Ethics and Computing

Are you ethical?

“Involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval”

“Conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct”

Issues to ConsiderDo you?

Copy friends CDs? Borrow friends software? Download music? Read someone else’s email? Connect to an unknown wireless signal? Use another person’s password? Download movies? Research on the Internet? Copy pictures off the web? Set the clock back to extend a game trial? Use clipart? Copy web page/html code for a personal page? Link to other web sites? Forward emails to friends? Log in under another’s identity? Post pictures of friends on a web site? Send homework help to friends? Use computers in a classroom setting?

Whatever I can get away with is ok…I’ll do it to them before they do it to me…Everyone is doing it…It’s ok as long as I am not hurting

anyone…I’ll learn something from it…

Some might say that…

Whatever the game allows you to do and is within the rules is therefore acceptable

Do you know the “rules”?

Ethics Checklist

Is it legal?Will I be violating laws or the work/school policy?

Is it balanced?Is it fair to all concerned? Is it a win-win situation?

Who am I willing to tell?Do I care if anyone finds out and will it make me

proud?

Computer Ethics

“The study of ethical questions that arise as a consequence of the development and deployment of computers and computing technologies”

-Computer Ethics and Social Values, by Deborah G. Johnson and Helen Nussenbaum

“An ethic is an objectively defined standard of right and wrong”

-Security in Computing, by Pfleeger

3 Steps for an Ethical Analysis

IntuitionWhat are your first impressions or thoughtful

reactions?Critical Evaluation

Ask questions like Are there more pros than cons to me? Others?Does whatever I’m doing violate any basic human rights?Is the act in question legal?Would I be willing to tell my parents, friends and/or

teachers about this?

Public Policy Implications

Where does this occur?

Employment recordsMedical recordsSchool transcripts and gradesFinancial records

Where else do you think we’re affected?

Computer Crime

A computer crime is unauthorized access or disruptive behavior using a computer

Types of computer crimes includeHackingLaunching viruses or wormsViolating digital rights

Types of Protection

Patent A government grant of the exclusive right to make,

use or sell an invention, usually for a limited period. Meant to protect the inventor

CopyrightThe exclusive, legally secured right to reproduce,

distribute and perform a literary, musical, dramatic or artistic work. Designed primarily to protect an artist, publisher or other owner against specific unauthorized uses of his/her work

What about laws?

“Law is neither the beginning place nor the ending place when it comes to ethics…”

“Moral analysis precedes law when it is the basis for creation of law – that is, our moral ideas often give rise to and shape the character of our laws…”

-Computer Ethics, page 7

Sample Listing of Laws

Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act – CALEA

Digital Millenium Copyright Act - DMCAChildren’s Internet Protection Act - CIPAPatriot ActSarbanes-Oxley

CALEA

1994Defines the existing statutory obligation

of telecommunication carriers to assist law enforcement in executing electronic surveillance pursuant to court order or other lawful authorization

DMCA

1998“No person shall manufacture, import,

offer to the public, provide or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof that essentially circumvents copyright protection systems”

CIPA

2000CIPA has in place a policy of Internet safety for

minors that includes the operation of a technology protection measure with respect to any of its computers with Internet access that protects against access through such computers to visual depictions that are Obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors is

enforcing the operation of such technology protection measure during any use of such computers by minors….

Patriot Act

2001The uniting and strengthening of America by

providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism

Purpose is to improve investigative tools and information sharing for law enforcement and intelligence agencies in their quest to protect the United States from terrorism and terrorist-related activities

Sarbanes-Oxley

2002Periodic statutory financial reports

Scope and adequacy of internal control systems

Disclose (urgent basis) material changes in financial condition or operations

Must be signed by corporate officialsImpacts seen with latest data exposures

Some Forensic thoughts….

Is data truly destructable?Can one perform forensic analysis

without altering the digital states?Can a search/seizure be performed for

“work product materials”?Human generated records vs. computer

generated records

Can you get caught?

Every time you go out on the web, you identify yourselfYour persona tells every web server (and web

master) the name of your computer, the IP address of your computer (or proxy gateway) as well as which applications your computer supports

Point your browsers towww.navigators.com/cgi-bin/navigators/persona.pl

My persona from home

Pool-70-22-79-141.balt.east.verizon.netAlso provided a great deal of information

about the browser I had as well as the content-types that my browser accepts

Cookie Crumbs

Cookies are small pieces of text stored on your computer as you visit web sites. The web site places the cookie onto your machine to make it easier for the website to recognize you the next time you log on.

Good news – it makes your web experience friendlier

Bad news – all of your web surfing patterns can be collected independently of which user name you used to log on to any given site.

Is that web site really ‘off-shore’?

Doing a traceroute will help you find out exactly where the web service is being hostedOdds are – it’s in the U.S. and our laws

apply

10 Basic Rules of Computer Ethics

1. Do not use a computer to harm other people

2. Do not interfere with other people’s computer work

3. Do not snoop around in other people’s computer files

4. Do not use a computer to steal

5. Do not use a computer to spread malicious or incorrect information

6. Do not use, copy or share proprietary software that you have not paid for

10 Basic Rules of Computer Ethics

7. Do not use other people’s computing resources without authorization

8. Do not appropriate other people’s intellectual output

9. Think about the social consequences of the program that you are designing

10. Always use computers in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans

Why be ethical?

If you’re not ethical you canRuin your reputationHurt your familyLose other’s respectGo to jail

Read your employer or school’s Internet policies, sign it and keep a copy for your own reference

And abide by it……