Legal and Ethical Issues in Computing

Module 1: Introduction to Social and Ethical Issues in Computing

Learning Objectives
– Historical Development of Computing
– Development of the Internet
– Development of the World Wide Web
– The Emergence of Social and Ethical Problems in Computing (Change & unexpected
developments)
– Understanding decision and ethical theories.
– The Case for Computer Ethics Education
Why a class on ethics?
Technology can be a blessing and a curse…
Fire is a prime example of a technology that kicked off civilization, yet no doubt with a down
side. Many people have died from fires, but countless many people lived long productive lives
because society had fire….
Ethics is a field of inquiry whose subject is human conduct/ human actions.
The purpose of ethics is to interpret human conduct, acknowledging and distinguishing
between right and wrong
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 set of moral principles that govern the behavior of a group or individual.
• Moral: means dealing with, or capable of, distinguishing between right and wrong, and between
just and unjust.
Ethics is, therefore, a study of right and wrong in human conduct.
What is ethics?
• Ethics refers to the standards and rules that “should” be followed and it helps us to regulate our
conduct in a group or with a set of individuals.
• Since the term ethics is a relative term, it is branched under philosophy, which states how users of
World Wide Web should make decision regarding their conduct.
• Ethics are subject to personal interpretation. Two people may not view the same ethical issue the
same way. For instance, Joe may think that Bill's behaviour is unethical, but Christine may not
think that Bill is acting unethical at all.
Ethical issues
Ethical
1. Pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in
conduct.
2. In accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially, the standards of a
profession.
Examples:
– Should companies collect and/or sell customer data?
– Should IT specialists monitor and report employee computer use?
The Three Ethical Decision Theories
• The purpose of ethics is to interpret human conduct, acknowledging and distinguishing between
right and wrong.
• The interpretation is done based on a system. This system uses a process of argumentations which
are based on ethical theories.
• These theories explain how people make ethical decisions, and are guidelines to how individuals
look at an ethical issue and make a decision.
Codes of ethics are based on various ethical theories. Hence the processes of reasoning, explanations
and justifications used in ethics are based on these theories.
Utilitarianism Theory
• Considers the ethical issue and its relationship to individuals. This theory puts a group’s interest
and happiness above those of an individual.
• Makes decision choices that offer the greatest good for the greatest number of people
• "The greater good of the most people".
• As such, it moves beyond the scope of one's own interests and takes into account the interests of
others.
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. It
is a form of consequentialism.
Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for
the greatest number

Anti-Worm Scenario
August 2003: Blaster worm infected thousands of Windows computers
Soon after, Nachi worm appeared
– Took control of vulnerable computer
 – Located and destroyed copies of Blaster
– Downloaded software patch to fix security problem
– Used computer as launching pad to try to “infect” other vulnerable PCs
Evaluation using Rule Utilitarianism
Proposed rule: If I can write a helpful worm that removes a harmful worm from infected
computers and shields them from future attacks, I should do so
Who would benefit
– People who do not keep their systems updated
Who would be harmed
– People who use networks
– People whose computers are invaded by buggy anti-worms
– System administrators
Conclusion: Harm outweighs benefits. Releasing anti-worm is wrong.
BUGGY: several propagation schemes
Pluralism Theory
• Believes there are two options in an ethical issue, right and wrong decisions
• Pluralism stresses each person has a decision-making 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.
Rights-based Theory
• All people have rights, and those rights must be respected e.g. the right to life, right to free
expression and others.
• 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.
The concept of rights-based ethics is that there are some rights, both positive and negative,
Computer Ethics
Computer ethics is a new branch of ethics that is growing and changing rapidly as computer
technology also grows and develops.
Computer ethics is a set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers.
Some common issues of computer ethics include intellectual property rights such as copyrighted
electronic content, privacy concerns and how computer affect society.
 For example, while it is easy to duplicate copyrighted electronic /digital content, computer
ethics would suggest that it is wrong to do so without the authors approval. And while it may be
possible to access someone ‘s personal information on a computer system, computer ethics would
advise that such an action is unethical.

