Computer Ethics

 Computers are involved to some

extent in almost every aspect of
our lives
 They often perform life-critical
tasks
 Computer science is not regulated
to the extent of medicine, air
travel, or construction zoning
 Therefore, we need to carefully
consider the issues of ethics
 Ethics
 Ethics are standards of moral
conduct
 Standards of right and
wrong behavior
 A gauge of personal
integrity
 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:
 An act is ethical if all of society
benefits from the act.
 An act is ethical if people are
treated as an end and not as a
means to an end.
 An act is ethical if it is fair to all
parties involved.
 Computer Ethics

 Computer ethics are morally

acceptable use of computers

 i.e. using computers

appropriately

 Standards or guidelines are

important in this industry, because
technology changes are
outstripping 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
 Computer Ethics
 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
 Problems with
Large Databases
 Spreading information without
consent
 Some large companies use medical
records and credit records as a
factor in important personnel
decisions

 Spreading inaccurate information

 Mistakes in one computer file can
easily migrate to others
 Inaccurate data may linger for
years
 U.S. Federal Privacy
Laws
General Federal Privacy Laws:
 Freedom Of Information Act, 1968
 Privacy Act Of 1974
 Electronic Communications Privacy
Act Of 1986
 Computer Matching And Privacy
Protection Act Of 1988
 Computer Security Act Of 1987
 Federal Internet Privacy Protection
Act Of 1997
 U.S. Federal Privacy
Laws
Privacy Laws Affecting Private
Institutions:
 Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1970
 Right To Financial Privacy Act Of 1978
 Privacy Protection Act Of 1980
 Cable Communications Policy Act Of
1984
 Electronic Communications Privacy Act
Of 1986
 Video Privacy Protection Act Of 1988
 Consumer Internet Privacy Protection
Act Of 1997
 Communications Privacy & Consumer
Empowerment Act Of 1997
 Data Privacy Act Of 1997
 Private Networks
 Employers may legally monitor
electronic mail
 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
 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
 How much of this should be
regulated?
 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
 Terms
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:
 Public Domain
 Freeware
 Shareware
 All Rights Reserved
 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
 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.
 Examples:
 Eudora Light
 Netscape
 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.
 Some shareware trials expire on a
certain date
 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.
 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:
 Illegal duplication
 Sale of copyrighted software
 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
 System Quality
ETHICAL ISSUES:
When is software, system
or service ready for release?
SOCIAL ISSUES:
Can people trust quality
of software, systems, services,
data?
POLITICAL ISSUES:
Should congress or industry
develop standards for software,
hardware, data quality?
 Computer Crime
 Computer criminals -using a
computer to commit an illegal act
 Who are computer criminals?
 Employees – disgruntled or
dishonest --the largest category
 Outside users - customers or
suppliers
 “Hackers” and “crackers” - hackers
do it “for fun” but crackers have
malicious intent
 Organized crime - tracking illegal
enterprises, forgery, counterfeiting
 Types of Computer
Crime
 Damage to computers, programs
or files
 Viruses - migrate through
systems attached to files and
programs
 Worms - continuously self-
replicate
 Theft
 Of hardware, software, data,
computer time
 Software piracy - unauthorized
copies of copyrighted material
 View/Manipulation
 “Unauthorized entry” and
“harmless message” still illegal
 Computer Security

 Computer security involves

protecting:
 information, hardware and
software

 from unauthorized use and

damage and

 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:
 Contributes to society and human
well-being
 Avoids harm to others
 Is honest and trustworthy
 Is fair and takes action not to
discriminate
 Honors property rights, including
copyrights and patents
 Gives proper credit when using the
intellectual property of others
 Respects other individuals’ rights to
privacy
 Honors confidentiality
 Quality of Life Issues
 Rapid Change:
 Reduced response time to
competition
 Maintaining Boundaries:
 Family, work, leisure
 Dependence And Vulnerability
 Employment:
 Re-engineering job loss
 Equity & Access:
 Increasing gap between haves and
have nots
 Health Issues
 Ergonomics

 Ergonomics:

 helps computer users to avoid

 physical and mental health

risks

 and to increase

 productivity
 Physical Health Issues
 Avoid eyestrain and headache
 Take regular breaks every couple
of hours
 Control ambient light and insure
adequate monitor brightness
 Avoid back and neck pain
 Have adjustable equipment with
adequate back support
 Keep monitor at, or slightly below
eye level
 Physical Health Issues
 Avoid effects of electromagnetic
fields (VDT radiation)
 Possible connection to miscarriages
and cancers, but no statistical
support yet
 Use caution if pregnant
 Avoid repetitive strain injury (RSI)
 Injuries from fast, repetitive work
 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
 System unit and display -
minimize unnecessary energy
consumption and power down
when not in use
 Manufacturing - avoids harmful
chemicals in production, focus on
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)
which some blame for ozone
layer depletion
 Personal Responsibility
of Users
 Conserve
 Turn computers off at end of
work day
 Use screen savers

 Recycle
 Most of the paper we use is
eligible
 Dispose of old parts via
recycling programs – most
computer parts are dangerous
in landfills
 Educate
 Know the facts about
ecological issues