Computer ethics and internet

safety
A basic need of today’s world
A Presentation by Niharika Biswas, class VIII C, Delhi Public School North Kolkata
 The Internet
The internet is a vast sea of information, an endless network of computers worldwide. It
allows people to connect to unknown people while drifting them apart from their long
known acquaintances. The internet seems to be a paradox to its original intent today. It was
originally created to share important research and military information within a chain of
interconnected computers but today has become more of a source of entertainment. On one
hand Internet may be a great source of vast information and may help people connect, on
the other hand, it also has a darker side that we need to be aware of. This awareness can
help people reduce exploitation of the innocent and help protect the safety and privacy of
an individual. The digital citizens should always keep an eye out for malicious intent and
must think before they leap into the idea of posting or publicizing any thing personal or
private.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet
Advantages
It is an ocean of information.
It helps users to connect with other
people.
It helps people share information
It helps people to do banking with ease
It helps people to stay updated on news
and ,major happenings
And many more
Disadvantages
It has caused people to spend a lot of time with
their screens reducing real life interractions. This
can cause improper social skills.
Not all information is 100% accurate
People end up wasting time and getting distracted
Information that is once available online is always
available and it does not get deleted or undone
Personal information can be stolen and misused
Carelessness can cause cybercrimes
Computer viruses and malicious software can
easily spread through the internet
 Ethics in Computing
Computer Ethics are as set of moral principles that guide us so that we do not cause harm to
others or others’ data.
Certain issues related to it are:
• Privacy: This means the information of the user must not be publicized without their consent.
• Intellectual Property Rights: Anything genuine created by an individual is called Intellectual
Property. The se rights state that any original work cannot be shared without prior consent of
the owner or the without mentioning the source of information
• Societal Effects:
 On Environment: Carbon footprint is the amount of CO2 emitted by a community’s activities. The overuse
or misuse of computers can cause a significant increase in carbon footprints.
 On Society: Threatening, bullying, harassing, etc are other disadvantages of the Internet
 Privacy
• It means that the user’s personal data cannot be seen or shown without the
permission of the owner of the information.
• We can check if we are in a safe website by checking for the Lock Icon or the
keyword ‘Secure’. We can also check so by seeing if the URL of the website
starts with http://: or https://. The ‘s’ ensures that the website or webpage is safe.
• We must only send and reply to emails from those whom we know.
• Anti-Spyware software must be installed in the computer to prevent the
stealing of
data.
 Intellectual Property Rights
• Intellectual Property is any genuine production by a user. Every piece
of this production is created with immense effort and takes a lot of
time. The creator or producer is the real owner of the property and has
every right to protect his/her property.
• They can do the following to protect their work from plagiarism
without credit
They can get the work copyrighted.
They can get it patented
Or they may use trademarks
• The ethical issue is that it must not be exchanged without consent of
 Intellectual Property Rights
• If one ever needs to use any copyrighted information or someone
else’s intellectual property, he/she must:
 Ask for necessary permission in written from the owner of the work or the
one who holds the copyright or patent for the work
 If necessary pay a fee for the use of the intellectual property of the owner and
ask for a receipt and acknowledgement.
 If the use of the intellectual property requires a license then obtain it to use
the property.
Thus, we must always ask the consent of the owner and abide by the conditions
before using his or her work.
 Societal Effects
• Not only the society but also the environment is affected adversely by the overuse
and misuse of computers and other devices. Societal Impacts are:
 One should not the computer on when not in use. It not only wastes power but
also emits CO2 impacting the environment. It adds to the Carbon Footprint.
 The amount of Carbon Dioxide released in the atmosphere as a result of an individual or
organization or community’s activities is called Carbon Footprint
 A computer that is on for 8 hours a day uses almost 600 kWh and emits 175 kg of CO2
per year.
• One should not use computers to threaten, bully, or blackmail or spread rumors.
All such activities are cybercrimes and are punishable.
 Unethical Practices
Certain unethical practices are listed below:
 Plagiarism
 Cyber bullying
 Hacking
 Phishing
 Spamming
 Software Piracy
 Plagiarism
• Plagiarism means stealing someone else’s work and presenting it as
one’s own, thus violating their Intellectual Property Rights. And
moreover, without giving any credit to the creator or without citing the
source of information/creation
• How to avoid plagiarism?
We must always enclose every piece of quoted information in quotation marks
We must always cite the source of information for any idea that we are using
and is not ours
We must always seek permission to use copyrighted work
 Cyber Bullying
• Bullying means a behaviour that causes physical or emotional harm.
• Any of the following actions is Cyber Bullying:
• Sending mean messages
• Posting false statements online to blot someone’s image
• Sending or posting pictures with bad intention
• Make negative comments
• Agreeing with hurtful posts about someone
• Spreading rumours or telling lies about someone
 Hacking
• Hacking means gaining unlawful access to a computer. A person who hacks a computer is
called a hacker. A hacker may change or alter a computer system’s security features to steal
data or cause harm to a computer system.
• Hackers and Crackers are two types of people who practice hacking:
 Hacker’s intention is to find security loopholes so as to correct it and enhance security
 Cracker’s intention is to do the same with a negative intention of causing harm or stealing data.
• It can be done by applying various modes and tactics:
 Social Engineering
 Network Infrastructure
 Operating System Attacks
 Application Attacks
 Phishing
• Phishing is an unethical practice of taking users to a fraudulent
looking site to gain their personal information . It includes making of a
fraudulent website to lure the user to give personal information and
using this information to steal personal information, money, etc.
• A mail may be sent with the link to the user’s inbox with threats and
names of popular companies.
Example of a
fraud e-mail 
 How can a phishing attack be avoided?
We can avoid a phishing attack by following the guidelines given
below:
 We must not click any links in emails received from unknown IDs
 We must always manually type the URL of the bank website in the
address bar of the web browser
 We must always check the address bar for https:// and the lock sign
 We must never respond to messages or calls from unknown numbers.
 Spamming
• Spamming is sending of multiple unsolicited/undesired emails or text
messages to users
• Usually in non malicious form, it is used by advertising companies
for promoting products
• In malicious form it is used to overload the user-server until it runs
out of disc space
• For prevention, we can create a spam folder and block user.
 Software Piracy
• Software piracy refers to unauthorized copying computer software.
• Common forms of Software Piracy are:
 Soft Lifting: It refers to purchasing a single licensed copy of a
programming and
uploading it onto various computers, contrary to License Terms
 Uploading and downloading: It refers to making unauthorized copies
of copyrighted software available to end users connected in a network.
 Safety Measures
• The following safety measures must be adopted for internet protection:
 We must always ask for parental assistance
We must create strong passwords and do not share them
 We must not post photos or videos without asking our parents first
 We must always think twice before opening an e-mail attachment
 We must not send or respond to mean messages
We must search for age appropriate websites
 We must never plagiarize
We may use a Firewall for protection
 Protection Using Firewall
• A firewall is a hardware or software designed to prevent unauthorized
access to/from a computer
• It can be :
 In hardware form
In software form
In a combination of both hardware and software
• It works according to rules setup. If the site meets the rules, it gains
access which is otherwise denied.
 Digital Footprints
• Digital Footprints are the records and traces individuals’ activities as
they use the Internet. Digital footprints are permanently stored.
• These posts remain always saved, thus we must always be careful of
what we post online
THANKYOU!