INTELLECTUAL
You have certainly heard the word property before: it is generally used to mean a possession, or
more specifically, something to which the owner has legal rights.
You might have also encountered the phrase intellectual property. This term has become
commonplace during the past few years, especially in the context of computer ethics. But want
exactly does it refer to?
IP refers to creations of the intellect (hence the name): inventions, literary and artistic works,
symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce as part of it that are protected by law.
In summary, copyright laws protect IP which includes literary, & artistic works such as novels, poems,
plays, films, music works and artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures &
architectural designs.
Copyright on the Internet
But what of works made available to the public on the internet? Are they at all protected by
copyright? Yes, for works made available over communications network (such as the internet),
the copyright protects original authorship.
But, according to the copyright law, it does not protect ideas, procedures, systems, or methods of
operation. This means that once such an online work has been made public, nothing in the
copyright law s prevents others from developing another work based on similar principles or
ideas
Netiquettes
• Netiquette are about the various risks related to using the internet. It is about proper ways in
which to use a network and determine whether information is reliable, while emphasizing the
following points;
– Real people exist behind the computers
– Protect your privacy
– Avoid spamming
– Help making network better
Software Piracy
Software piracy is morally bad when someone reproduces a copy of the software and sells it for
profit, produces exactly the same or similar version without giving proper credit to the original
author or simply produces it and distributes it to others.
It is not immoral to copy the software if someone has a licensed copy of the software and simply
makes a backup copy of the original. One back-up copy of the commercial software can be made,
but the back-up copy cannot be used except when the original package fails or is destroyed.
How Computers affect Society
Creation of computer worms & viruses is morally bad when it is intended for malicious purposes
like to steal information or destroy data.
– However, it could be used like a vaccine to gather information to protect computer users
Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work & then passing it on as one’s own. It is morally bad
because it is an act of stealing.
– Copying programs written by programmers & claiming it as your own is an act of
plagiarism. It involves lying, cheating, theft and dishonesty
File privacy: No one should open a document unless authorized by the individual who created the
file.
Computer ethical hacking: an ethical hacker is usually employed by an organization who trusts
him or her to attempt to penetrate networks and / or computer systems using the same methods as
a hacker, for the purpose of finding & fixing computer vulnerabilities. Unauthorized hacking is a
crime in most countries, but penetration testing done by request of the owner of the victim system
or network is not.
In summary, as technology advances, computers continue to have an impact on society.
Therefore, computer ethics promotes discussion of how much influence computers should have in
areas such as artificial intelligence & human communication. As the world of computers evolves,
computer ethics continues to create ethical standards that address new issues raised by new
technologies.
Why do we need computer Ethics?
• The growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) has created several novel legal issues.
• The existence of new questions that older laws cannot answer.
• Traditional laws are outdated in this world, a more coherent body of law is needed to govern
internet and computers
• Studying computer ethics make us behave like responsible professionals.
• Helps us to learn how to avoid computer abuse and cybercrime.
 Revision Questions
1. You live in a slum area of Lira city and have just lost your job at the local bookstore. The best-
paying job you can find is at the local meatpacking plant, but you are a vegetarian and feel
strongly that killing animals for food is unjust. What do you do?
2. You are having a romantic dinner with your spouse to celebrate your wedding anniversary.
Suddenly, at a nearby table, a man starts yelling at the young woman he is dining with and
becomes so verbally abusive that she starts to cry. What do you do?
3. Discuss the main three ethical theories.
4. Why study ethics?
5. Why should we be concerned about doing “the right thing”?
6. If each of us has a unique set of influences and values that contribute to our personal value
system, how can that be applied to a community as a whole?
7. What are the eight questions you should consider in resolving an ethical dilemma?