The Importance of Computer Ethics

Important Questions To Ask

1) Do you ever connect your computer to a
network?
2) Do you legitimately own all of the software,
games, and programs you have or use?
3) Where did the contents of your homework
come from? Did you document information
from other sources?
4) Do you ever use other people’s computers or
look at or copy their files without their
knowledge or permission?
5) Do you use cable TV, computer
networks or other services without
paying for them?
6) Do you have any “how-to” files or
documents about hacking, stealing
computer access, or passwords?
7) Do you ever use an assumed name
or alias to impersonate someone
who you are not?
8) Do you ever try to access
someone’s email other than your
own?
All of the above All of these fall
questions deal into the
with computer category of
and internet use. “Computer
Ethics”
Computer ethics defined:
Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the
behavior of a group or individual. Therefore,
computer ethics is set of moral principles that
regulate the use of computers. Some common
issues of computer ethics include intellectual
property rights (such as copyrighted electronic
content), privacy concerns, and how computers
affect society.
*techterms.com
Most codes of ethical behavior describe
actions as “ethical” that do one or more
of the following
 Promote the general health of society
 Maintain or increase individual rights and freedoms
 Protect individuals from harm
 Treat all human beings as having an inherent value
and accord those beings respect
 Uphold religious, social, cultural, and government
laws and norms.
 The Golden Rule
of Ethical Computer Behavior

An ethical action is one that does not

have a damaging impact on oneself, on
other individuals or on society
Issues to think about:
1. The ability to send unsolicited commercial messages
to millions of Internet email users (spamming) was
not possible before there was email or the Internet.
Does the fact that the financial burden of unsolicited
advertisements now falls on the recipient rather than
the sender create the need for new rules?

2. Organizations collect and use data about

individuals to do "target marketing." When does the
knowledge of an individual's tastes and interests help
organizations provide customized services and when
does that knowledge help them manipulate the user?
3. Digital photography has made the manipulation of
images undetectable, an impossible feat with
chemical photography.

4. Intellectual property in digital format can now be

duplicated with incredible ease. Do we need clearer
definitions of property?

5. Computer viruses, hackers, and chat rooms filled

with invisible strangers have been a factor in most
our lives for less than ten years.
 3 P’s of Technology Ethics
1. Privacy - I will protect my privacy
and respect the privacy of others.
2. Property - I will protect my property
and respect the property of others.
3. Appropriate Use - I will use
technology in constructive ways and in
ways which do not break the rules of my
family, church, school, or government.
In today’s society too many people
believe it is ok as long as you don’t
get caught
Kids who cheat on tests often think that they are so smart that they
won't get caught, one student was quoted as saying: "The best thing
that ever happened to me in high school was getting caught
cheating." Several years ago there was a huge cheating scandal at
West Point Military Academy, Dozens of smart, future officers
were expelled because they broke the ethical code of conduct. The
Academy's rules also said that a student cadet was morally and
ethically bound to report on other students who were
cheating.
Imagine you are driving out in the
country with no other car or person in
sight…. You come up to a red light. Do
you run the red light? How many
times as a driver have you gone over
the speed limit because you know you
won’t get caught?
These are the same kinds of
questions that you and everyone who
uses the Internet face. Will I get
caught?
 You need to understand that businesses and government
and the Internet community are getting much, much better
at finding people who do illegal things on the Internet. The
technology is called 'Detection' and can mean many
things. Some security products detect when a hacker is
trying to break into a computer. Other products detect
spam mail.
You, too, are going to be constantly faced with choices -
ethical and legal - about how you behave on your home
and school computers and on the Internet.You never really
know who is listening or watching what you do.

Ethics is about responsibility

Questions to think about
1) Several of your friends have hacked into
computers and never been caught. How do you
feel about that? Is that a good or bad thing?
2) If there were only a 5% chance of you getting
caught doing something illegal or unethical,
would you do it? A 25% chance? A 75%
chance? How would you determine what would
your magic number would be?
Software Piracy
There are many different types of software:
 Freeware – you never have to pay for it.
 Shareware – the author expects you to pay a
reasonable fee if you use the program regularly,
but there is nothing to stop you from using it
anyway.
 Purchased –You are expected to pay for it no
matter what. This can be up to $10,000 plus per
copy.
 Copying software without paying for it
is called piracy.
* Now, for a moment, think about Music.
Music on the Internet. MP3 files are all
over the Internet, and they are free.
Free digital copies of popular music
from today and before the internet is
available also. The question is, should
you be able to download and have
copies of music for free? What about
the songwriters and performers: should
they be paid for their work or not?
Software piracy defined
When someone installs and uses commercial software
without paying for the program, it is called
"pirating" the software. This name comes from the
traditional meaning of the word "pirate," which is a
sea-faring criminal that steals and loots belongings
from others. But far from the stereotypical sea
pirate, a software pirate can be anyone who owns a
computer. Software piracy is committed by simply
downloading or copying a program that a user has
not paid for.
* When you rent or buy a videotape of a movie, in the
beginning there is an FBI warning about copyright
infringement. Only the owner of the video, has the
right to make copies of it.You can copy a CD you
own so that you have a tape to play in the car, but
copying music or software for profit is illegal.
 Intellectual Property
A common misperception: Vandalism is damage or
destruction of the physical property of others.

You have certainly heard the word property before: it is

generally used to mean a possession, or more specifically,
something to which the owner has legal rights.You might have
also encountered the phrase intellectual property. This term
has become more commonplace during the past few years,
especially in the context of computer ethics. But what exactly does
it refer to?
Intellectual property generally refers to rights
relating to, among others, the following:
1. literary, artistic, and scientific works
2. performances of performing artists, phonograms,
and broadcasts
3. inventions in all fields of human endeavor
4. scientific discoveries.

In other words, intellectual property, in the most

general sense, encompasses creations of the human
intellect (hence the term itself) and their protection,
usually by copyright.
Resources:
 http://piotech.wsd.wednet.edu/techtwounits/02Computer
Ethics/Task1/01ethicsnew/01ethicsnew.html
 http://www.techterms.com/search.php?term=cid
 http://www.techterms.com/definition/computerethics