Computer Ethics

Ethics deals with placing a “value” on acts according to whether they are “good” or
“bad”. 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.

When computers first began to be used in society at large, the absence of ethical
standards about their use and related issues caused some problems. However, as their use
became widespread in every facet of our lives, discussions in computer ethics resulted in
some kind of a consensus. Today, 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.

The Ten Commandments of computer ethics have been defined by the Computer
Ethics Institute. Here is our interpretation of them:

1) Thou shalt 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) Thou shalt 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) Thou shalt 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. Text documents on the Internet may be
protected by encryption.

4) Thou shalt 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) Thou shalt 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 rumors about a person or false propaganda about historical
events is wrong.

6) Thou shalt 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.
Information about the copyright owner can be embedded by a process
called watermarking into pictures in the digital format.

7) Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without

authorization: Multiuser 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) Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output: For example, the
programs you write for the projects assigned in this course 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) Thou shalt 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? In the United States, the Communications Decency Act was an attempt by
lawmakers to ban certain types of content from Internet websites to protect young
children from harmful material. That law was struck down because it violated the free
speech principles in that country's constitution. The discussion, of course, is going on.

10) Thou shalt 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.

See http://www.ccsr.cms.dmu.ac.uk/resources/professionalism/codes/cei_command_com.
html for further comments on the ten commandments.

ADDITIONAL READING:

The following email message was sent to the instructor as a response to the ten
commandments mentioned in this page:

Your 10 commandments contradict the hacking

communities constitution:

1. We believe: That every individual should have the

right to free speech in cyber space.

2. We believe: That every individual should be free

of worry when pertaining to oppressive governments
that control cyber space.

3. We believe: That democracy should exist in cyber

space to set a clear example as to how a functioning
element of society can prosper with equal rights and
free speech to all.

4. We believe: That hacking is a tool that should and

is used to test the integrity of networks that hold
and safe guard our valuable information.

5. We believe: Those sovereign countries in the world

community that do not respect democracy should be
punished.

6. We believe: That art, music, politics, and crucial

social elements of all world societies can be achieved
on the computer and in cyber space.

7. We believe: That hacking, cracking, and phreaking

are instruments that can achieve three crucial goals:
a. Direct Democracy in cyber space.
b. The belief that information should be free to all.
c. The idea that one can test and know the dangers and
exploits of systems that store the individual_s
information.

8. We believe: That cyber space should be a governing

body in the world community, where people of all
nations and cultures can express their ideas and
beliefs has to how our world politics should be
played.

9. We believe: That there should be no governing

social or political class or party in cyber space.

10. We believe: That the current status of the

internet is a clear example as to how many races,
cultures, and peoples can communicate freely and
without friction or conflict.

11. We believe: In free enterprise and friction free

capitalism.

12. We believe: In the open source movement fully, as

no government should adopt commercial or priced
software for it shows that a government may be biased
to something that does not prompt the general welfare
of the technology market and slows or stops the
innovation of other smaller company_s products.

13. We believe: That technology can be wielded for

the better placement of man kind and the environment
we live in.
14. We believe: That all sovereign countries in the
world community should respect these principles and
ideas released in this constitution.

Written by the hacking group Xanatomy.

Ethics in using Computer

ETHICS IN GENERAL
A guideline is needed to stop the current technology products from being exploited
for example replicating original CDs and selling them as pirated software, this
unethical behaviour can be controlled by the code of conducts.
Unethical refers to any code of conducts that are not conforming to approved
standards of social or professional behaviour.
Computer ethics is a system of moral standards or values used as a guideline for
computer users.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

The United States Institute of Computer Ethics has come out with the Ten
Commandments of Computer Ethics. These principles consider the effective code of
conducts for the proper use of information technology. The Ten commandments of
computer ethics are :

1. You shall not use a computer to harm other people.

2. You shall not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. You shall not snoop around in other people's computer files.
4. You shall not use a computer to steal.
5. You shall not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. You shall not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
7. You shall not use other people's computer resources without authorisation
or proper compensation.
8. You shall not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. You shall think about the social consequences of the program you are
writing or the system you are designing.
10. You shall always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and
respect for your fellow humans.

GUIDELINES ON THE E-MAIL AND INTERNET USAGE

Some guidelines from the Department of Public Services of Malaysia:

· use only individual e-mail address to forward individual opinion

· keep the identity name and password a secret to avoid the misuse of your email
without your knowledge
· e-mail must be active to promptly reply the necessary actions needed for any
matters
· ensure the total mail kept in the box is within the computer storage capacity
· scan files regularly to avoid the transmission of virus from one computer to
another
· do not send e-mails that contain classified information which can be used to
tarnish other people or country
· choose a suitable time to search the Internet to save access time and cost
· beware of prohibited sites which could affect one's moral, organisation or
nation
· print only relevant documents that you think can be used in future to save cost

COMPUTER ETHICS Computer Ethics 2

BASIC NE TIQUE T TE

Email
Check your email as much as possible and respond quickly to messages you receive;
your input may be critical to someone else.
Never send anything that you wouldn’t want someone other than the recipient to
read.
Get good virus protection software and make sure it scans your incoming emails.
Don’t open an attachment in an email if:
You don’t know the sender,
The subject line doesn’t make sense or is suspicious in any way,
The attachment name is suspicious, or
The attachment or message text doesn’t make sense or you aren’t expecting them.
Don’t type in all capital letters; it looks like you are screaming.
Try not to use sarcasm or humor, it doesn’t always come across well.
When you’re subscribed to a listproc make sure you reply to one person and not the
whole list, unless you want the whole list to read what you have to say.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN USING

COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET:

If everyone acted the same way you did, would society as a whole benefit?
Would an impartial observer judge that your actions are fair to all parties involved?
Would you be proud to tell your parents/significant other what you are doing?
If you were in another person’s place would you have to admit that what you are doing is
fair? If you did this at work would your employers/customers agree that you did the right
thing? Would you mind reading about your actions on the front page of the Blade?

