no Assessment Method Mark

1 Attendance 10
2 Exercises & Homework & Quizzes 10
Assignment & Research 10
3 Mid-term Exam 20
4 Final Exam 50
Total 100

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 Introduction to Computer Ethics
 Cyberethics: Concepts, Perspectives, and
Methodological Frameworks
 Ethics and morality
 Ethical theories
 Introduction to privacy: what, exactly, personal
privacy is, and why it is important
 Classical theories of privacy Cybertechnology
techniques
 Protecting personal privacy in public space
 Privacy-enhancing technologies

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Ethics is our continuous search for an answer:

Is this behavior right or wrong?

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• It all started when man moved into living
within communities

(the beginning of civilization)

• Man moved from caves to built houses

Is it right to take a house some one else has

built?

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• If not !

Would it be right if I kill the man first then

take the house?
• OK !
• I will not kill the man and will not take the
house…

can I walk into the house and take the food

they have inside it?

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• OK !
• I will not kill the man and will not take the house and will not
take the food…

can I walk into the house without the

owner’s permission and just sit in
there?
OK !
I will not kill the man and will not take the house and will not
take the food and will not walk into the house…

can I just stand at the window and look

at the people inside the house?
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As long as there are new behaviors, the
search for right and wrong behavior
will continue

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 This is a search for an ethical theory

behavior

Ethical theory Right / wrong ?

right wrong

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 Finding a universal
ethical theory
behavior

Ethical theory Right / wrong ?

right wrong

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"What does ethics mean to you ?" (Sociologist
Raymond Baumhart asked business people…….

 "Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or

wrong.”
 "Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs.”
 "Being ethical is doing what the law requires.”
 "Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society
accepts.”
 "I don't know what the word means."

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 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
 People’s virtues and vices help define their value system
the complex scheme of moral values by which they live

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 But being ethical is clearly not a matter of following
one's feelings.
 A person following his or her feelings may recoil
from doing what is right.
 In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is
ethical.

 Should a Muslim girl cover her hair?

 Should a Muslim students cheat in an exam?

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 Most religions, of course, advocate high ethical
standards. Yet if ethics were confined to religion, then
ethics would apply only to religious people.

 But ethics applies as much to the behavior of the atheist

as to that of the saint. Religion can set high ethical
standards and can provide intense motivations for ethical
behavior.

 Ethics, however, cannot be confined to religion nor is it

the same as religion.

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 Being ethical is also not the same as following the
law. The law often incorporates ethical standards to
which most citizens subscribe.

 But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is

ethical.

 America’s pre-Civil War slavery laws and the old

apartheid laws of South Africa are obvious examples
of laws that deviate from what is ethical.

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 Finally, being ethical is not the same as doing
"whatever society accepts." In any society, most
people accept standards that are, in fact, ethical.
 But standards of behavior in society can deviate from
what is ethical. An entire society can become ethically
corrupt.
 In today’s society too many people believe it is ok as
long as you don’t get caught
 Nazi Germany is a good example of a morally corrupt
society.

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 Morals: one’s personal beliefs about right and wrong
 Ethics: standards or codes of behavior expected of an
individual by a group
 Law: system of rules that tells us what we can and
cannot do
◦ Laws are enforced by a set of institutions
◦ Legal acts conform to the law
◦ Moral acts conform to what an individual believes is the right
belief of right and wrong

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Most codes of ethical behavior describe actions as
“ethical” that do one or more of the following
 Promote the general health of society
 Maintain or increase individual rights and
freedoms
 Protect individuals from harm
 Treat all human beings as having an inherent
value and accord those beings respect
 Uphold religious, social, cultural, and
government laws and norms.
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• IT brings new inventions like:
www
Emails
Facebook
Cell phone
• New inventions bring new behaviors:
Spam Emails
Facebook privacy
Porn web sites
Cell phone eavesdropping
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1) Do you ever connect your computer to a network?
2) Do you legitimately own all of the software, games, and programs
you have or use?
3) Where did the contents of your homework come from? Did you
document information from other sources?
4) Do you ever use other people’s computers or look at or copy their
files without their knowledge or permission?
5) Do you use computer networks or other services without paying
for them?
6) Do you have any “how-to” files or documents about hacking,
stealing computer access, or passwords?
7) Do you ever try to access someone’s email other than your own?

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All of these
fall into the
category of
“Computer
Ethics”

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 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.

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 An ethical action is one that does not
have a damaging impact on oneself, on
other individuals or on society

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 The discipline of information technology is
providing a continuous flow of innovations.

 With IT innovations come user utilization of

the innovations (a new behavior).

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 Are all of our behaviors while utilizing IT
innovations ethical?
 How about e-business fraud?
 How about software copying?
 How about invasion of privacy?

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1. Privacy - I will protect my privacy
and respect the privacy of others.
2. Property - I will protect my property
and respect the property of others.
3. Appropriate Use - I will use
technology in constructive ways and in
ways which do not break the rules of my
family, Mosque, school, or government.

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