Paper Name: - Computing Ethics.

Submitted By:

Shivaji P. Mirashe
Working as a Manager,
Network & Network Security.
Reliance Communications.
New Mumbai (Maharashtra –India)
Email Id: - shivaji.mirashe@gmail.com

Study Centre:

Yeshwant Mahavidyalaya Nanded.

S.R.T.M.University
Nanded (Maharashtra –India)
http://www.ymn.ac.in/

Research Supervisor

Dr. N.V. Kalyankar

Principal of Yeshwant Mahavidyalaya Nanded.
Email Id: - drkalyankarnv@rediffmail.com
Nanded (Maharashtra –India)

Belong to
S.R.T.M.University
http://www.srtmun.ac.in/
Nanded (Maharashtra –India)

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Grid Networking @ by Shivaji P. Mirashe
Table of Contents:-

1. Abstract 03
2. Introduction 03
3. What are ethics? 05
4. Professional ethics 06
5. Engineering ethics 07
6. IEEE - Code of Ethics 07
7. NSPE - Code of Ethics for Engineers 08
8. Computer ethics 08
9. Categories of computer ethics issues 09
10. Moral and ethical problems 09
11. Problems with Codes of Ethics 09
12. Computer Ethics Awareness and Educational Issues 10
13. Computing Ethics and Guidelines – Example 10
14. Computer Ethics - Case Studies Administrator Dilemma 10
15. Computer Ethics - Case Studies Software Licensing: Stuck in the
Middle 11
16. Computer ethics - Case studies 11
17. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR COMPUTER ETHICS 11
18. Conclusion 12
19. About the Author 12
20. References 13
21. Acknowledgment 13

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 Paper Name: - Computing Ethics

1) Abstract:-
In this paper we address some of the fundamental aspects computer
ethics and its significance for the IT professional. What topics should
be addressed? How, where and by whom should computer ethics be
taught? The paper shows how consumers have become increasingly
concerned that their data will be sold without their knowledge,
leading to identity theft and junk mail. It is therefore important for
policy makers, leaders, teachers, computer professionals and all
social thinkers to get involved in the social and ethical impacts of this
communication technology.
Computer ethics is the analysis of nature and social impact of
computer technology and the corresponding formulation and
justification of policies for the ethical use of technology. Ethics is a
dynamic and complex field of study, which cover both social as well
as personal policies for ethical use of technology. The commonly
faced problem while dealing with computer ethics is the policy
vacuum which means how computer technology should be used.

2) Introductions;-
This paper presents a computer scientist's perspective on ethical
issues that may arise in future computing environments. We
believe that ethical issues should be given thought very early,
even before building a prototype or developing a new computing
paradigm. Following software engineering discipline, high-level
requirements such as ethical concerns raised by features of the
system should be considered in the very first phases of systems
development. If ethics are taken into account as an afterthought,
the new system or paradigm may break a number of ethical
principles and may be very difficult and costly to modify. Ethical
concerns should help shape tomorrow's computing environments
Ethics Defined:-

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 • Ethics (used with a sing. verb): The study of the general nature
of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a
person; moral philosophy.
• Ethics (used with a sing. or pl. verb): The rules or standards
governing the conduct of a person or the members of a
profession: medical ethics.
Or Ethics refers to standards of conduct, standards that indicate how
one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which
themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong.
As a practical matter, ethics is about how we meet the challenge of
doing the right thing when that will cost more than we want to pay.

Definition: Analysis of the nature and social impact of computer

technology and formulation of policies to handle computer
technology. Computer ethics arises because of a policy vacuum about
how technology should be used.
Technology is capable of many things. What to allow under what
circumstances is open for interpretation.
A conceptual vacuum exists inhibiting policy development
Policy makers are ignorant of capabilities of new technologies.
Individual preferences override sound legal reasoning for a policy
Ethical situations confront us as individuals and some as society
Computer ethics includes consideration of both personal and social
policies for the ethical use of computer technology.
Computer ethics is a study of relationships among facts,
conceptualizations, policies, and values with regard to constantly
changing computer technology.
Invisibility factor of computer operations creates a policy vacuum
E.g., online financial transactions.
Programming is like building a house. Blueprint does not give all the
operational details. Builder makes many impromptu decisions.
Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in 1976. Operators were trained
on cascading failures. What happened was simultaneous and
independent failures.
Invisible abuse is another problem with computer technology
E.g., surveillance based on data, not images
Computer ethics includes questions such as:

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Should U.S. sell computers and software to countries that support
terrorism?
Medical ethics defines patient – provider relationships.
Legal ethics defines client – attorney relationships.
Every technical decision has an ethical dimension.
A computer whiz-kid wants to help his mother get expensive
medicines for a life-threatening condition. Wants to use his technical
prowess to defraud a pharmacy. Does the end justify the means?
Craig Neidorf, Editor of Phrack Newsletter was taken to court by the
government and Bell South for publishing a confidential document
on the functioning of E911. Government dropped the case once it
was pointed out that many of the information was available in public
domain.
Data protection could use:
“trade secret” classification (indefinite protection)
“patent” classification (17 year protection)
Should these classifications be accepted as is or challenged?
E.g., Visicalc was not able to patent its spreadsheet technology.
Result is the development of Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel with incremental
improvements

3) What are Ethics?