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR COMPUTER ETHICS

(CARE OF THE COMPUTER ETHICS INSTITUTE OF THE
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION)
1. Thou shall not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shall not interfere with other people’s computer work.
3. Thou shall not snoop around in other people’s files.
4. Thou shall not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shall not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shall not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shall not use other people’s computer resources without authorization
or proper compensation.
8. Thou shall not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
9. Thou shall think about the social consequences of the program you write or
the system you design. Computer Ethics 3
10. Thou shall use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect for
your fellow humans.

SEVEN ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A PERSONAL CODE OF

COMPUTER ETHICS:

1. Honesty
2. Respect
3. Confidentiality
4. Professionalism
5. Responsibility
6. Communication
7. Obeying the law Computer Ethics 4
COPYRIGHT

SOFTWARE PIRACY

• Public domain
o Some software is free to use, copy, and/or change, but only do so if there
is written notice that the software is in the public domain. Look for this
notice in the “read me” files that accompany programs.
• General Public License
o GPL software has the same restrictions as public domain software, but
cannot be sold for profit.
• Shareware
o Using shareware programs is free, but it is illegal to copy or modify them
without permission since they are copyrighted. Most shareware programs
are really trial versions of the software, which must be paid for after the
trial period has expired.

When you purchase a copy of a software program you are actually buying a software
license, or in the case of an organization that needs many copies, a site license. A
software license can only be copied for backup purposes while site licenses let the
organization make a specific number of copies to be used within that organization only.
Although it seems common, software piracy is a felony and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

MP3'S
Downloading and/or uploading music is a violation of copyright laws. It is not true that
keeping the file for less than 24 hours is legal and it is a myth that uploading is legal if
you have paid for the original work.
“Fair use” permits the use of a small section of a work if the copyright holder is
reimbursed or has given permission for the use of his or her work. If you use more than
10 percent or 30 seconds of the original work you are participating in copyright
infringement.

Downloading music and other media also makes unfair use of the University’s bandwidth
and can deprive others of Internet access. Computer Ethics 5
PLAG IARISM
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as your own; this includes work
represented in hard copy, on disk, or on the Internet. Do not use “paper mills” or sites
that sell academic papers to students. You can get caught and the penalties are not
lenient.

Make sure you summarize, or at least change the order of the words when using
someone else’s work as a reference. Also be sure to cite that work as something you
have used to gain the information you are presenting. Anything that is directly quoted
from any source must be put in quotation marks and cited as well.

Copyright infringements can get you sued. They encompass anything that anyone has
expressed in any way. A person does not need to express their copyright or even
actually register it, a person’s ideas are their own and it is illegal to pretend that they are
yours. Computer Ethics 6
PRIVACY
Who can you ask questions about uses of BGSU computers or Internet services?
The Student Technology Center, 372-9277
Cindy Fuller, Communications Coordinator, 372-9229
Technology Support Center, 372-0999

Get a BGNet account

A BGNet account is your access to many online services of the University.

Universitywide emails are sent through BGNet and any classes using MyBGSU can only
be
connected to a BGNet account. You can get your BGNet account forwarded to any other
email account or vice versa by clicking on Filter Options in WebMail and filling out the
My Account / Mail Forwarding form.

Use Your Accounts Wisely, Use Your Equipment Wisely, and Share Our Bandwidth
Responsibly. Computer Ethics 7
INCIDENT RE SPONSE
Depending on the situation, please contact the appropriate office by phone. These
offices will involve the ITS information Security and Privacy Office for technical
assistance as necessary.

Reporting Threatening or Illegal Activity

BGSU Department of Public Safety
(419) 372-2346

Reporting Student Misconduct

BGSU Student Discipline Programs
(419) 372-2843

Reporting Racial or Sexual Harassment, Discrimination

BGSU Office of Equity and Diversity
(419) 372-8472

Reporting Other Abuse Involving Computers or Networks

Technology Support Center
(419) 372-0999

If you have any other questions, please visit:

http://www.bgsu.edu/its/security/page11082.html
Computer Ethics 8
RESPECTFUL USE OF EQUI PMENT AND
INTERNE T ACCESS

A general rule when it comes to computer ethics is respect. Here are some guidelines to
follow when dealing with computers in your academic life; most translate into the
workplace as well:

RESPECT YOURSELF

• Do not give out your passwords

• Don’t say or do anything that could damage your reputation, even if you think it’s
impossible for someone to find it or know it was you
• Protect your identity
• Log out of portals
• Don’t leave copies of your printed pages in a common printer

RESPECT OTHERS

• Don’t harass or threaten anyone using a computer

• Don’t abuse your access to resources like storage space
• Remember that your personal site still has BGSU in the URL and reflects on
the University
RESPECT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

• Cite any information copied from the Internet

• Ask permission to copy or modify software unless it is in the public domain

FINAL NOTE

It is a violation of University policy to set up separate servers or to use our Internet

connections for unlawful activities. The University does prosecute violators of the
policies as well as “hackers” through University procedures, local courts, and the federal
court system. Using the Internet to entice minors is unlawful, as is viewing child
pornography.

Be aware that under certain new rules promulgated by the United States Government,
the University may be required to reveal information about you, so use common
computers wisely.

Welcome to a tech savvy campus!