IS 201 - Computer Ethics

Your decision on the Hacking Case

2005-03-26T14:57:00.000+08:00

Your decision on the Hacking Case

If you were to decide on the Landmark Hacking, what will be your judgment? Support your answer.

Given the scarce documents regarding the case, it is not just to create a judgment right away. Since there are not enough documents presented to me, I will not be able to make a judgment right away. But suppose that the documents that I have are the only documents that can be presented, I may be more likely to dismiss the case for lack of supporting evidence. Use of a single telephone number for accessing the Thames account cannot be attributed right away to Leilani Garcia only. If people other than Leilani use the telephone number for accessing the ISP, then Leilani and Cesar Mañalac could not be the only suspects right away. If there are company rules by Thames that usage of the account excludes people like Leilani, then Leilani should not have used the account even if she gained access to it. However, if Mañalac has authority to give access to the Thames account then there is no need to argue about the case. But if Mañalac is not authorized to do so, then the case should proceed.

Laws Controlling the Use of Computer Technology

2005-03-26T14:55:00.000+08:00

Laws Controlling the Use of Computer Technology

Are you in favor of the enactment and enforcement of laws that will regulate and control the use of computer technology? Why or why not? Defend your answer.

I am in favor with the laws on computer technology mainly because such acts protect various proponents that are related to the technology. It could be forgiven that the laws are somewhat crude; anyway, they are just preliminary moves regarding the laws on computer technology. What could not be forgiven however is when these laws become stagnant, when they are no longer relevant to the present and future needs of the citizens. With the laws on computer technology in the Philippines, computer programs are rendered as not patentable but copyrightable. This ensures protection of the owners of the computer programs against unfair use of their intellectual property. This also ensures protection of other parties interested in producing similar programs that may be an improvement on the existing program. With computer programs being not patentable, the citizens are not locked to existing patented programs which more or less are resting on a monopoly since programs similar to the patented one can not be produced. More often than not, the laws on computer technology are very much favorable for the protection of all parties engaged in the use of computer technology. And even if the exiting laws are not yet fully refined, they should evolve to be.

Three Examples of Computer Crimes

2005-03-26T14:51:00.000+08:00

Three Examples of Computer Crimes

Discuss at least three examples of computer crimes.

Ping of Death

In April 18, 2000 a 15-year old Canadian boy was arrested and charged with two counts of “mischief to data” and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police seized his computer for his attacks. He was protected by his pseudonym “Mafiaboy.” The attacks were on yahoo.com, amazon.com, buy.com, cnn.com, ebay.com, E*Trade, ZDNet, Dell Computer, Outlaw.net, and also victimizing computers from Stanford University and University of California Santa Barbara. Maximum penalties for juveniles were put on him by the Canadian Federal prosecutors but social workers aiding Mafiaboy said that he still has no remorse for his crimes.

Gate Programs and Password Crackers

This was from the Case of Randal Schwartz and Intel Corporation. Schwartz was a contributor to the PERL programming language and was a contractor for Intel. Schwartz put gate programs on Intel’s computers and accessed the Internet from them. His actions made Intel’s computer vulnerable and are also not in accord with Intel’s rules. Schwartz was able to crack various passwords from Intel computers and did not notify Intel about it. Schwartz received 5 years of probation, 480 hours of community service, 90 days of jail time, and $68,000 restitution for Intel.

Keyloggers, Software Piracy and Bank Account Theft

Juju Jiang, 24 years old, of Flushing, New York was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment, and three years supervised release after that, with around $200,000 restitution for computer fraud and software piracy. Jiang installed keyloggers on terminals of Kinko’s store to collect usernames and passwords. With the confidential information he obtained, he accessed or tried to access bank accounts belonging to other persons, and transferring funds to unauthorized accounts. His two counts of software piracy came from his sale of copies of Microsoft Office 2000 Professional Edition.

Definition of Computer Crime

2005-03-13T23:34:00.000+08:00

Definition of Computer Crime

From the cases summarized above, explain what constitutes a computer crime.

It would not give justice to give a generalized definition for a very complex issue of what constitutes computer crime. That is why the laws are expressed in excruciating detail. But in the light of the cases in the module, computer crimes could be viewed as resulting to normal non-computer crimes like stealing, fraud, etc., but it is just that, computers are involved. So it is not uncommon for computer laws to be viewed as adoption of the non-computer laws, tweaked to be applicable to computing contexts.

