is licensed to be copied and distributed without charge.
 Freeware is free, but it’s still under the owner’s control.
o Examples:
a. Eudora Light
b. Netscape
3. Shareware License
 A shareware software license allows you to use the software for a trial period, but you must pay
a registration fee to the owner for permanent use.
 o Some shareware trials expire on a certain date
o Payment depends on the honor system
 Purchasing (the right to use) the software may also get you a version with more powerful
features and published documentation.

4. All Rights Reserved License

 May be used by the purchaser according the exact details spelled out in the license agreement.
 You can’t legally use it--or even possess it-- without the owner’s permission.

Software Piracy
 SPA (Software Publishers Association) polices software piracy and mainly targets:
o Illegal duplication
o Sale of copyrighted software
o Companies that purchase single copies and load the software on multiple computers or
networks
 They rely on whistle-blowers.
 Penalties (for primary user of PC) may include fines up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment up to
5 years in jail

System Quality
 Bug-free software is difficult to produce
 It must be carefully designed, developed, and tested
 Mistakes generated by computers can be far reaching
 Commenting and documenting software is required for effective maintenance throughout the
life of the program

Computer Crime
 Computer criminals -using a computer to commit an illegal act
 Who are computer criminals?
o Employees – disgruntled or dishonest --the largest category
o Outside users - customers or suppliers
o “Hackers” and “crackers” - hackers do it “for fun” but crackers have malicious intent
o Organized crime - tracking illegal enterprises, forgery, counterfeiting

Types of Computer Crime

 Damage to computers, programs or files
o Viruses - migrate through systems attached to files and programs
o Worms - continuously self-replicate
 Theft
o Of hardware, software, data, computer time
o Software piracy - unauthorized copies of copyrighted material
  View/Manipulation
o “Unauthorized entry” and “harmless message” still illegal

Computer Security
 Computer security involves protecting:
o information, hardware and software
o from unauthorized use and damage and
o from sabotage and natural disasters

Measures to Protect Computer Security

 Restricting access both to the hardware locations (physical access) and into the system itself
(over the network) using firewalls
 Implementing a plan to prevent break-ins
 Changing passwords frequently
 Making backup copies
 Using anti-virus software
 Encrypting data to frustrate interception
 Anticipating disasters (disaster recovery plan)
 Hiring trustworthy employees

Computer Ethics for Computer Professionals

Competence– Professionals keep up with the latest knowledge in their field and perform
services only in their area of competence.
Responsibility– Professionals are loyal to their clients or employees, and they won’t disclose
confidential information.
Integrity– Professionals express their opinions based on facts, and they are impartial in their
judgments.

The ACM Code of Conduct

 According to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) code, a computing
professional:
o Contributes to society and human well-being
o Avoids harm to others
o Is honest and trustworthy
o Is fair and takes action not to discriminate
o Honors property rights, including copyrights and patents
o Gives proper credit when using the intellectual property of others
o Respects other individuals’ rights to privacy
o Honors confidentiality

Quality of Life Issues

  Rapid Change:
o Reduced response time to competition
 Maintaining Boundaries:
o Family, work, leisure
 Dependence And Vulnerability
 Employment:
o Re-engineering job loss
 Equity & Access:
o Increasing gap between haves and have nots
 Health Issues

Ergonomics
 Ergonomics:
o helps computer users to avoid
 physical and mental health risks
o and to increase
 productivity

 Physical Health Issues

 Avoid eyestrain and headache
o Take regular breaks every couple of hours
o Control ambient light and insure adequate monitor brightness
 Avoid back and neck pain
o Have adjustable equipment with adequate back support
o Keep monitor at, or slightly below eye level

Physical Health Issues

 Avoid effects of electromagnetic fields (VDT radiation)
o Possible connection to miscarriages and cancers, but no statistical support yet
o Use caution if pregnant
 Avoid repetitive strain injury (RSI)
o Injuries from fast, repetitive work
o Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) - nerve and tendon damage in hands and wrists

The Environment
 Microcomputers are the greatest user of electricity in the workplace
 “Green” PCs
o System unit and display - minimize unnecessary energy consumption and power down
when not in use
o Manufacturing - avoids harmful chemicals in production, focus on chlorofluorocarbons
(CFC’s) which some blame for ozone layer depletion
Personal Responsibility of Users
  Conserve
o Turn computers off at end of work day
o Use screen savers
 Recycle
o Most of the paper we use is eligible
o Dispose of old parts via recycling programs – most computer parts are dangerous in
landfills
 Educate
o Know the facts about ecological issues

II. CHAPTER SUMMARY

Computers and electronics play an enormous role in today's society, impacting

everything from communication and medicine to science.

Although computers are typically viewed as a modern invention involving electronics,

computing predates the use of electrical devices. The ancient abacus was perhaps the
first digital computing device. Analog computing dates back several millennia as
primitive computing devices were used as early as the ancient Greeks and Romans, the
most known complex of which being the Antikythera mechanism. Later devices such as
the castle clock (1206), slide rule (c. 1624) and Babbage's Difference Engine (1822) are
other examples of early mechanical analog computers.

The introduction of electric power in the 19th century led to the rise of electrical and
hybrid electro-mechanical devices to carry out both digital (Hollerith punch-card
machine) and analog (Bush’s differential analyzer) calculation. Telephone switching
came to be based on this technology, which led to the development of machines that we
would recognize as early computers.

The presentation of the Edison Effect in 1885 provided the theoretical background for
electronic devices. Originally in the form of vacuum tubes, electronic components were
rapidly integrated into electric devices, revolutionizing radio and later television. It was in
computers however, where the full impact of electronics was felt. Analog computers
used to calculate ballistics were crucial to the outcome of World War II, and the
Colossus and the ENIAC, the two earliest electronic digital computers, were developed
during the war.

With the invention of solid-state electronics, the transistor and ultimately the integrated
circuit, computers would become much smaller and eventually affordable for the
average consumer. Today “computers” are present in nearly every aspect of everyday
life, from watches to automobiles.

III. GLOSSARY
IV. REFERENCES
Web Resources
History of Computers: Timeline & Evolution: https://study.com/academy/lesson/history-
of-computers-timeline-evolution.html#:~:text=While%20the%20conceptual%20idea
%20behind,the%20microprocessors%20we%20use%20today.
A BRIEF COMPUTER HISTORY: http://people.bu.edu/baws/brief%20computer
%20history.html
History of Computers: A Brief Timeline: https://www.livescience.com/20718-
computer-history.html