STC305/SCIT301 -

Professional Issues in ICT

Introduction to Ethics,
Computer and Professional
Ethics
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Learning Objectives
1. What is ethics and computer ethics, and why is it
important to act according to a code of ethics?
2. Identifying computer ethics in IT, and how to make
decision and choices on computer ethical issues?
3. What is Professional Ethics and ethical guidelines
for computer professionals?
4. Identify the key characteristics that distinguish a
professional from other kinds of workers.
5. Understand various professional relationships and
associated key ethical issues.
6. Identify the common ethical issues that face IT 2
users.
What is Ethics
• Ethics is the practice of making a principled
choice between right and wrong. Standard of
right or wrong behavior
• Oxford American dictionary: Concerned with
the principles of what is right and wrong in
conduct
• More frequently we encounter ethical situations
involving computers and other forms of
information technology

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What is Ethics (cont.)
• Ethical principles are ideas of behavior that are
commonly acceptable to society.
• Using ethical principles as a basis for decision
making prevents us from relying only on intuition
or personal preference.

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Why Should We Care About
Ethics?
• Ethics: a way to decide the best thing to do
• New problems accompany new technologies
• So many ethical situations that we encounter
each day that we should care
• Some unethical actions can violate law
• Others, though not illegal, can have drastic
consequences for our careers and reputations
• We should care about ethics for our own self
interest
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What is Computer Ethics?
• Computer ethics known as standard of professional
practice, codes of conducts, aspects of computer law,
public policy, corporate ethics even certain topics in
sociology and psychology of computing.
• It is also known as the efforts of professional
philosophers to apply traditional ethical theories like
utilitarianism, Kantianism, or virtue ethics to issues
regarding the use of computer technology.
• Computer ethics in the broadest sense can be
understood as that branch of applied ethics which
studies and analyzes such social and ethical impacts of
information technology.
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Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics
1940s and 1950s

• Computer ethics as a field of study has its roots in

the work of MIT professor Norbert Wiener during
World War II (early 1940s)

• Wiener develop some remarkably insightful ethical

conclusions about the technology that we now call
ICT (information and communication technology)
• He perceptively foresaw revolutionary social and
ethical consequences with the effect of artificial
machines. Mathematician – 1st idea
on AI
• The presence of another social potentiality of 7
unheard-of importance for good and for evil
Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics (cont.)
1940s and 1950s (cont.)

• In 1950 Wiener published his monumental book, The Human

Use of Human Beings.  the 1st guidance in computer ethics

• Wiener's book included (1) an account of the purpose of a

human life, (2) four principles of justice, (3) a powerful
method for doing applied ethics, (4) discussions of the
fundamental questions of computer ethics, and (5) examples
of key computer ethics topics.

• Wiener's foundation of computer ethics was far ahead of its

time, and it was virtually ignored for decades.

• On his view, the integration of computer technology into

society will eventually form the remaking of society -- the 8
“second industrial revolution”.
Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics (cont.)

1960s

• In the mid 1960s, Donn Parker of SRI International in

Menlo Park, California began to examine unethical and
illegal uses of computers by computer professionals.

• He published "Rules of Ethics in Information Processing"

in Communications of the ACM in 1968, and headed the
development of the first Code of Professional Conduct
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for the Association for Computing Machinery
Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics (cont.)
1970s

• During the late 1960s, Joseph Weizenbaum, a computer

scientist at MIT in Boston, created a computer program
that he called ELIZA

• In his first experiment with ELIZA, he scripted it to provide

a basic imitation of “a Rogerian psychotherapist engaged
in an initial interview with a patient”

• The results showed that how deep people emotionally

involved with the computer, sharing their intimate 10
thoughts with it  people are truly enthusiastic towards
computer.
Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics (cont.)
1970s (cont.)

• In the mid 1970s, Walter Maner, lecturer at Bowling Green State

University in Ohio began to use the term "computer ethics" to
refer to that field of inquiry dealing with ethical problems
aggravated (provoked), transformed or created by computer
technology.

• Maner generated much interest in university-level computer

ethics courses. He offered a variety of workshops and lectures at
computer science conferences and philosophy conferences across
America
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• Many university courses were put in place because of him, and
several important scholars were attracted into the field.
Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics (cont.)
1980s and 1990s

• By the 1980s, a number of social and ethical consequences of

information technology were becoming public issues in America and
Europe  people started to know and learn ethics

• In the mid-80s, James Moor of Dartmouth College published his

influential article “What Is Computer Ethics?”

• In 1991 Bynum and Maner organized the first international

multidisciplinary conference on computer ethics, which was seen by
many as a major milestone of the field. It brought together, for the
first time, philosophers, computer professionals, sociologists,
psychologists, lawyers, business leaders, news reporters and 12
government officials. It generated a set of monographs, video
programs and curriculum materials as the references and guidelines
to others.
Historical Milestone in
Computer Ethics (cont.)
1990s

• During the 1990s, new university courses, research

centers, conferences, journals, articles and textbooks
appeared, and a wide diversity of additional scholars and
topics became involved.