Explanation of Court Rulings

2005-03-13T23:28:00.000+08:00

Explanation of Court Rulings

Account for the court ruling in the four cases discussed above on ethical grounds. That is, explain from an ethics standpoint the court ruling in each case.

Whelan vs. Jaslow

Whelan did not commit software piracy or plagiarism since no verbatim copies were made. It may be true that the case was resolved using an old appreciation of computer science. Actually, this is a trend in the open source scene were most open source projects are inspired by commercial applications. The commercial and open source projects have the same functionality but no piracy or plagiarism need to be done to accomplish it.

Computer Associates vs. Altai

Altai did an almost noble thing of doing a second version of their program since they do not want to be unethical, in a sense. Altai could have capitalized on a key asset that they have, the ex-Computer Associates employee, but they did not. Computer Associates’ move of suing Altai could be somehow viewed as malicious. Too bad for CA, the case of Whelan vs. Jaslow was viewed as outdated so the case was not in their favor.

Apple vs. Microsoft and HP

The case could be analogous to having masterpieces and their replicas. Look and feels were just matters of style, and styles by nature are prone to mimicking. But still no software was pirated and no written work was plagiarized. Today actually, Apple’s look and feels for their applications were being mimicked by various projects but there are no issues with it.

Lotus vs. Paperback Software, Mosaic Software, and Borland

In here, the basic premise of software piracy or plagiarism was not committed. Of course, if several proponents are creating the same functions for their software, it is not uncommon for their different applications to have similar menu structures. I think I can smell unethical motives not in the issue of the menu structures but in the courts that decided for Mosaic and Paperback. It could be noticed that the previous two companies were not as big as Lotus or Borland. It could not be helped but have a hint that there was partiality in the rulings where smaller companies lost but a big company did not, on cases having the same nature. Today there exists the Microsoft Office suite and the OpenOffice.org suite. OpenOffice.org actually has a menu structure that is very similar to the Microsoft Office menu structure. But no software piracy or plagiarism was committed.

2005-03-06T18:25:00.000+08:00

An Issue Discussed from 6 Perspectives

Discuss one of the issues taken up in this module from the point of view of the preliminary and finalist theories discussed in Modules 3 and 4. Note that you must discuss the issue you choose from six perspectives (three preliminary theories and three finalist theories). To put it another way, you must come up with six perspectives on the issue.

Issue: Internet Pornography

First Perspective – Ethical Relativism

In the light of this ethical principle, all absolutist views about Internet pornography will be rejected as this principle supports exceptional cases to almost every rule due to different contexts and conditions among acts like pornography in the Internet. So Internet pornography is tolerated in some contexts and not in other contexts. But a single rule imposed on just one side of the two-sided Internet pornography issue is frowned upon by this ethical perspective.

Second Perspective – Ethical Absolutism

In this perspective, the issue of Internet pornography is either good or bad and there should never be a gray area. This perspective is backed up by rigid factors that are universal, constant and having unchanging reasons for judging the issues.

Third Perspective – Ethical Egoism and Ethical Altruism

Since the object of the ethical egoism perspective concentrates on the “self” (it may also be altruism that is masked behind self-interest), tolerance or intolerance of the Internet pornography issue cannot be a matter of social proportions rather; it is just an individual issue. An individual could assess the issue as an object of aversion or desire and this individual assessment cannot be generalized to apply to all individuals. Since ethical altruism is also an individual issue, this perspective is similar in some ways with ethical egoism regarding the issues of computing like Internet pornography.

Fourth Perspective – John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism

For this perspective, the issue must be subjected to the “greatest happiness” function. Of course this means that the issue should produce happiness and help people involved to avoid pain. It is inherent in this principle to resolve the issues using the greatest happiness function for promoting judgment that could achieve near universality.

Fifth Perspective – Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperatives

“First, to have moral worth, an action should be done out of duty.” This cannot be applied to all circumstances and all contexts regarding Internet pornography since the duties regarding actions of Internet pornography vary widely. “Second, an action done from duty does not have its moral worth in the purpose, which is to be achieved through it, but in the maxim by which it is determined”. This also does not have universal application considering that Internet pornography’s maxim might be to educate or even just to entertain. In this regard Internet pornography could be a hypothetical imperative since the issue could be good for something else. Since some might also hold that Internet pornography has its inherent value, and that it is good in itself the issue could be regarded by some as a categorical imperative. What is apparent is that this perspective also has diverse views on the issue.

