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Impact of Computer Ethics in 21st Century

Conference Paper · February 2009

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 Impact of Computing Ethics in 21st Century
Shree Harsh Atrey1, Deepak Kumar Sharma1, Sachin Lakra1,
Anubhav Kumar Sharma2, Dr. T.V. Prasad2
1
Dept. of CSE & IT, Manav Rachna College of Engineering, Faridabad 121 002
2
Dept. of IT, Lingaya’s Institute of Management and Technology, Faridabad 121002
Abstract- Computer technology has proven itself a double-
edged gift, alternately improving and threatening our lives
and environment. Advancements in computer technology
over the past two decades have created ethical dilemmas,
some similar to other professions and some unique to the
computer field.
In the past years alone society encountered computer
viruses, interruptions of power, and invasions of privacy,
cyber-pornography, phishing, and many thefts. This paper
discusses basic instructional issues and provides
elementary approaches to the professionals who demand
both technical knowledge and an understanding of ethical
principles and skills.
Finally, the paper comes out with a valuable
framework for the study of ethics and social principles and
skills in a summarized form.
Keywords: - Computing Ethics, Computer abuse, Ethical
principles and skills, Cyber laws
1. Introduction
Basic ethical values are learned in the formative years
of childhood in the home, temple and school. To properly
apply the notion of ethics to technology, one should first
recognize that technology is not value-free, but weighted
down with values. “Any technological decision is a value-
based decision that not only reflects a particular vision of
society but also gives concrete form to it.
Computers can alter or create relationships between
people and organizations, even where there may have been
no prior connections. Data communications can take place
without any personal contact and at such high speed that the
individual may not have time to consider the decisions of a
particular transmission. [32].
New ethical dilemmas with competing rights and values
have arisen due to the advent of high-speed, worldwide
transmission, low-cost, mass storage, and multiple-copy
dissemination capabilities. The understanding of
proprietary rights, residual rights, plagiarism, piracy,
privacy, and freedom of expression should be examined
and perhaps redefined.
Advancements in computer technology were made
under the assumption that efficiency was the main concern,
not moral values. The time has come to integrate an ethical
dimension into the concept of managing technology and the
human relationships that accompany technological
advancements. [27]
2. Computing Ethics
Computing Ethics is a branch of practical philosophy
which deals with how computing professionals should
make decisions regarding professional and social conduct.
The term "computing ethics" was first coined by Walter
Maner in the mid-1970s, but only since the 1990s has it
started being integrated into professional development
programs in academic settings. [24]
Ethics is the study of what it means to “do the right thing”.
[1]
The ethical actions of a person can be described in
general terms as those actions which fall within the range of
those activities that would be regarded as “good”. It relates
thus to the question of what is good and bad in terms of
human actions. The purpose of ethics is to help us behave
honorably and attain those basic goods that make us more
fully human.
3. Need of Computing Ethics
Computing ethics education now begins in elementary
school and is not longer a restricted technical specialty
learned only by those who are going to design or program
computers [26]. Because of the widespread prevalence of
computers in society, a core of ethical precepts relating to
computer technology should be communicated not only to
computer professionals, but to the general public through
all levels of education. The issue should be viewed from the
perspective of society as a whole as well as from the
perspective of computer professionals.
Main categories in which ethical and social concerns arise
are:-[1]
 Computer crime and computer security,
 Software theft and intellectual property rights,
 Computer hacking and the creation of viruses,
 Computer and information system failure,
 Invasion of privacy,
 Social implications of artificial intelligence and expert
systems, and
 Workplace computerization.
In accepting the value-laden nature of technology, one
should recognize the need to teach a methodology of
explicit ethical analysis in all decision-making related
technology. The challenge to computer educators is to
develop strategies that will raise the awareness of students
regarding ethical and moral issues related to computer
technology at the same time that they are developing their
technical expertise.
4. Impact of Computing Ethics
The role of software engineers is to develop software
systems, and have significant opportunities to do well or
cause harm, to enable others to do well or cause harm, or
to influence others to do well or cause harm. The impact of
computing ethics on software developers will ensure that
their efforts will be used for good, ethical development and
for beneficial and respected profession. [27]
Ethics consist of code of conducts, which helps to
differentiate between good or bad. Similarly computing
ethics has seven principles related to the behavior and
decisions made for the professional software engineers as
well as trainees and students of the profession. The
principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in
which individuals, groups, and organizations participate.
4.1 Contribute to society and human well-
being.
This principle concerning the quality of life of all
people affirms an obligation to protect fundamental human
rights and to respect the diversity of all cultures. An
essential aim of computing professionals is to minimize
negative consequences of computing systems, including
threats to health and safety.
4.2 Avoid harm to others.
"Harm" means injury or negative consequences, such
as undesirable loss of information, loss of property,
property damage, or unwanted environmental impacts. This
principle prohibits use of computing technology in ways
that result in harm to any of the following: users, the
general public, employees, and employers.
4.3 Be honest and trustworthy.
Honesty is an essential component of trust. Without
trust an organization cannot function effectively. The
honest computing professional will not make deliberately
false or deceptive claims about a system or system design,
but will instead provide full disclosure of all pertinent
system limitations and problems.
4.4 Honour property rights including
copyrights and patent.
Violation of copyrights, patents, trade secrets and the
terms of license agreements are prohibited by law in most
