Why computer ethicsBased 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– 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)