Sixth Perspective – Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

In this perspective, the issue could be subjected to classification as instrumental, final, or supreme. We could classify the issue as being one of the three in different contexts. Although sexually-related activities are more often given the bad hype, some proponents view sexually-related activities as having pure and non-malicious worth. Internet pornography might also be regarded as being driven by moral or intellectual virtue. Since the perspective makes heavy use of moderation. So the issue of Internet pornography as much as any other issue could be a candidate to being a virtue through moderation.

Chat Groups and Free Expression

2005-03-06T18:20:00.000+08:00

Chat Groups and Free Expression

If you were granted indefinite and unrestricted access to the Internet, would you be interested to join a chat group that holds no barrier as far as free expression and communication are concerned? Why? Why not?

Actually, I am not very interested in chat groups, although I am interested in having freedom of expression in various forms. Just like an adaptation of the cliché goes: I may not be interested in what other people are saying, but I may fight for the right of those people to say what they want. Most people find the right to freedom of expression that they are seeking in the Internet, where expressions are ironically easier to restrain. The amount of noise in the Internet is often enormous that people have to actively filter what they want to ingest. What’s good with the lesser restrictions in expression is that information is formed in usually many sources, although sometimes this is also a liability because some sources could contradict with their stands on the same issue. But this just reflects the healthy state of communication. Communication in the Internet can be regarded as having its own evolutionary nature, where flaming, racism, and other malicious form of communication naturally die down, and the healthy state of the intended communication naturally survives.

Denial of Access as a Social Justice Issue

2005-02-26T22:08:00.000+08:00

Denial of Access as a Social Justice Issue

Is denial of access in computing a social justice issue? Discuss your answer.

First of all, let us use the definition of social justice of Jose P. Laurel. One way of looking at the problem is “if access to computing is a social justice issue.” Computing is one of the factors that contribute to the welfare of the people. And if computing promotes the welfare of the people, it is the responsibility of the state to uphold it. The existence of denial of access to computing entails the fact that there is inequity of access; Equity of access is a concern of social justice according to the module. If this is the case, then we could infer that denial of access to computing is a social justice issue.

An Example of a Social Justice Issue

2005-02-26T22:00:00.000+08:00

An Example of a Social Justice Issue

Choose one of the social justice issues in computing discussed above and find out to what extent it is an issue in the Philippines. Then find out what is being done to address it in specific countries. For example, in the case of the digital divide due to language differences, Soriano reports the adoption of the ‘Unicode Standard, “a character coding system designed to support the worldwide interchange, processing, and display of the written texts of the diverse languages of the modern world.” Developed, extended and promoted by a non-profit organization, the Unicode Consortium (www.unicode.org), the Unicode Standard makes international communication easier.’

An example of a social justice issue in computing discussed in the module is “Are women more disadvantaged in the Information Age?” In the Philippines, women are generally more disadvantaged in computing relative to the men not because women are less entitled to computing facilities but because women have more responsibilities (like childcare) that lessens their time to do computing-related activities. Among the factors listed in the module (literacy and education, language, time, geographical location) social and cultural norms are the least likely to be factors applicable to Philippine women. Specific countries like the Philippines and the US have laws addressing the equality of men and women in general. There are also various active women’s rights groups in both countries that specifically fight for gender equality in the field of ICT. In the Philippines, there are two Republic Acts formulated during the term of Corazon Aquino addressing general gender equality issues.

An Example of a Violation of Privacy

2005-02-12T18:49:00.000+08:00

An Example of a Violation of Privacy

Think of an act, other than those already discussed in this module, that would constitute a violation of privacy in computing. Explain.

An interesting example of this happened on the part of eTours, its customers and Ask Jeeves. eTours is a direct marketing company that sponsors a privacy policy which it violated when eTours was sold to Ask Jeeves. The privacy was like usual policies; it promises that customer information will not be given out to other parties. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission about the sale of eTours to Ask Jeeves. The eTours customer information that were given out, which they promised previously not to, include a database of 4.5 million registered users and 2.2 million unique newsletter subscribers. The eTours acquisition was intended to expand Ask Jeeves’s targeted advertising products.

An Example of Computer Abuse

2005-02-05T16:57:00.000+08:00

An Example of Computer Abuse

Choose one of computer abuse which you think is morally wrong. Explain why you consider it as morally wrong using any of the ethical principles you have learned in the earlier modules.

