Quote from Aristotle: Man, when perfected, is the best of the animals, but when separated from law

and justice, he is the worst of all

Each society forms a set of rules that establishes the boundaries of generally accepted behavior. These rules are often expressed in statements about how people should behave, and they fit together to form the moral code by which a society lives. Ethics is the set of beliefs about right and wrong behavior. Ethical behavior conforms to generally accepted social norms, many of which are almost universal. Virtues are habits that incline people to do what is acceptable, and vices are habits of unacceptable behavior Peoples virtues and vices help define their value system the complex scheme of moral values by which they live

Computer ethics deals with the procedures, values and practices that govern the process of consuming computing technology and its related disciplines without damaging or violating the moral values and beliefs of any individual, organization or entity.

Thou shall not use a computer in ways that may harm people. Thou shall not interfere with other people's computer work. Thou shall not snoop around in other people's computer files. Thou shall not use a computer to steal. Thou shall not use a computer to false witness Thou shall not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid. Thou shall not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation. Thou shall not appropriate other people's intellectual output. Thou shall think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing. Thou shall always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

Four primary issues

Privacy responsibility to protect data about individuals Accuracy - responsibility of data collectors to authenticate information and ensure its accuracy Property - who owns information and software and how can they be sold and exchanged Access - responsibility of data collectors to control access and determine what information a person has the right to obtain about others and how the information can be used

Most people dont worry about email privacy on the Web due to illusion of anonymity
Each e-mail you send results in at least 3 or 4 copies being stored on different computers.

Web sites often load files on your computer called cookies to record times and pages visited and other personal information Spyware - software that tracks your online movements, mines the information stored on your computer, or uses your computer for some task you know nothing about.

Information on internet includes hate, violence, and information that is harmful for children
How much of this should be regulated?

Do filters solve problems or create more?

Is web site information used for course work and research reliable?

Illegal software copying (pirating)

Infringement of copyrights by copying of pictures or text from web pages

Plagiarism by copying text from other sources when original work is expected

Computer criminals -using a computer to commit an illegal act Who are computer criminals?
Employees disgruntled or dishonest --the largest category Outside users - customers or suppliers Hackers and crackers - hackers do it for fun but crackers have malicious intent Organized crime - tracking illegal enterprises, forgery, counterfeiting

Damage to computers, programs or files

Theft

Viruses - migrate through systems attached to files and programs Worms - continuously self-replicate Of hardware, software, data, computer time Software piracy - unauthorized copies of copyrighted material

Competence Professionals keep up with the latest knowledge in their field and perform services only in their area of competence. Responsibility Professionals are loyal to their clients or employees, and they wont disclose confidential information. Integrity Professionals express their opinions based on facts, and they are impartial in their judgments.

According to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) code, 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 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

Case 1

You are a computer programmer working for a small business that provides specialized financial services to local, mostly small businesses. You have been working for company X for about six months. Recently X has been occupied with reengineering the inventory system of a local hardware chain, ABC Hardware. The objective is to enable ABC to keep better track of their inventory, to be more responsive to changes in customer demand, and to adopt a just in time strategy to reduce inventory. Your supervisor calls you into his office. Do you know of any existing software products to help ABC keep better track of its inventory? You mention a particular product that you have worked with in another job and point out that ABC could use it without any modification. The only drawback, you point out, is that this software is somewhat expensive. Your supervisor leans back in his chair, puffs on his cigar and says, Thats no problem. We have that software. Why dont you just install it on ABCs computers? You diplomatically indicate that this would violate the licensing agreement X has with the developers of the software. Do it anyway, your supervisor says. Nobodys going to find out, and ABC is a very important client. We need to do all we can to keep them happy. What should you do?

1. Go ahead and install the software on ABCs computers. After all, your supervisor is right: nobody will know what you have done. Furthermore, you havent been working for this company very long and dont want to be branded a troublemaker. 2. Refuse to do it. Make it clear to your supervisor that he is putting you in a very difficult position, and you are not happy about it. It is illegal, and you dont have to do it. Period. 3. Go ahead and install the software. But be sure to cover yourself first by writing a memo that clearly states that this is illegal, and you are doing it because your supervisor has left you no choice. Establish the case that your supervisor is responsible for the act, and then send several people within the company copies of this memo, including your supervisor. 4. Discuss the matter confidentially and informally with another colleague, preferably another supervisor, possibly someone over your supervisors head. If this persons reaction is good, then both of you can approach your supervisor and try to talk him out of this course of action. Also, have some concrete alternatives in mind that you can propose, such as using a less expensive program, getting the license for ABC and having X absorb part of the cost, or negotiating a deal with the owner of the program to extend the license to several users at a lower rate.

4th option is correct

Case 2

George Babbage is an experienced software developer working for Acme Software Company. Mr. Babbage is now working on a project for the U.S. Department of Defense, testing the software used in controlling an experimental jet fighter. George is the quality control manager for the software. Early simulation testing revealed that, under certain conditions, instabilities would arise that could cause the plane to crash. The software was patched to eliminate the specific problems uncovered by the tests. After these repairs, the software passed all the simulation tests. George is not convinced that the software is safe. He is worried that the problems uncovered by the simulation testing were symptomatic of a design flaw that could only be eliminated by an extensive redesign of the software. He is convinced that the patch that was applied to remedy the specific tests in the simulation did not address the underlying problem. But, when George brings his concerns to his superiors, they assure him that the problem has been resolved. They further inform George that any major redesign effort would introduce unacceptable delays, resulting in costly penalties to the company. There is a great deal of pressure on George to sign off on the system and to allow it to be flight-tested. It has even been hinted that, if he persists in delaying the system, he will be fired. What should George do next?