Computer Ethics
Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the behaviour of a group or individual. Every society has its rules about whether certain acts are ethical or not. These rules have been established as a result of consensus in society and are often written into laws. Many of these rules have been formulated as laws, either national or international. Computer crimes and computer fraud are now common terms. There are laws against them, and everyone is responsible for knowing what constitutes computer crime and computer fraud. Therefore, computer ethics is 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 computers affect society.
For example, while it is easy to duplicate copyrighted electronic (or digital) content, computer ethics would suggest that it is wrong to do so without the author's 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.
The Ten Commandments of computer ethics have been defined by the Computer Ethics Institute. They are:
1. You shall not use a computer to harm other people:
If it is unethical to harm people by making a bomb, for example, it is equally bad to write a program that handles the timing of the bomb. Or, to put it more simply, if it is bad to steal and destroy other people’s books and notebooks, it is equally bad to access and destroy their files.
2. You shall not interfere with other people's computer work:
Computer viruses are small programs that disrupt other people’s computer work by destroying their files, taking huge amounts of computer time or memory, or by simply displaying annoying messages. Generating and consciously spreading computer viruses is unethical.
3. You shall not snoop around in other people's files:
Reading other people’s e-mail messages is as bad as opening and reading their letters: This is invading their privacy. Obtaining other people’s non-public files should be judged the same way as breaking into their rooms and stealing their documents.
4. You shall not use a computer to steal:
Using a computer to break into the accounts of a company or a bank and transferring money should be judged the same way as robbery. It is illegal and there are strict laws against it.
5. You shall not use a computer to bear false witness:
The Internet can spread untruth as fast as it can spread truth. Putting out false "information" to the world is bad. For instance, spreading false rumours about a person or false propaganda about historical events is wrong.
6. You shall not use or copy software for which you have not paid:
Software is an intellectual product. In that way, it is like a book. Obtaining illegal copies of copyrighted software is as bad as photocopying a copyrighted book. There are laws against both.
7. You shall not use other people's computer resources without authorization:
Multi-user systems use user id’s and passwords to enforce their memory and time allocations, and to safeguard information. You should not try to bypass this authorization system. Hacking a system to break and bypass the authorization is unethical.
8. You shall not appropriate other people's intellectual output:
For example, the programs you write are your own intellectual output. Copying somebody else’s program without proper authorization is software piracy and is unethical. Intellectual property is a form of ownership, and may be protected by copyright laws.
9. You shall think about the social consequences of the program you write:
You have to think about computer issues in a more general social framework: Can the program you write be used in a way that is harmful to society? For example, if you are working for an animation house, and are producing animated films for children, you are responsible for their contents. Do the animations include scenes that can be harmful to children?
10. You shall use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect:
Just like public buses or banks, people using computer communications systems may find themselves in situations where there is some form of queuing and you have to wait for your turn and generally be nice to other people in the environment. The fact that you cannot see the people you are interacting with does not mean that you can be rude to them.
Seven essential components of a personal code of computer ethics:
- Honesty
- Respect
- Confidentiality
- Professionalism
- Responsibility
- Communication
- Obeying the law
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