A computer abuse example that I consider as morally wrong is the trap door. Some developers of electronic systems, usually those concerning financial systems, device holes in the systems that enable them to circumvent security of the system or create functionalities of the systems that are not part of the systems’ intended use. Examples of trap door implementations are systems that exploit rounding errors of financial transactions to transfer the almost negligible values to an unauthorized account. Even if the source code of the system does not contain a trap door, the trap door could be injected to the system through the compiler.

This is just a sophisticated method of stealing. Most of the ethical and legal principles from the previous modules are against stealing and breach of trust, which make trap doors morally wrong. For example, most Divine Natural, and Moral laws with the preliminary theories of ethical altruism, the finalist theories of Mill’s utilitarianism, the Kantian Categorical Imperatives, and the Nichomachean Ethics, condemn stealing and dishonesty so trap doors are not acceptable.

Spamming vs. Flaming

2005-02-05T16:56:00.000+08:00

Spamming vs. Flaming

What is Spamming? Differentiate it from flaming.

Spamming is the Internet version of junk mail. Unsolicited commercial mail has been an inexpensive way for companies to promote their goods and services but results in clogging of email inboxes for most people. Flaming on the other hand, is the act of sending abusive or disrespectful messages to other people in the Internet through email, newsgroups, mailing lists, etc.

Computer Worms and Viruses

2005-02-05T16:47:00.000+08:00

Computer Worms and Viruses

What are computer worms and viruses? Explain how these operate. Give examples.

Worms and viruses are malicious programs that have mechanisms for spreading themselves throughout many computers.

Viruses attach themselves to other executable files as their means of spreading to other systems. When the host executable program is run, the executable code of the virus is also run. Viruses have an infection phase where the virus is reproduced to other systems, and an attack phase where the virus unleashes its damaging mechanisms. Examples of viruses are Melissa and the “I Love You” virus / Love Bug.

Worms’ mechanism for spreading themselves does not rely on mechanisms used by viruses. Examples of worms include the Morris worm, and the Bagle worm.

Legislation Governing Computer Use

2005-01-22T22:39:00.000+08:00

Legislation Governing Computer Use

As a computer user, I approve of an ordering principle in the form of legislation being formulated and enforced to govern computer use. Use of computers may brush with people’s rights and privileges. As with conventional rights, they must be defended and upheld. Legislation on computer use will help defend and uphold people’s rights and privileges. As with any legislation, it is not enough that legislations be formulated; they must be enforced without prejudice.

Three Precepts on Computer Use

2005-01-22T22:37:00.000+08:00

Three Precepts on Computer Use

“Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people”

From the definitions of ethics, not harming others is in parallel with the following: having moral actions, caring for the soul, pursuing the good life. Most divine laws object to harming others. Some circles regard humans as having the tendency not to harm others by virtue of the natural law. Most moral laws also condemn harming others. In ethical egoism, not harming others may be in parallel with the ego’s desires. It may also be ethically altruistic. Not harming others might also give the most good for the most number of people. Not harming others may also be a duty of everyone by virtue of the Kantian categorical imperatives. Not harming others may also be a mean between extremes with Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics.

“Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work”

From the definitions of ethics, not interfering with other people’s work is in parallel with the following: having moral actions, caring for the soul, pursuing the good life. Most divine laws object to not interfering with other people’s work. Most moral laws also condemn interfering with other people’s work. In ethical egoism, not interfering with other people’s work may be in parallel with the ego’s desires. It may also be ethically altruistic. Not interfering with other people’s work might also give the most good for the most number of people. Not interfering with other people’s work may also be a duty of everyone by virtue of the Kantian categorical imperatives. Not interfering with other people’s work may also be a mean between extremes with Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics.

“Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s files”

From the definitions of ethics, not snooping around in other people’s files is in parallel with the following: having moral actions, caring for the soul, pursuing the good life. Most divine laws object to snooping around in other people’s files. Most moral laws also condemn snooping around in other people’s files. In ethical egoism, not snooping around in other people’s files may be in parallel with the ego’s desires. It may also be ethically altruistic. Not snooping around in other people’s files might also give the most good for the most number of people. Not snooping around in other people’s files may also be a duty of everyone by virtue of the Kantian categorical imperatives. Not snooping around in other people’s files may also be a mean between extremes with Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics.

