Computers Are
Your Future
© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computers Are Your Future Spotlight 1
Computers Are Your Future
Spotlight 1
Ethics: Standards of Information Age
Conduct
© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc
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Computers Are Your Future Spotlight 1
Computer Ethics
 Ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with
what’s right and what’s wrong.
 Computer ethics deals with moral dilemmas and the
ethical principles for computer professionals.
© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc
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Avoiding Computer-Related Legal Problems
 Most organizations have a policy defining what they
consider to be acceptable computer use.
 Types of legal problems that arise from computer use
include:
 Plagiarism
 Software Piracy
 Copyright Infringement
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Plagiarism
 Plagiarism is the unauthorized and/or uncited use of
someone else’s intellectual property.
 Intellectual property rights refer to an individual’s
ownership over original works.
 Copyright infringement is plagiarism of
copyrighted material.
 Legal implications of plagiarism:
 Dismissal from school
 Lawsuits
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Software and Copyrights
 Public domain software can be copied, sold, and
modified.
 Shareware is copyrighted software that can be used
without a license for a specified time.
 Trial versions can be copied.
 When the evaluation period ends, a registration fee is paid for
continued use of the software.
 Commercial software is copyrighted.
 You must purchase the software to use it.
 Organizations purchase a site license to use the software on
all of their computers.
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Software Piracy
 Selling software that contains all or part of a
commercial software program
 Using shareware beyond its evaluation period
 Violating the terms of a software license
 Making copies of site-licensed programs for personal
use
 Giving or selling commercial software to others
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Copyright Infringement
 An increasing number of Internet users are making
illegal copies of music.
 Rationalizations copyright violators use:
 “It’s OK to download MP3 files if I only keep them for 24
hours.”
 “It’s free advertising for the band.”
 “It’s legal because I don’t charge any money for sharing
them.”
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Copyright Infringement
 The Fair use doctrine states
that a brief selection from
copyrighted work can be used
for commentary, parody, news
reporting, research, and
education.
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Introducing Ethics
 Computers cause new ethical problems.
 Computer ethics deals with the ethical principles
associated with those problems.
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Moral Dilemmas
 Moral dilemmas occur when:
 It’s not clear which moral rule to apply.
 Two or more moral rules conflict.
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Ethical Principles
 Ethical principles are tools which are used to think
through difficult situations.
 Three useful ethical principles:
 An act is ethical if all of society benefits from it.
 An act is ethical if people are treated as ends and not as a
means to ends.
 An act is ethical if it is fair to all parties involved.
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Thinking Through Moral Dilemmas
 When confronted with a moral dilemma:
 Gather all the facts.
 Talk to someone you trust.
 Think through alternative courses of action.
 Find a solution you can be proud of.
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Computer Ethics for Computer Users
 When using the college’s computers:
 Respect yourself.
 Respect others.
 Respect academic integrity.
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Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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.
Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not
paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without
authorization or proper compensation.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write
or the system you design.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect
for your fellow humans.
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Netiquette
 Netiquette refers to the guidelines that involve
showing respect for others and yourself while you are
online.
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Mailing List Netiquette
 Read the discussions for the past few days before posting
questions.
 Read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) list
before posting questions.
 Don’t belittle people for grammatical errors.
 Don’t post inflammatory messages.
 Learn how to unsubscribe from the list.
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E-Mail Netiquette
 Promptly respond to
messages.
 Delete messages after you
read them.
 Speak of others
professionally and
courteously.
 Run your computer’s antivirus program on any email received or sent.
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E-Mail Netiquette (continued)
 Keep the message short and to the point.
 Don’t type in all capital letters.
 Spell check your message before sending it.
 Be careful with sarcasm and humor in your message.
 Be mindful of the recipient’s reaction when you request a
return receipt. This feature can be annoying and intrusive.
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Internet Relay Chat Netiquette
 Listen to the discussion for a while before joining it.
 Learn the commonly used abbreviations.
 Don’t flood the channel with text.
 Don’t harass others with unwanted invitations.
 Be careful if you are asked to type in a command. It may
have unexpected results.
 Use the ignore command when being bothered.
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Computer Ethics for Computer Professionals
 The field of computer ethics specifies ethical codes for
computing professionals.
 The core of a computer professional’s code of ethics is to
preserve and protect human life from harm.
CODES OF CONDUCT AND GOOD PRACTICE FOR
CERTIFIED COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS
The essential elements relating to conduct that identify a
professional activity are:
· A high standard of skill and knowledge
· A confidential relationship with people served
· Public reliance upon the standards of conduct in established
practice
· The observance of an ethical code
Excerpt from the Code of Ethics of the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals
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Additional Ethical Responsibilities
 Competence – Professionals keep up with the latest
knowledge in their fields and perform services only in
their areas of competence.
 Responsibility – Professionals are loyal to their clients
and employees, and they don’t disclose confidential
information.
 Integrity – Professionals express their opinions based on
facts, and they are impartial in their judgments.
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The ACM Code of Conduct
 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 on the basis of
race, sex, religion, age, disability, or national origin
 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
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Programmer Liability
 Programmers can produce programs with errors.
 Computer experts agree that the liability for a program
failure should be shared among the programmer, the
software company, and the organization that buys the
software.
 A field called software engineering applies external,
impartial reviews to software production.
 Fault-tolerant systems are being developed that
continue working when a problem occurs.
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Computer Ethics in Business
 A business must protect its data from:
 Loss or damage
 Misuse or errors
 Unauthorized access
 Backup procedures are used to protect data from loss.
 It is the organization’s responsibility to ensure that its
data is as complete as possible.
 Divulging customer data without asking permission is
considered unethical behavior by privacy advocates.
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Whistle-blowing
 Whistle-blowing refers to employees reporting their
company’s dangerous or illegal acts to regulatory
agencies or the press.
 Some laws exist to protect whistle-blowers, but many
find themselves unemployed and blacklisted.
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