IS 201 - Computer Ethics: November 2004

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Ethical Norms

If you will be given the opportunity to formulate at least five ethical norms to govern computing, what would they be? Briefly explain each.

Intelectual property should be respected

There are ubiquitous laws about ownership of intellectual property and the laws and ethics pertaining to these should be upheld. The owner of the property has the rights regarding reproducing it, deriving works from it, distribution to the public, public performance, or public display.

Information should be well-intended and should be delivered to the right audience

In the case where information could be available even to the wrong audience, a disclaimer at least should be present, meaning that we just intended the information to a specific audience. There are also codes on decency and they should be upheld while upholding democracy.

Privacy should be protected

There are privacy rules even for non-computer related cases. Computing technology should not be used as means to volate the privacy of people. Purposeful anonymity should not be violated. Identities that belong to others should be protected and should not be misused by others.

Whistleblowing should be firmly grounded on altruistic motives

We should report anomalies that may threaten the public. The utilitarian principles may play a big part in this.

Computing technology should not be improperly used

Examples of improper use include creation and release of destructive technologies such as viruses, worms, and trojans, technologies for Denial of Service attacks, vandalism, cybersquatting, spamming, or any computing abuse.

The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics should be upheld

These commandments and other related codes derived from it or in tune with it that are altruistic or utilitarian in nature should be upheld.

REFERENCES:

The Computer Ethics Institute, "The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics", http://www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/its/cei/overview/
Ten_Commanments_of_Computer_Ethics.htm

“Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (version 5.2),” http://www.computer.org/tab/seprof/code.htm.

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (version 5.2)

The Code lays out aspirations for making software engineering a well-respected profession through eight principles in which software engineers should adhere to in pursuing actions in the context of the profession. The eight principles are summarized as follows:

1 PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.

2 CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer, consistent with the public interest.

3 PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.

4 JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.

5 MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

6 PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.

7 COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

8 SELF - Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

References:

“Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (version 5.2),” http://www.computer.org/tab/seprof/code.htm.

Monday, November 22, 2004

When Does An Act Become Ethical or Unethical?

I am aware of the belief that right and wrong things are relative. This may boil down to people being entitled to their own choices. For me I choose to believe that right and wrong or ethical and unethical are bound by moral values that are eternal truths, they are not man made inventions but willed by the Christian God. This is roughly my choice.

For example, why should I still take care of the dying if doing so is very uneconomical? In the context of my choice of ethical principles, the Christian God willed that I "love my neighbor as myself" so the ethical thing to do is to take care even of the dying regardless of unprofitability of it.

I made a simple script for determining ethical and unethical actions in the context of the material of The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Ethics

IS 201 References

Module 1 - What is Ethics?

Feiser, J (ed.), 2003, “Ethics,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/ethics.htm.

Module 2 - Ethics and the Law

Pascual, Crisolito. (1983). Introduction to Legal Philosophy.

Module 4 - Finalist Theories

Irwin, Terence, trans. (1985). Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics. Hackett Publishing Co.

White, Stephen A. (1992) Sovereign Virtue: Aristotle on the Relation Between Happiness and Prosperity. California: Stanford University Press.

Module 6 - Computer Ethics

Bynum, T, 2001, “Computer Ethics, Basic Concepts and Historical Overview,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-computer/

Module 7 - Computer Abuses

“”Hoaxbusters” - Computer Incident Advisory Capability of the US Department of Energy, http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org

Module 8 - Privacy Issues

Quittner, J. (August 25, 1997). “Invasion of Privacy,” TIME Magazine, http://www.time.com/time/reports/privacy/cover1.html

Module 9 - Social Justice Issues

World Summit on the Information Society, http://www.itu.int/wsis

World Forum on Communication Rights, http://www.communicationrights.org

Module 10 - Free Speech Issues

Supreme Court of the United States, 27 June 1997, “Supreme Court Opinion on the Communications Decency Act of 1996,” Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition, http://www.ciec.org/SC_appeal/opinion.shtml

Haselton, B., 12 December 2000, “Amnesty Intercepted: Global human rights groups blocked by Web censoring software,” Peacefire, http://www.peacefire.org/amnesty-intercepted/

McClellan, J., 20 Feb 2003, “War on the web,” Guardian Unlimited Online, http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,898661,00.html

Module 11 - Intellectual Property Rights

Lumantao, GE, 2003, “Free Software and/or Open Source: Creative Responses to Intellectual Property Rights,” http://www.batasayti.freeservers.com/about.html

Module 12 - Computer Crimes

McConnell International LLC, December 2000, “”Cyber Crime and Punishment? Archaic Laws Threaten GlobalInformation,” http://www.witsa.org/papers/McConnell-cybercrime.pdf

Three Definitions of Ethics

Pick three definitions of ethics from those given and your own example of each

Ethics as dealing with the basic principles of right action especially with reference to a particular person, profession, and others

Filipinos are usually honest to the jeepney driver when it comes to the amount of payment that they should give and the statement of their destinations, when they could easily lie about them (or even get a free ride). It is commonly regarded as ethical to be honest in this situation.