 Derived from the Greek word “ethos”, which means “custom”,

“habit”, and “way of living”
 Ethics is concerned with human conduct, i.e., behavior of
individuals in society
 Ethics is a system of morals of a particular person, religion or a
group
 Moral: means dealing with, or capable of, distinguishing
between right and wrong, and between just and unjust
 Ethical Theory: a system of ethics guides towards actions good
for all
 Applied Ethics:
i) The practice of ethics
ii) Rules for ethical behavior for everyday life

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iii) Impossible for all people to share same applied ethics in all
details
Two Factors That Determine How You Decide Ethical Issues:-
1) Your basic ethical structure, which you developed as you grew
up.
2) The set of practical circumstances involved in the decision that
you’re trying to make — that is, all the shades of gray in what
are rarely black or white decisions.

4) Professional Ethics:

 Concerns one's conduct of behavior and practice when

carrying out professional work, e.g., consulting, researching,
teaching and writing
 Professional Ethics must take into accounts:
 Relations between professionals and clients
 Relation between profession and society
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  Relations among professionals
 Relations between employee and employer
 Specialized technical details of the profession
 A computing professional must understand
 Cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues in computing
 Responsibility and possible consequences of failure
 Professional organizations dealing with computing have
code of ethics (e.g. IEEE, ACM, and NSPE)
 Professional code of ethics:
i) Symbolize professionalism
ii) Protect group interests
ii) Specify membership etiquette
iv) Inspire good conduct
v) Educate and discipline members
vi) Foster external relations
vii) Enumerate principles, express ideals
viii) Put forth rules, offer guidelines
ix) Codify rights

5) Engineering Ethics:-
 Engineering is an important and learned profession
 Engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of
honesty and integrity
 Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of
life for all people
 Services provided by engineers require:
i) Honesty
ii) Impartiality
iii) Fairness
iv) Equity
v) Must be dedicated to the protection of the public
health, safety, and welfare

6) IEEE - Code of Ethics:-

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  In recognition of importance of our technology in affecting the
quality of life we commit ourselves to conduct of the highest
ethical and professional manner and agree to:
i) accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with
safety, health, and welfare of the public
ii) avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest
iii) be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates
iv) reject bribery in all forms
v) improve understanding of technology, its application, and
potential consequences
vi) smaintain and improve our technical competence and
undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified
vii) seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work
viii) acknowledge and correct errors
ix) credit properly the contributions of others
x) treat all persons fairly regardless of race, religion, gender,
disability, age, or national origin
xi) avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or
employment by false or malicious action
xii) assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional
development and to support them in following this code of
ethics
7) NSPE - Code of Ethics for Engineers:-
Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall:
 Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public
 Perform services only in areas of their competence
 Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful
manner
 Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees
 Avoid deceptive acts
 Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and
lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness
of the profession

8) Computer Ethics:=
 Computer ethics defined as the application of classical ethical
principles to the use of computer technology

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 Ethical problems related to computers are not unique but they
tend to occur on a much larger scale and scope
i) Scope: communications networks bring the world
together
ii) Anonymity: beneficial but creates problems of integrity
iii) Reproducibility
 Aspects of computer ethics:
i) Analysis of the nature of problems related to the social
impact of computers
ii) Formulation and justification of policies needed to manage
computer technology

9) Categories of Computer Ethics Issues:=

 Privacy
i) Computers create a false sense of security
ii) People do not realize how vulnerable information stored on
computers are
 Property
i) Physical property
ii) Intellectual property (in both copyright and patent)
iii) Data as property
 Access
i) Access to computing technology
ii) Access to data
 Accuracy
i) Accuracy of information stored

10) Moral and Ethical Problems:=

 Hacking, cracking and virus creation
i) Serious crimes that cannot be justified
ii) Attempts at justifying such actions
a) Electrons are free- they do not belong to anybody
b) Companies have weak protection
c) Point out flaws and vulnerabilities in information
systems
d) Hacking or virus creation is right in a particular
country or culture
 Software piracy
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 i) Unauthorized copying of software is stealing
ii) It is morally wrong as it constitutes a violation of
someone else’s rights

11) Problems with Codes of Ethics:=

 A legal system is not a complete and correct guide to moral
behavior
 Codes of ethics are mostly voluntary
 May encounter situations for which the code makes no explicit
recommendations
 Goodness cannot be defined through a list of Dos and Don'ts
 You must use your internal sense of ethics

12) Computer Ethics Awareness and Educational Issues:=

 How to raise the moral consciousness and ethical level
 Possibilities of developing global computer ethics codes
 Computer ethics education should include:
i) Explanation of disruptive potential of even a single
user
ii) Understanding of importance of ethics and lack of laws in
computer/information technology
ii) Explanation of information security & related
problems
iii) Making people aware of ethical impact of their actions
v) Training and education by professionals.

