ITB002 - IT PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Week 6
Ethics and Technology
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Where are we?
Weeks 1, 2 & 3
Definition &
Planning
Analysis
Weeks 4, 5, 6 & 7
Weeks 8 & 9
Design
Build
Weeks 10 & 11
Implementation
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Weeks
12 & 13
Lecture Topics
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Cyber ethics
The moral system
Cyber ethics issues
Role of Professional Associations
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Terminologies
• Computer Ethics
Described a field that examined moral issues related to computing and
information technology
• Internet Ethics
Commonly used for ethical issues involving the internet
Computing Technologies and Communication Technologies have
converged in recent years, resulting in networked systems.
Hence the term “Cyber ethics” is more suitable as it covers a wide
range of moral issues involving cybertechnology.
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Ethics Definitions
• A system of moral principles, by which human actions and
proposals may be judged good or bad or right or wrong
(Macquarie Dictionary) ;
• . . . rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions;
as, political or social ethics; medical ethics (Webster’s Dictionary)
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Components of a Moral System
There is no universally agreed upon definition of “morality” among
ethicists and philosophers.
So we could say that morality is a system of rules for guiding human
conduct and principles for evaluating those rules. The key words are:
• System
• Conduct and Principles
We will discuss these terms later on in this lecture…..
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Moral System
Rules of Conduct
(Action guiding
rules)
Rules for
guiding
the actions of
Individuals
(micro level
ethical rules)
Rules for
establishing social
policies (macro
level ethical rules)
E.g. ’Do not
harm others’
and ‘Do not
Steal’
E.g. ‘Software
should be
Protected’ and
‘Privacy should
be respected’
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Principles
of
Evaluation
E.g. principles such as
social utility and
Justice as fairness
What do you think?
•Copying Software you purchased and making copies for your
friends
•Making an extra copy of your purchased software just in
case your installed version and original gets corrupted
•Giving out the email addresses of your classmates to a
marketer without asking their explicit permission
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Some Cyber Ethics Issues
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Privacy and Cyberspace
Security in Cyberspace
Intellectual Property disputes in Cyberspace
Regulating commerce and speech in Cyberspace
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Privacy and Cyberspace
Case Illustration
• In 2005 the US govt demanded that Google turn over a list of all
queries entered into its search engine in a given week. In addition,
they sought 1 million randomly selected Web addresses from
various Google databases. Google refused to comply on the
grounds that the privacy rights of its users would be violated.
Discussion
• The Govt claimed that it had the authority to seek electronic
information to fight the war on terror
• Critics saw this as a threat to civil liberty and thought that the govt
was overreaching its authority to “sneak and peak” on its citizens.
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Security in Cyberspace
Case Illustration
• In 2001 internet users were attacked by a potentially
dangerous computer worm – Code Red Worm. The
worm was designed to infect systems during the first
eighteen days of a given month and then activate on
the nineteenth day, when infected computes would
flood a target site with bogus data.
• Hackers - “ A hacker is anyone who accesses a
computer system or network without authorisation from
the owner”
(Simpson, 2006)
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Intellectual Property Disputes in
Cyberspace
Case Illustration
•In 1999, the Recording Industry Association on America
sued the owners and operators of Napster website for
distributing copyrighted music on the Internet. The
recording industry accused Napster of illegally distributing
copyrighted information through its centralized server.
Discussion
•The courts ruled against Napster
•Similar case for sharing copyrighted movies
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Regulating Commerce and Speech in Cyberspace
Case Illustration
• As a service to its employees, Microsoft included a link from its Web
site directly to a page on the Ticketmaster website that listed both
cultural events and enable users to purchase tickets for them.
Ticketmaster objected to Microsoft's use of this direct link to their
sub page, arguing that it should have a right to determine how
information on its site is viewed. Ticketmaster was also worried
about losing revenue from its advertisers, if the site’s visitors
bypassed its top-level page, which contained various advertising
banners.
• SPAM – forms of email that is unsolicited, promotional, and sent in
bulk to multiple users.
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Role of Professional Associations
Understanding the role of professional associations in setting &
monitoring ethical standards for professionals
with thanks to
Professor Alan Underwood
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Typical Characteristics of a Profession
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Standard educational curriculum e.g. Body of Knowledge
Requirement for a tertiary qualification
An acceptance of personal liability
Commitment to ongoing professional development
Code of Ethics
A certificate or license to practice
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Australian Council of Professions
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Australian Medical Association
Institution of Engineers
Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Australian Dental Association
Australian Veterinary Association
Australian Society of CPA’s
Institute of Chartered Accountants
Institution of Surveyors
Institute of Actuaries
Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors
Australian Physiotherapy Association
Australian Audiological Society
Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
ACP definition of a Profession
• “A disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards
and hold themselves to, and are accepted by the public as
possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognized
body of learning derived from research, education and training at a
high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and
these skills in the interests of others.”
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Role of a Code of Ethics
Professionals have obligations to:
• Society, employers, clients, co-professionals and other professional
organizations.ore a Code of Ethics acts to:
• Provide community or society with a set of expectations of
professional conduct
• Provide practitioners with guidelines on how to behave / handle
difficult situations
• Enable professional societies to monitor professionalism or
behaviour
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Potential Problems
• Ethical Q’s are frequently not subject to black & white answers
• Aspects of codes may conflict with each other, and need resolution
“on balance”
• There may be alternative ethical behaviors with none being
objectively better than others
• Limited legislation exists to protect personal security and privacy
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Australian Computer Society
• On 1 January 2000, the ACS was admitted into the Australian
Council of Professions
• ACS is the first IT society in the world to achieve full professional
status in its own right.
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
ACS Code of Ethics
• “I will act with professional responsibility and integrity in my dealings
with clients, employers, employees, students and the community
generally...”
• Values
– Priorities
– Competence
– Honesty
– Social Implications
– Professional development
– Computing Profession
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Values
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Priorities:
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– I must place the interests of the
community above those of
personal or sectional interests.
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Competence:
– I must strive to enhance the
quality of life of those affected
by my work.
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– I must work competently and
diligently for my clients and
employers.
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ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Professional Development:
– I must enhance my own
professional development, and
that of my colleagues,
employees and students.
Honesty
– I must be honest in my
representations of skills,
knowledge, services and
products.
Social Implications:
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Advance the Information
Technology Profession:
– I must enhance the integrity of
the information technology
profession and the respect of
its members for each other.
Conclusion
Self Test - Is it Ethical?
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Is it honorable?
Is it honest?
Does it avoid any possibility of conflict of interest?
Is it within your competence?
Is it fair?
Is it considerate (i.e. not wasteful of time & resources)
– John McLeod, Ethical Conflicts
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
References
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http://www.cityu.edu.hk/is/ethics/ethics.htm#define
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What is Professional Ethics? Issues
Advantages & Disadvantages
Codes of Professional Ethics
Ethics Education
Ethics Resources
Ethics Articles
Cultural Perspectives
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
References
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Computer Ethics http://library.thinkquest.org/26658/
Computer Professionals for Social responsibility http://www.cpsr.org/
Tavani, Herman T., “Ethics and Technology”, Wiley, 2007
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
What’s next?
Definition & Planning
Analysis
Week 7:
Weeks 1, 2 & 3
Weeks 4, 5, 6 & 7
Weeks 8 & 9
Design
Build
Weeks 10, 11 & 12
Implementation
ITB 002 – IT Professional Studies
Project Checkpoint
focus on:
Analysis Report &
Team Performance
Week 13