Ethics as area of philosophy that deals with man’s pursuit of the “good life”

Consumption of environment-friendly vehicle fuels could be in line with this definition of ethics. Motorists could just opt for the cheaper kinds of fuels, but because of their “pursuit of the good life” their actions could be regarded as ethical.

Ethics as study of morality of human actions

In the movie “8 Mile,” a group that believes that an abandoned house is used as a place to molest women, burned the house. Their intentions of preventing crimes against women may be noble, but in the context of this definition of ethics (based on certain generally accepted standards - the law against arson), they have violated the accepted standards.

The Case of Rona

The judgment: Rona is guilty of infringing intellectual property

The effective area of the law on intellectual property covers community B. The infringement was done on community B. Except in some cases (Rona pleads temporary insanity for example), Rona is proven guilty under the existing laws in community B.

Judging the case based on some definitions of ethics might be unjust

It might also be unethical. Ethics “involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior1” while law involves cause and effect, more commonly crime and punishment. The case of Rona is more of a case of law than a case of ethics. So if ethics is about right and wrong, and if the right thing to do about the case is to let the law handle it (and not ethics), it would be “unethical” to base the case on ethics rather than law. While ethics and law are both about right and wrong, it could be drawn upon their definitions that ethics is more into recommending and law is more into enforcing.

Ethics as character or custom

In the light of ethics, Rona could be acquitted with this argument since Rona’s customs are different to Jojo’s customs. But the laws of their communities are more binding than their ethics. So in the light of the law, Rona is guilty.

Ethics as study of morality of human actions

This definition of ethics considers the bounds of the restrictions of human actions depending on the circumstances and the generally accepted standards. Rona’s act is a negative illustration of this definition because her actions are not in the bounds of the restrictions of the generally accepted standards of community B.

Ethics as focusing on the care for the soul

Rona’s actions regarding Jojo’s intellectual property are similar to stealing. If stealing is regarded as an act that corrupts the soul, then Rona committed an unethical act.
Ethics as area of philosophy that deals with man’s pursuit of the “good life”

This definition concerns “adherence to ethics” in the attainment of the good life. Since both parties have different sets of ethics, this definition is not that useful for the case. In the point of view of community B, Rona’s acts are unethical, but in the point of view of community A, they are not. If there is a way to determine whether which set of ethics is more correct then we could arrive at a verdict using this definition.

Ethics as study and philosophy of human conduct

This definition emphasized determination of right and wrong which is more in the realm of Normative Ethics. The vice of insensitivity could be observed in the part of Rona when she was not sensitive of the ethics of community B. On another angle, community A exhibits the virtues of charity and generosity. This definition of ethics just provides many gray areas about the case and is not a very appropriate determinant of the verdict.

Ethics as dealing with the basic principles of right action

The example in the explanation of this definition included the relevance of location. This could be useful for the case if the ethics of a particular location applies to all persons in that area, equally for natives to that area or foreigners to it. Related to this is the concept of international law, which is traditionally built upon customs and treaties among different governments. The International Court of Justice of the United Nations for example, chooses which of the disputing camps’ laws will be applied.

Ethics as suggestion of notion of correct or incorrect practices relative to various concerns or fields of study

The case is in the realm of the applied ethics that pertains to intellectual property, more specifically computer ethics. Using a concrete set of ethics, like the Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics by the Computer Ethics Institute, Rona could be held liable for breaking all but commandments 5 and 9. Breaking at least one of these commandments will make the actions of Rona unethical, what more eight of them? This definition of ethics is very much against the position of Rona.

Location of trial is irrelevant in a world of justice

Given that the case will be tried on neutral territory, there is a degree of justice for both parties. Holding the trial in the courts of community A does not make sense because the infringement was not done in the effective area of the law of community A. Besides, there is no law in community A on prohibitions on intellectual property. Neutral territories have traditionally been locations to justly settle disputes involving different laws of different territories. Holding the trial in community B is just fair because the law that is in effect in that area was broken there. Given the nature of the law of community B, and assuming that the case will be handled with untainted justice, Rona will be proven guilty, and this is also the basis of the judgment of the case.

REFERENCES

[1] Feiser, J (ed.), 2003, “Ethics,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/ethics.htm.

IS 201 - Computer Ethics

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Ethical Norms

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Monday, November 22, 2004

When Does An Act Become Ethical or Unethical?

IS 201 References

Three Definitions of Ethics

The Case of Rona

Thursday, November 18, 2004

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