Two Ethical Issues

2005-01-22T22:34:00.000+08:00

Two Ethical Issues

An ethical issue in computing is privacy. Privacy may apply to computer applications developers that wish that their programs not be reversed engineered. Privacy may also apply to computer users who wish that their identities be protected while using the computer. Since privacy in computing is just an extension of conventional privacy, and conventional privacy is an ethical issue, privacy in computing is also an ethical issue.

Another ethical issue is theft in computing. This issue comes in various forms, like theft of personal identity and theft using backdoors. Just as in conventional and computing privacy, theft with computers is just an extension of conventional theft.

With both issues, they become ethical because they affect people, some in adverse ways, others just in mild ways. Nevertheless, these issues are in the realm of ethics and must not be disregarded.

Case of Daan

2005-01-22T22:28:00.000+08:00

Case of Daan

1. Which of the 10 commandments on computer use did Daan violate?

The most evident commandment that Daan violated was “Thou shalt not use other people’s resources without authorization.” Daan also violated another commandment, although less evident, was “Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.” Since Kael’s motherboard broke, Kael can’t use the computer entirely.

2. If you were Daan, will you tell Kael the truth or not? Explain.

Since Daan has violated the commandments, Daan must do some corrective action. Daan could make up for his fault by secretly replacing the damaged motherboard with a functioning one, without telling Kael. As some might say, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” This might solve the problem temporarily but Daan can’t be sure how long this secret will last. This might give Daan worries. But telling the truth to Kael could lead to having peace of mind for Daan and also for Kael in the sense that Kael is confident that Daan will tell the truth when something bad happens and not keep it a secret. Since I don’t want to have too many worries, I will tell Kael the truth if I were in Daan’s place.

3. If you were Kael and Daan told you the truth, what will you do?

If I were Kael, I must keep my cool and not just get angry with Daan. If I need the computer badly, I will require Daan to get the computer fixed as soon as possible. I should not be too lax with forgiving Daan because Daan might not learn the lesson from using other people’s resources without authorization.

Most Pervasive Moral Problem

2005-01-08T20:20:00.000+08:00

Most Pervasive Moral Problem

In my opinion, the Problem of Freedom is very general enough that it encompasses the other Problems of Morality. If human beings are free and there is no morality then the other three are irrelevant. If this type of Problem of Morality encompasses the other three then this would be the most pervasive.

Moral Problems

2005-01-08T20:18:00.000+08:00

Moral Problems

The pattern of having a problem between what an individual wants and what morals of the society dictates can be extracted from the problem statement if the following were established: a) the police father has chosen between arresting his son or not, and b) the morals of the society dictates what a police father should do in such a situation. The problem did not state what the police father wants to do between the options and what the morals of the society dictates. If there are conflicts between what the police father wants and the morals of the society dictate, then there is an illustration of a problem of moral obligation.

The problem statement is insufficient for us to categorize it as a problem of moral principle since the problem did not state a set of moral principles that the police father should choose from.

Should the police father make some moral choices, the problem could be categorized as that of the Scope of Morality if the choices have to be identified as moral or not.

The situation could illustrate a problem of freedom if the actions of the people involved in the problem are investigated in the light of infringing on the rights of other people or not.

Most Predominant Theory

2005-01-02T11:40:00.000+08:00

Most Predominant Theory

Some concepts from all of the three finalist theories can be applicable to issues in computing. The norms of computing might have been formulated with the greatest happiness of the most number of people in mind. Or these computing norms may have been the universalized maxims and Imperative of Morality of rational people collectively. Kant's "good will" is parallel to modern laws concerning intent; Aristotle's inclusion of thoughts to people's actions (as opposed to actions only) is also in parallel with these.

The Nicomachean ethics can be seen as evident in computing because the ethics of computing are grounded on specific ends and in general, "the good life." Almost all of the Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics are grounded on pursuance of virtue and elimination of vices (stealing, destruction, etc.). The concepts of moderation or temperance are very applicable to computing related activities such as in the case of hacking. Hacking (ethical hacking) is a computing activity that incorporates various moral and intellectual virtues but going beyond the limits of ethical hacking that is cracking could be considered as example of Aristotelian excesses.

Most Appealing Finalist Theory

2005-01-01T21:07:00.000+08:00

Most Appealing Finalist Theory

Although the three finalist theories are not very much appealing to me, I will choose Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics if I have to make a single choice. It seems that finalist theories of substantial value have been formulated since the very ancient times and the more recent theories are not too brilliant compared to the old theories. I did not choose Mill's and Kant's theories because I find them degrading of people.

