Transcript Why computer ethics

Why computer ethics
Based on “Computer Ethics” by Johnson, Prentice Hall 2001
& “A Gift of Fire by Baase”, Prentice Hall 2003
CS480 Computer Science Seminar
Fall, 2002
Definition
• eth·ic (èth¹îk) noun
• 1. a. A set of principles of right conduct. b. A
theory or a system of moral values.
• 2. ethics The study of the general nature of
morals and of the specific moral choices to be
made by a person; moral philosophy.
• 3. ethics The rules or standards governing
the conduct of a person or the members of a
profession: medical ethics.
Definition continued
• mor·al (môr¹el, mòr¹-) adjective
• 1. Of or concerned with the judgment of the
goodness or badness of human action and
character
• 2. Teaching or exhibiting goodness or
correctness of character and behavior.
• 3. Conforming to standards of what is right or
just in behavior
• 4. Arising from conscience or the sense of
right and wrong
Why computer ethics
• Computer and information technology raises many
(often new) ethical questions, which can
sometimes be controversial.
• Most people, including computer professionals,
are vaguely aware of these technology related
ethical questions.
• Policies and laws lag behind the technology.
• Extending the ordinary or traditional moral
principles to situations created by computer and
information technology is often awkward and/or
inadequate.
Scenario 1: copy software
• What is intellectual property? Why and how is it
protected?
• How does software differ from traditional
intellectual property?
• What are the existing major intellectual property
legislations?
• What is “fair use”?
• Is it immoral and/or illegal to copy software?
• Is it permissible to break the law? What if the law
is bad?
Scenario 2: data mining and
database technology
• Database and data mining tools allow user
to search huge data bases about
unsuspecting individuals and use the
information thus obtained (e.g., buying
patterns, and other personal information one
normally would not want to disclose to
other parties) for gainful purposes.
Scenario 3: freedom of
expression
• To what extent can a Internet user arbitrarily post
information on a bulletin board or website?
• In the context of the U.S. Constitution, what kind
of speech is allowed or disallowed on the Internet?
• Is creating software a freedom of expression thus
protected by the First Amendment of the
Constitution? (Amendment I (1791). First of the Bill of Rights
amendments (I-IX); prohibits government-established religion;
guarantees freedom of worship, of speech, of the press, of
assembly and to petition the government.) (Amendment IV
(1791). Guarantees against unreasonable search and seizure.)
Scenario 4: what is my
professional responsibility?
• What would you do as a computer
professional? what would you do under the
circumstance.
– Gender bias in computing: most games
designed for children targeting boys; corporate
hiring practices; job assignments, etc.
– Therac-25 case:
New possibilities and a vacuum of policies
• New computer and information technologies have
created enormous possibilities for individual and
institution behavior, which needs to be critically
evaluated.
• James Moor suggested in 1985 that computer and
information technologies have created a “policy
vacuum”. How to fill the policy vacuum is not a
simple matter; freedom of speech in cyberspace
and the definition of software as intellectual
property have been debated for years and the
debate is still going on.
Why can’t we simply apply traditional moral norms
or principles to new situations created by the new
technologies
• As an example, lets take a look a copyright law, which was first passed
in 1790 to protect authorship of books, maps, and charts. The law was
later extended to cover photography, sound recording, and movies.
• In the Copyright Act of 1909, the definition of unauthorized copy was
that “it had to be in a form that could be seen and read visually”.
• In the 1970s, a company sued for protection of its chess program,
which was implemented on a ROM chip. Another company sold a
game with the identical program. But because of the ROM cannot be
read visually, a court held that the copy was not an infringement of the
program’s copy right!
• In 1976 and 1980, copyright law was revised to cover software.
Literary works protected by software include computer databases and
programs that exhibit “authorship”, that is, contain original expressions
and ideas.
Moral and legal issues: how to
fill the “vacuum”
• Ethical analysis (of what is just and good)
precedes the laws and laws are supplanted
with personal and organizational policies.
Are computer ethics unique?
• Computer technology has brought about the creation of
new entities – programs, microchips, web sites, video
games, etc.
• Computer technology has changed the scale of many
activities, arrangements, and operations such as data
collection, processing, and dissemination.
• The inherent unreliability of computer technology which
calls for a new thinking about risk, accountability, and
liability.
• Computer and information technology challenges our
traditional conception of responsibility and our system of
accountability because it allows us to do thing remotely
and anonymously.
• The power and pervasiveness of computer technology has
changed the character of nearly everything that we do.
Are computer ethics unique?continued
• Computer technology has changed the
instrumentation of human action. For
example, (computer) viruses cannot be
launched without computer technology;
profiling of an individual (invasion of
privacy) would be insignificant without
computer technology (file merging).
Analogical reasoning
• Analogy reasoning: looking for familiar
situations comparable to the one involving
computer and information technology, and
then either accepting the equivalence of
certain actions or identifying the significant
differences between the cases.
• Example: break into a computer system and
physical break into the file cabinet in an
office are similar; the analogical reasoning
seems to work: both cases are immoral.
Analogical reasoning can be
dangerous
• One plausible argument used by hackers is
that by breaking into computer systems,
they are providing a service by identifying
and revealing the flaws and vulnerabilities
in those computer systems, so that these
problems can be fixed.
ACM Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct
• General moral imperatives
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contribute to society and human well-being
avoid hard to others
be honest and trustworthy;
be fair and take action not to discriminate
honor property rights including copyright and patent
give proper credit for intellectual property
respect the privacy of others
honor confidentiality
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
• More specific professional responsibilities
– Strive to achieve highest quality, effectiveness and dignity
in both the process and products of professional work
– Acquire and maintain professional competence
– Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional
work
– Accept and provide appropriate professional review
– Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer
systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible
risks.
– Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities
– Improve public understanding of computing and its
consequences
– Access computing and communication resources only when
authorized to do do
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
• Organizational leadership imperatives
– Articulate social responsibilities of members of an organizational
unit and encourage full acceptance of those responsibilities
– Manage personnel and resources to design and build information
systems that enhance the quality of working life.
– Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of an
organization’s computing and communication resource.
– Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a system have
their needs clearly articulated during the assessment and design of
requirements; later the system must be validated to meet
requirement.
– Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity of users and
others affected by a computing system.
– Create opportunities for members of the organization to learn the
principles and limitations of computer systems.
Chapter I: Homework
• Problems 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 13 (p24-25)