circumstances. Copies of software should be made only
with proper authorization. Unauthorized duplication of
materials must not be condoned.
4.5 Give proper credit for intellectual property.
Computing professionals are obligated to protect the
integrity of intellectual property. Specifically, one must not
take credit for other's ideas or work, even in cases where
the work has not been explicitly protected by copyright,
patent, etc.
4.6 Respect the privacy of others.
Computing and communication technology enables
the collection and exchange of personal information on a
scale unprecedented in the history of civilization. Thus
there is increased potential for violating the privacy of
individuals and groups. It is the responsibility of
professionals to maintain the privacy and integrity of data
describing individuals.
This includes taking precautions to ensure the
accuracy of data, as well as protecting it from unauthorized
access or accidental disclosure to inappropriate individuals.
Furthermore, procedures must be established to allow
individuals to review their records and correct inaccuracies.
4.7 Honour confidentiality.
The principle of honesty extends to issues of
confidentiality of information whenever one has made an
explicit promise to honor confidentiality or, implicitly,
when private information not directly related to the
performance of one's duties becomes available.
The ethical concern is to respect all obligations of
confidentiality to employers, clients, and users unless
discharged from such obligations by requirements of the
law or other principles of this Code. [9]
5. Heuristics for Ethical Analysis
Technically, an algorithm is an effective procedure,
which means that it will unfailingly produce the intended
result in a finite number of steps if it receives sufficient
valid input. Algorithms can be contrasted with heuristics,
which are stepwise procedures that will tend to produce the
intended result when they get the right input [22].
An algorithm, by contrast, would require an
examination of all environments that the procedures
proposed for guiding ethical analysis can be valuable
heuristically.
 Within computing ethics, heuristics have been of early
and continuous interest. Although human beings make
moral judgments from a very young age, heuristics may be
needed
 to take this process to a higher level
 to guard it against omissions
 to make it more teachable, or
 to ensure that an effective process, once found, can be
repeated and refined.
Accordingly, heuristics have been invented to direct
case studies, to focus ethical scenarios, and to frame
solutions for moral dilemmas.
6. Computer Crime
In this era of computer "viruses" and international
spying by "hackers" who are thousands of miles away, it is
clear that computer security is a topic of concern in the
field of computer ethics. The problem is not so much the
physical security of the hardware (protecting it from theft,
fire, flood, etc.), but rather "logical security", which are
divide into five aspects: Privacy and confidentiality,
Integrity, Unimpaired service, Consistency, controlling
access to resources.
Malicious kinds of software, or "programmed threats",
provide a significant challenge to computer security. These
include "viruses", which cannot run on their own, but rather
are inserted into other computer programs; "worms" which
can move from machine to machine across networks, and
may have parts of them running on different machines.
Computer crimes, such as embezzlement or planting
of logic bombs, are normally committed by trusted
personnel who have permission to use the computer system.
Computer security, therefore, must also be concerned with
the actions of trusted computer users.
Another major risk to computer security is the so-
called "hacker" who breaks into someone's computer
system without permission. Some hackers intentionally
steal data or commit damages, while others merely
"explore" the system to see how it works and what files it
contains. [19]
However every act of hacking is harmful and
unethical, because any known successful penetration of a
computer system requires the owner too thoroughly check
for damaged or lost data and programs. [19]
7. Cyber Law
The rapid development of Internet and Computer
technology globally has led to the growth of new forms of
transnational crime especially Internet related. These
crimes have virtually no boundaries and may affect any
country across the globe.
Thus, there is a need for awareness and enactment of
necessary legislation in all countries for the prevention of
computer related crime [12]. There is a desperate need for the
emergence of a well-defined framework of Cyber Laws,
which should be able to do the following:
1) Create and implement a minimum set of guiding rules of
conduct that would facilitate efficient Communications and
reliable Commerce through the use of Electronic medium.
2) Define, punish and prevent wrongful actions that attack
the electronic medium or harm others.
Cyber law describes the legal issues related to use of inter-
networked information technology. [30]
8. Conclusions
Ethical Development and Ethical Technology are
concerned with the building blocks of systems and the way
those systems should be built. Ethical application is
concerned with the game plan with developing and
implementing strategies which allow the technology to be
applied in an ethically sensitive manner.
At the dawn of the 21st century, computer technology
as ethically revolutionary, requiring human beings to re-
examine the foundations of ethics and the very definition of
a human life.
A sample guideline as given in the Annexure A will
help computer professionals, software engineers and
hackers to understand the conclusion which is in the benefit
of public and restrict them to do unethical job.
Also Annexure B and C are giving the details of
countries that have cyber laws as per today’s cyber crime.
References
[1] Andries B ar n ard , Corne de Ridder, Laurette
Pretorius, Department of Computer science and
Information Systems, Unisa (South Africa), 2001
[2] Ermann, M David, Williams, Mary B, & Shauf,
Michele S (eds), Computers, Ethics, and Society,
Oxford University Press, 1997
[3] Eric Weiss, ed., Self assessment procedure IX: a self-
assessment procedure dealing with ethics in
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No. 3, pp. 183 – 195, 1982
[4] Epstein, R., the Case of the Killer Robot, John Wiley
& Sons, 1997, available at http://www.onlineethics.
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[5] Gotterbarn Donald, Computer Ethics: Responsibility
regained, National Forum, 26-32, 1991
[6] Gotterbarn Donald, Ethics and the Computing [21] Tavani, Herman T. "Privacy On-Line," Computers
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 Annexure A
Sample Guidelines For Computer Professionals, Software Engineers And Hackers

