Course Name
Lecture
Instructor
4/8/2023
Professional and legal issues in computing
One
Mrs. Moreen K Mukisa
1
House Rules
• Respect Time. Don’t be Late
• Be respectful to your Colleagues
• No Late Assignments EXCEPT WITH
VALID REASONS
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House Rules – Cont’d
• I DON’T KNOW IT ALL….We are Both Here to
Teach and Learn from Each Other.
• Please Participate and Communicate
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What is 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
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Ethics cont-• According to the Webster Dictionary, ethics is
the system or code of morals of a particular
person, religion, group, or profession.
• Ethics are subject to personal interpretation. Two
people may not view the same ethical issue
the same way.
• eg, Tonny may think that Eunice’s behaviour is
unethical, but Anold may not think that
Eunice is acting unethical in anyway.
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Why a class on Ethics?
• Generally, ethics is the study of how people
should behave.
• Ethics is a complex topic with a myriad of
philosophies and theories about the
appropriate way to practice ethical behavior.
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• Ethics and morals are often associated with
religion, but educational centers can also
provide important lessons in ethical thinking
and action.
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• According to Weinstein, there are five basic
principles of ethics that are common to all
faiths;
1. Do no harm
2. Make things better
3. Respect others
4. Be fair
5. Be loving
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Professional Ethics
• Professional Ethics; concerns one's conduct
of behavior and practice when carrying out a
professional
work,
e.g.,
consulting,
researching, teaching, treating patients.
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Examples of professionals
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Teachers
Doctors/Nurses
Fire fighters
Armed forces
Postal workers
Accountants
Lawyers
Scientists
Authors….
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Professional Ethics must take into account;
Relations between professionals and clients
Relation between profession and society
Relations among professionals
Relations between employee and employer
Specialized technical details of the profession
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A computing professional must understand
• Cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues in
computing.
• Responsibility and possible consequences of
failure of a running software.
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Computer Ethics
• Computer ethics is the application of moral
principles to the use of computers and the
Internet.
• Examples include intellectual property rights,
privacy policies, and online etiquette, or
"netiquette".
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• Special Responsibilities Facing Computer
Professionals and Users include;
• Maintaining relationships with and responsibilities
toward customers, clients, coworkers, employees, and
employers.
• Making critical decisions that have significant
consequences for many people.
• Determining how to manage, select, or use computers
in a professional setting.
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In general, behaving Ethically Includes:
Being honest.
Keeping promises.
Doing your job well.
Not stealing.
 Scope in computing : communications networks
which brings the world together i.e, Internet and
WWW.
 Anonymity: beneficial but creates problems of
integrity.
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Four aspects of computer ethics:
Computer crime.
 Responsibility for computer failure.
 Protection of computer property, records and
software.
Privacy of the company, workers and
customers.
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The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's
computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's
computer files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for
which you have not paid (without permission).
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The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
cont-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 are writing or the system you are
designing.
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that
ensure consideration and respect for other humans
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Commandment 1: Thou shalt not use a
computer to harm other people.
• Simply put: Do not use the computer in ways
that may harm other people.
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Commandment 2: Thou shalt not interfere with
other people's computer work.
• Simply put: Do not use computer technology
to cause interference in other users' work.
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Commandment 3: Thou shalt not snoop around
in other people's computer files.
• Simply put: Do not spy on another person's
computer data.
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Commandment 4: Thou shalt not use a
computer to steal.
• Simply put: Do not use computer technology
to steal information.
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Commandment 5: Thou shalt not use a
computer to bear false witness.
• Simply put: Do not contribute to the spread of
misinformation using computer technology.
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Commandment 6: Thou shalt not copy or use
proprietary software for which you have not paid
(without permission).
• Simply put: Refrain from copying software or
buying pirated copies. Pay for software unless
it is free.
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Commandment 7: Thou shalt not use other people's
computer resources without authorization or proper
compensation.
• Simply put: Do not use someone else's
computer resources unless authorized to.
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Commandment 8: Thou shalt not appropriate other
people's intellectual output.
• Simply put: It is wrong to claim ownership on
a work which is the output of someone else's
intellect.
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Commandment 9: Thou shalt think about the social
consequences of the program you are writing or the
system you are designing.
• Simply put: Before developing a software,
think about the social impact it can have.
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Commandment 10: Thou shalt always use a
computer in ways that ensure consideration
and respect for other humans.
• Simply put: In using computers for
communication, be respectful and courteous
with the fellow members.
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Ethical vs. Legal Issues
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Ethical vs. Legal Issues
• Legal issues have documented definitions (laws)
with specific consequences if the laws are broken.
• Ethical issues are guidelines set by a specific group
of people with no real documented definitions of
what is right and what is wrong.
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Ethical vs. Legal Issues cont-• Individuals can choose if they wish to follow
the ethical guidelines or not.
• There is no choice on following the Law.
• Ethical issues are not legal issues.
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Law vs. Ethics
Ethics
LAW
1. Described by unwritten
principles
2. Interpreted by each
individual
3. Presented by philosophers,
religions, professional
groups, elders..
1. Described by formal
written documents
2. Interpreted by courts
3. Established by legislatures
representing all people
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Law
Ethics
4. Applicable to everyone
5. Priority determined by laws
if two laws conflict
6. Court is final arbiter for right
Enforceable by police and
courts
4. Personal choice
5. Priority determined by an
individual if two principles
conflict
6. No external arbiter
7. Limited enforcement –
usually the “court of public
opinion”
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Examples of Legal Issues in
computing
 Criminal statures
 Federal and state regulations
 Commonly accepted professional practices
 Variations among countries and regions
 Un authorized access
 Sabotage and destruction of data
 Theft of commercial software
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Ethical issues
• Ethical issues occur when a given decision,
scenario or activity creates a conflict with a
society's moral principles.
• Both individuals and businesses can be
involved in these conflicts, since any of their
activities might be put to question from an
ethical standpoint.
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Common Ethical Issues in the Workplace
Unethical Leadership.
Toxic Workplace Culture.
Discrimination and Harassment.
Unrealistic and Conflicting Goals.
Questionable Use of Company Technology.
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Ethical Decision Theories
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The Three common Ethical Decision Theories.
• These theories explain how people make
ethical decisions, and are guidelines to how
individuals look at an ethical issue and make a
decision.
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Utilitarianism Theory
• Considers the ethical issue and its relationship
to individuals
• Makes a decision based on what benefits the
most people
• "The greater good of the most people".
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Pluralism Theory
• Believes there are two options in an ethical
issue, right and wrong decisions
• Pluralism stresses each person has a decisionmaking duty, must make ethical decisions
based on that duty, and never break away
from the decision-making duty.
• All decisions are clear-cut, black and white
• E.g. No one should ever lie.
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Rights-based Theory
• All people have rights, and those rights must
be respected
• Decisions are based on respecting individual
rights
• E.g. you should never read a person’s email
because it violates a person’s rights to privacy,
and resist the temptation.
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The end
• Thank you for your attention and participation
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