• These important developments were significantly aided by

the pioneering work of Simon Rogerson of De Montfort
University (UK), who established the Centre for Computing
and Social Responsibility there.
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• The mid-1990s has heralded or indicated the beginning of
a second generation of Computer Ethics
Defining the Field of Computer
Ethics
• According to Moor, the computer revolution is occurring in two
stages:

• The first stage was that of "technological introduction" in which

computer technology was developed and refined. This already
occurred in America during the first 40 years after the Second
World War.
• The second stage is "technological permeation/penetration" in
which technology gets integrated into everyday human activities
and into social institutions, changing the very meaning of
fundamental concepts, such as "money", "education", "work", and
"fair elections".

• Computer ethics identifies and analyzes the impacts of information

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technology upon human values like health, wealth, opportunity,
freedom, democracy, knowledge, privacy, security, self-fulfillment,
and so on.
What Are the 10 Commandments of
Computer Ethics & What Do They
Mean to You?
• Do Not Hurt Other People with the Use of a Computer
• Do Not Obstruct Other People's Ability to Work from the Computer
• Do Not Look Through Other People's Computer Files
• Do Not Steal Information with the Use of a Computer
• Do Not Spread False Information via the Computer
• Do Not Use Software That You Have Not Purchased
• Do Not Use Computer Programs Without Proper Authorization
• Do Not Copy a Computer Program and Circulate it as Your Own
• Computer Software Developers Must Consider the Social
Consequences of the Content They Provide
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• Always Show Respect to the People You Interact with When Using a
Computer
Computer Ethics and Regular
Ethics
• Is computer ethics different from regular ethics?
• Is there an ethical difference in browsing
someone else’s computer file and browsing their
desk drawer?
• What we have are ethical situations where
computers are involved.
• Computers allow people to perform unethical
actions faster than ever before
• Or perform actions that were too difficult or
impossible using manual methods 16
Computer Ethics in Information
Technology
• Public concern about the ethical use of
information technology includes:
• E-mail and Internet access monitoring
• Downloading in violation of copyright laws
• Unsolicited e-mail (spam)
• Hackers and identify theft
• Students and plagiarism
• Cookies and spyware
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Computer Ethics in Information
Technology (cont.)
• The general public does not understand the critical
importance of ethics as applied to IT
• Important decisions are often left to technical experts
• General business managers must assume greater
responsibility for these decisions by:
• Making decisions based on technical savvy, business
know-how, and a sense of ethics
• Creating an environment where ethical dilemmas can
be discussed openly, objectively, and constructively

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Identifying Ethical Issues
• A characteristic common to computer ethics is
the difficulty of identifying ethical issues
• Many who perform unethical practices with
computers don’t see the ethical implications
• When caught, their first reaction is:
• “I didn’t know I did anything wrong. I only
looked at the file, I didn’t take it.”
• If they copy a file they say:
• “I didn’t do anything wrong. The file is still
there for the owner. I just made a copy.” 19
Identifying Ethical Issues (cont.)
• Hackers often say,
• “I was just testing to see how secure the
system was. I was going to report the
weakness to management. I was performing a
valuable service.”
• One goal of this course is to increase sensitivity
to ethical issues involving computers
• Computer ethics should have a strong link to
policy or strategy
• When an ethical problem is identified, a policy
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or strategy should be developed to prevent the
problem from recurring
Types of Ethical Choices
• Choosing right from wrong
• Most of us know that stealing, lying, and cheating are
wrong
• These three actions are taboos of a commonsense
morality
• Choosing right from right
• Some ethical choices are harder when the situation is
not as clear
• Lying may be wrong but if you visit a sick friend is it
wrong to exaggerate how well they look?
• Some might lie about how the friend looks to achieve
a perceived higher good 21
• The quick recovery or general welfare of the patient
• Is it wrong to steal food if one is starving?
Types of Ethical Choices (cont.)
• Is it wrong to keep coins found in a pay telephone?
• Does the money belong to the previous caller?
• To the phone company?
• To you?
• Does the amount found make a difference?
• Would you keep a small amount?
• Return a large amount?
• How would you give the coins back?
• Would you call the operator and feed the coins
back into the machine?
• What if the operator wouldn’t take them?
• Are you then off the hook? 22

• Should you give them to charity?