1. Public: Professionals shall act consistently in the favour of public interest.

 Approve software only if they have a well-founded belief that it is safe, meets specifications, passes appropriate
tests, and does not diminish quality of life, diminish privacy or harm the environment. The ultimate effect of the
work should be to the public good.[7]

2. Client and Employer: Act in a manner that is in the best interest of their client and employer, consistent with public
interest.[7]
 Provide service in their areas of competence, being honest and forthright about any limitations of their experience
and education.
 Promote no interest adverse to their employer or client, unless a higher ethical concern is being compromised; in
that case, inform the employer or another appropriate authority of the ethical concern.

3. Product: Product should meet the highest professional standards possible.

 Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
 Ensure that an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
 Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, quality and outcomes on any project on
which they work or propose to work and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates. [7]

4. Judgment: Maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.

 Judgments should support and maintain human values.
 Not engage in deceptive financial practices such as bribery, double billing, or other improper financial practices.

5. Profession: Advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest
 Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
 An act of knowledge transfer has to be done by appropriate participation in professional organizations, meetings
and publications.

6. Colleagues: Be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

 Assist colleagues in professional development.
 Teach and encourage them to not follow the unethical way.
 Annexure B
AVAILABILITY OF CYBER LAWS AND ACTS FOR CYBER CRIME

Areas India USA UK Canada Australia Japan China

requiring
legislation
and/or
standards
Computer ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
crime
Copyright Copyright Copyright Copyright, Copyright Act Copyright Act Copyright Law Copyright
protection Act,1957 Protection Designs (Consolidation), (Consolidation), (Consolidation), Law, 2001
Act of and Patents 1985 (1994) 1968 (1992), 1970 (2000)
1995 Act 1988
Consumer Consumer Consumer Consumer Consumer Trade Practices Consumer Protection of
protection Protection Product Protection Protection Act, Act 1974 and Basic Consumer
Act 1986 Safety Act 1987 2002 the Prices Protection Law Rights and
Act, 1972 Surveillance of 1968 Interests,1993
Act 1983 The Product
Liability Law
of 1994.
E- Information Electronic Electronic Act No.
commerce Technology Commerce Transaction Act 227(2002)
Act, 2000 (EC
Directive)
Regulations
2002
M- Information
commerce Technology
Act 2000
Electronic ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Data
Interchange
Child IT Act Internet Protection Children's Child
protection 2002 Safety of Children Online Privacy Pornography
and safety and Child Act 1978 Protection Act and Abuse
Protection 1998 Amendment
Act of Bill 2004
2005
Cyber Café ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
monitoring
 Annexure C [28]
COUNTRIES WITH UPDATED LAWS FOR THE FOLLOWING CYBER CRIMES

Data Crimes Network Crimes Access Crimes Related Crimes

Country Aiding and

Data Network Virus Computer Computer
Data Data Network Unauthorized Abetting
Interceptio Interferenc Disseminatio Related Related
Modification Theft Sabotage Access Cyber
n e n Forgery Fraud
Crimes

Australia ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Brazil ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Canada ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Chile ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
China ✔ ✔ ✔
Czech
Republic
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Denmark ✔ ✔ ✔
Estonia ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

India ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Japan ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Malaysia ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Mauritius ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Peru ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Philippines ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Poland ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Spain ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Turkey ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

United
Kingdom ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

United
States ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
 Key for Annexure C

Data Interception: Interception of data in transmission.

Data Modification: Alteration, destruction, or erasing of data.

Data Theft: Taking or copying data, regardless of whether it is protected by other laws, e.g., copyright, privacy,
etc.

Network Interference: Impeding or preventing access for others. The most common example of this action is a
distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack, flooding Web sites or Internet Service Providers. DDOS attacks
are often launched from numerous computers that have been hacked to obey commands of the perpetrator.

Network Sabotage: Modification or destruction of a network or system.

Unauthorized Access: Hacking or cracking to gain access to a system or data.

Virus Dissemination: Introduction of software damaging to systems or data.

Aiding and Abetting: Enabling the commission of a cyber crime.

Computer-Related Forgery: Alteration of data with intent to represent as authentic.

Computer-Related Fraud: Alteration of data with intent to derive economic benefit from its misrepresentation.

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