13) Computing Ethics and Guidelines – Example

 Respect privacy of other users and do not share your
account with others.
 Respect appropriate laws and copyrights
 Obey established guidelines for any network or system used
 Do not use computer resources for unauthorized purposes
 Do not use computer resources for commercial endeavors
 Do not use computer resources in ways detrimental to
normal operation.

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14) Computer Ethics - Case Studies Administrator
Dilemma:-
 The problem here is that every file on the system is
accessible by the administrator and they have no tracks
when they change a file
 If administrator is always believed, he is given the ability to
take advantage of anybody at any time
 If user is always believed, he is given the ability to get away
with anything he does
 Anything on the system can be faked without evidence

15) Computer Ethics - Case Studies Software Licensing:

Stuck in the Middle:=
 You are contracted to install Netscape Navigator software
on all the PCs of company X
 After doing half the work, you found that company X is
not paying Netscape for the copies you are installing
 You notified company X’s contact that they are out of
compliance with Netscape licensing requirement, but got
no response
 What do you do?
16) Computer Ethics - Case Studies:=
 You are asked to write a program to print tags for a sale.
Your boss asks you to put tags that have a price 10% higher,
with a 10% discount marking it back to original price. Do
you do this?
 You wrote a software that matches the requirement your
company was given. But, requirements are so bad that you
know the software will not match the actual needs
i) Should you say anything?
ii) Should your company say anything? Even if it would mean
loss of future contracts?

17) THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR COMPUTER ETHICS:=

 Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.

 Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
 Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.

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  Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
 Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
 Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not
paid.
 Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources
without authorization.
 Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual
output.
 Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the
program you write.
 Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration
and respect.

18) Conclusion:-
 Must understand cultural, social, legal and ethical issues
related to computing
 Expect to face variety of ethically difficult situations
 Hold to highest possible ethical standards
 Use your internal sense of ethics
 Making the wrong ethical choice begins with focusing on
short-term self-interest
 Ethical behavior is a way of life, best learned through
experience
 Living ethically requires strong and sincere motivation

19) About the Author:-

Myself Mr. Shivaji Pandurangrao Mirashe. I have completed MCA from

S.R.T.M.U. Nanded (Maharashtra) Indian. I have got 8+ Years experience in
Information Technology. Currently I am working as a Manager in Information
Security in Reliance Communication. Mumbai – Maharashtra (INDIA). And
doing the PHD at Yeshwant Mahavidyalaya Nanded, bellowing to S.R.T.M.
University NANDED, Maharashtra, INDIA.

Paper Publish at IEEE as below name,

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Grid Networking @ by Shivaji P. Mirashe
  Firewall Penetration Testing Paper ID M575 – The 2nd International
Conference on Computer modeling and simulation (iccms 2010)-
http://iccms.org/
 Peer-to-Peer Network Protocols ID H271 - The 2010 International
Conference on Signal Acquisition and Processing (ICSAP 2010) -
http://www.icsap.org/
 Why We Need the Intrusion Detection Prevention Systems (IDPS)
In IT Company – ID E447. - 2nd International Conference on
Computer Engineering and Applications (ICCEA 2010) -
http://www.iccea.org/
 E-marketing, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, and Legal Solutions –
Emerging Trends in Computer Science, Communication &
Information Technology (CSCIT2010) – Paper ID No -
CSCITPR425 = www.cscit2010.com
 Saving the World Unsolicited Email Flow - Emerging Trends in
Computer Science and Information Technology-2010
(For further information visit
http://www.kkwagh.org/ETCSIT/ETCSIT10.html
 As a Junior Member of the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society &
International Association of Computer Science and Information
Technology
IACSIT( Member NO.=80337345) .
 Quality of service with Bandwidth - Paper Id – 3201031
https://sites.google.com/site/journalofcomputing/volume-2-issue-3-
march-2010
 Cloud Computing - Paper Id – 3201032
https://sites.google.com/site/journalofcomputing/volume-2-issue-3-
march-2010
 Green Computing Beyond the Data Center - Paper Id – D0002
http://www.icimt.org/
 As a Senior Member of IACSIT of the IEEE and the IEEE Computer
Society & International Association of Computer Science and
Information Technology IACSIT ( Member NO.=80339130)
http://www.iacsit.org/member.htm.
 My web site : - http://shivajimirashe.webs.com/

20) References:-
[1] Gramm – Leach – Bliley Act of 1999
http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/glbact/
[2] Management of Information Security by M.E.Whitman and
H.J.Mattord, Course Technology, 2004

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Grid Networking @ by Shivaji P. Mirashe
[3] “Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics”.
(http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/WorldCodes/10.Commandm
ents.html)
[4] Information Security Illuminated, Michael G. Solomon, Mike
Chapple, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.
[5] Mastering Network Security, Chris Brenron, Cameron Hunt,
Sybex Inc.

21) ACKNOWLEDGMENT:-
The authors wish to thank Mrs. Suvarna D. Alandkar (Mirashe)
working at Patni, Professor Shivaji Balaji Chavan (Yeshwant
Mahavidyalaya Nanded), Mr. Satish Khadap (infovisionindia
Consulting Services at New Mumbai), & Mr.Satish D. Alandkar
(BSNL- at Pune). This work was supported in part by a grant from
support to write this paper.

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