Types of Ethical Choices (cont.)
• These trivial examples illustrate the complexity
of ethical choice
• The necessity to choose a course of action
from two or more alternatives
• Each having a desirable result
• In an ethical choice then, an individual must
often choose between two or more goods or the
lesser of two evils
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Practical Approaches to Ethical
Decision Making
• Making ethical decisions is not a science
• People do it differently
• In ethical decision making the individual must
decide what the answer depends on
• What the facts are
• What harm might be done by each alternative
• Which course of action results in the least
harm
• Some ways to do this are to use laws, guidelines,
and ethical principles 24
Using Law to make Ethical
Decisions
• When a law tells us to do nor not to do something it
implies that a recognized authority has decided that the
action the law prescribes is of benefit to society
• What are some laws you like?
• What are some good laws?
• Often, an ethical principle was used prior to a law’s
construction
• Remember that ethical principles are ideas of behavior
that are commonly acceptable to society
• So, law is often grounded in ethical principles, a good
starting point for ethical decision making
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Relationship between Ethics and
Law
• The relationship between ethics and law leads to
four possible states

Legal Not Legal

Ethical I II

Not Ethical III IV

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Some Examples of the Four
Categories
I. Ethical and Legal
I. Buying a spreadsheet program and using it to do
accounting for clients
II. Firing an individual who does not perform
according to expectations or who fails to follow
certain contractual obligations
III. Increasing the price of goods when the demand
for those goods increases
II. Ethical but not Legal
I. Copying copyrighted software to use only as a
backup, even when the copyright agreement
specifically prohibits copying for that purpose 27
Some Examples of the Four
Categories (cont.)
III. Not Ethical but Legal
• Revealing data that was expected to remain
confidential – for example, gossiping by data entry
operators, about the salary data they are processing
• Using a pirated version of a software product in a
foreign country that has no software copyright laws
IV. Not Ethical and Not Legal
I. Pirating copyrighted software
II.Planting viruses in someone else’s computer system
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What is "Professional Ethics"?
• Professional ethics includes relationships with
and responsibilities toward customers, clients,
coworkers, employees, employers, others who
use one’s products and services, and others
whom they affect
• A professional has a responsibility to act
ethically. Many professions have a code of ethics
that professionals are expected to abide by
• Medical doctors
• Lawyers and judges
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• Accountants
What is "Professional Ethics"?
(cont.)
• There are special aspects to making ethical
decisions in a professional context
• Honesty is one of the most fundamental ethical
values; however, many ethical problems are
more subtle than the choice of being honest or
dishonest
• Some ethical issues are controversial

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Information Technology
Professionals
• Profession is a calling requiring specialized knowledge and
often long intensive academic preparation.
• US Code of Federal Regulations defines a professional as
someone who meets these criteria:
• Duties require advanced studies in a recognized field.
• One’s instruction, study, or work is original and creative.
• Job requires consistent exercise of discretion and
judgment.
• Job is predominately intellectual and varied in character.
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Information Technology
Professionals (cont.)
• Many workers in the IT industry are considered
to be professionals. A partial list includes:
• Programmers/Analysts
• Software engineers
• Database administrators
• Network administrators
• Chief information officers

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Professional Relationships
• IT professionals become involved in many
different types of relationships.
• Professional-employer
• Professional-client
• Professional-supplier
• Professional-professional
• Professional-IT user
• Professional-society
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IT Professional-Employer
• The relationship between a professional and an
employer requires ongoing efforts by both
parties to keep it strong.
• Professionals and employers discuss many job
aspects before employment begins.

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IT Professional-Client
• In this relationship, the professional and client
each agree to provide something of value to
each other.
• The IT professional usually provides a hardware
or software product or services and the client
provides compensation.

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IT Professional-Supplier
• IT professionals may have many different
relationships with many software, hardware, and
service providers.
• The IT professional must be on guard to keep the
relationships honest and business related.

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IT Professional-Professional
• Professionals feel a degree of loyalty to other
members in the profession.
• Professionals help support each other publicly.
• Professionals owe one another an adherence to
the profession’s code of conduct.

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IT Professional-IT User
• An IT user is a person for whom the hardware or
software is designed.
• Professionals have a duty to understand the
needs and capabilities of users.
• Professionals have a responsibility to deliver
their product or service on time and within
budget.
• Promotion of an ethical environment

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IT Professional-Society
• IT professionals develop and support systems
that interact with the world around them.
• The public expects that the members of the IT
profession will practice the profession in a way
that will not bring harm to society.

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Ethical Guidelines for Computer
Professionals
Guidelines and Professional Responsibilities:
• Understand what success means
• Include users (such as medical staff, technicians,
pilots, office workers) in the design and testing
stages to provide safe and useful systems
• Do a thorough, careful job when planning and
scheduling a project and when writing bids or
contracts
• Design for real users

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Ethical Guidelines for Computer
Professionals (cont.)
Guidelines and Professional Responsibilities
(cont.):
• Don’t assume existing software is safe or correct;
review and test it
• Be open and honest about capabilities, safety,
and limitations of software
• Require a convincing case for safety
• Pay attention to defaults
• Develop communication skills
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IT Users
• Common IT users ethical issues:
• Software piracy.
• Inappropriate use of computing resources.
• Inappropriate sharing of information.

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Supporting Ethical Practices of
IT Users
• Define and limit the appropriate use of IT
resources.
• Establish guidelines for the use of company
software.
• Structure information systems to protect data
and information.
• Install and maintain a corporate firewall.

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