Mill's Utilitarianism Brings People Down to the Level of Animals

Mill in this case has joined the league of somewhat annoying theorists like Darwin and Freud. Mill's use of happiness as argument, which he shares with Aristotle, is just fine but Mill's association of happiness with pleasure is meager as compared with Aristotle's definition of happiness. Also, Mill's criteria for happiness restricts it to the most number possible. The determination of the greatest good for the hedonistic utilitarianism is not too concrete.

Kant's Bases for the Categorical Imperatives are not Concrete

Kant did not specify the universalizable maxims, I think maybe it is because there are no maxims that are universally accepted. For every maxim that is a candidate for universality, there would be arguments to counter it. Since the bases for the duties that people should adhere to do not have sound foundations, they are not authoritative. I personally would not like to be bound to a duty imposed on me that has no sound basis. That would be blindly following orders. Much like degrading people as done by the league of annoying theorists. This is not the most appealing but rather the most appalling theory among the three.

Aristotle's Virtue as the Mean Between Excesses is not too Concrete

There are also some excesses that are inherently bad so that may be the reason Aristotle did not categorize all excesses as having a negative version, and the mean be determined between them. Aristotle's reliance on virtue as means to happiness is not also universal; also the use of rationality as opposed to irrationality, people sometimes does not accept all rationality as universal. Aristotle's ethics also stated not only keeping virtue in people's hearts but make them into actions. This could lead to people being burnt out which could be candidate for unhappiness.

5 Cases

2004-12-17T11:03:00.000+08:00

Five Cases

Case 1

The motivations for Roger to design the program may include Roger’s desire to put his skills into practice. Having advantage over the enemy may give him personal pleasure. Making things easier is a general way to satisfy oneself.

His being social and rational may also be behind his action. As part of a collective opposing an enemy, he wants to alleviate the collective from the harm by the enemy. He put aside his self-interests instead of pursuing program design for exclusive use.

Case 2

Perla may be motivated by the pleasure of praise of the alma mater for her actions. It may also be the case that she wants her alma mater to have the competitive advantage instead of other schools.

On the side of ethical altruism, Perla may have just wanted to help her alma mater. It may also be that if she helps her alma mater to be more capable of helping others, then she indirectly helps those that her alma mater helps.

Case 3

Again personal satisfaction may play a big part of motivating Marjo to create the virus for laptop operations. He may gain a lot of pleasure imagining that he can topple the obstacle of determining programmatically if a particular operation is a laptop operation or not, which may be a Herculean task.

Marjo, on the other hand may think that laptop operations are for the elite and not for the masses, he may just be thinking of the general welfare of the common people in which may be the “collective” that he is part of. He may just view that his action may be part of maintaining the society by suppressing the rights of some.

On another angle, Marjo’s desire may not be in tune with the principles of ethical altruism because he may harm the collective with what he wants to do. He may not be respecting the rights and freedoms of the collective to enjoy laptop operations devoid of the nuances of viruses.

Case 4

Having access to a very secure system could boost the ego enormously. Many also believe that revenge is sweet, and it could be something very self-fulfilling.

It could be the case that Baba is part of the collective that the NBI takes the freedoms and interests of for granted. NBI may not be in tune with the well being of the society thus validating the plans of Baba for the collective.

However, sabotage of the NBI may not also be in tune with the welfare of the society since the sabotage of the NBI is also wasting the taxes of the people.

Case 5

There are various aspects of the case that could lead to satisfaction of personal desires in the case of Tikya and John-John. It could include the satisfaction gained by working for the country, or just simply earning money.

Or it could be that they are putting aside their personal interests so that they could work for the government for even just P 1 million and as government consultants; in the process, they may be serving the country with their skills.

Moral Issues in Computing

2004-12-17T10:48:00.000+08:00

Moral Issues in Computing

My classification of the moral issues in computing is based on the ethical absolutism of Christian principles.

Software Piracy

MB. Software piracy is stealing and is a breach of agreement not to reproduce software without the owner’s permission.

Pornography on the Net

MB. Various things motivate pornography on the Net and these may include the desire to earn money at the cost of other people’s righteousness. It is a provocation for others to sin. The people who are in the pornographic materials are not dressing responsibly.

Creation of Worms and Computer Viruses

MB. These software get into the proper function of computer and computer-related systems causing problems to thy neighbor.

Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (of Computer Programmers)

MB. Intellectual property is of course someone’s property and infringing on it is taking what does not belong to you. It is stealing.

Violation of Privacy (in Communications via Internet)

MB. This moral issue is somewhat related to the case of King David violating the privacy of Bathsheba.

Plagiarism

MB. This is another case of stealing.

Spamming

MB. This is related to the creation of computer worms and viruses. Spamming makes improper use of people’s mail inboxes.

Hacking

MB. As initiated by Anuerin Diaz, it is cracking which is the maliciously intended activity. It is assumed that ‘Hacking’ in this context actually refers to cracking. Cracking involves various malicious activities such as causing failures in people’s systems and stealing data.

Computer Abuse

MB. Any form of abuse means wrong use. Alcohol intake is not bad in itself; alcohol was involved in the Last Supper. It is the excessive intake of alcohol that is frowned upon. Any form of abuse is MB, and this includes computer abuse.

Computer Crimes in General

MB. In general, computer crimes are not in the best interests of loving thy neighbor and loving God above all.

Two Laws Governing Computer Use

2004-12-04T20:56:00.000+08:00

Two Laws Governing Computer Use

List down two laws governing computer use and explain what types of non-jural law seem to underpin these two laws.

E-Commerce Law of the Philippines (RA 8792) and Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (RA 8293)

Natural Law, which Plato distinguished from legal statutes such as the two RAs, cannot be the category for the RAs if we will follow Plato. It is ironic because even though the RAs are just institutionalized by men, the RAs are meant to uphold the principles of natural law as enumerated by Plato. What is also ironic is that people like Plato interprets the so-called Natural Law according to their liking, wherein conflicting ideas arise making Natural Law’s universality questionable, which in a way is an “institutionalization” by men. The module states that the principles of legal statutes are derived from natural law and the RAs are examples of these statutes.

Moral Law “is a system of unwritten ordering principles based on good and virtuous conduct that governs human actions.” Being unwritten, Moral Law cannot accept the compliance to it by the RAs. However, the module stated some examples that can be derived from the RAs that the modules states as compliant with Moral Law. They are

1. Respect for the rights of owners of intellectual property
2. Compliance with computer [norms and] laws
3. Condemnation of computer crimes and abuses

Imposition of Physical Law is irrelevant because natural occurrences comply with it. Therefore it doesn’t need enforcement by men. Physical Law is not a direct source of legal statutes but is instrumental in the verification of man’s compliance with legal statutes such as the RAs and other legal activities that require objectivity regarding natural phenomena.

Relevance of the Study of Law

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Relevance of the Study of Law

What relevance, if any, does the study of the concept of the law, in general, have in computing and your study of computer ethics?

The concept of law includes reference to order of sequence, and more prominently explains behaviors of computing elements such as electronic circuits, automata, logic, etc. Physical law is the kind of non-jural law that is most prevalent in the governing of the behavior of computing elements. Constancy and regularity of physical occurrences have been instrumental in the development of computing devices and processes. Without physical regularity and constancy, everything would be chaotic and the evolution of computing might not take place. Law and ethics are instruments that guide human actions by imposing approved actions and disapproving of some actions that are deemed wrong.

The Case of Melinda

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Case of Melinda

Divine Law

If the Divine Law is universal and absolute, and if it were against software piracy, then Melinda would be violating Divine Law. If Melinda has her own religious faith and if her faith is against software piracy then she violated her own faith’s Divine Law. There could be various faiths claiming that they are the correct faith. If it so happens that some faiths are correct and others are wrong then the Divine Laws of the correct faith must be consulted regarding the case of Melinda.

Natural Law

Natural Law governs nature as a rational harmony and orderly pattern of things without which everything would be reduced to chaos and disarray. Software piracy may or may not be in accord with this natural law because of the problematic character of Natural Law. It is not that established whether software piracy could lead to chaos or order.

If Natural Law is a discipline that everyone must adhere to, and if software piracy does not lead to the common good, Melinda did not adhere to Natural Law because of software piracy. But it is not that established what common good is. The theorists’ suggestions of precepts of natural law are questionable. Equity is the simplest of the precepts to apply to Melinda’s case but it still does not state whether software piracy is wrong. We could argue that if other people have software can’t others have too. Or if others bought software for a huge price others should get the software for a huge price also. Righteousness, justice, and fairness are precepts that are not too firm and do not classify actions accurately as acceptable or not unless specified in detail.

Natural Law also refers to the inherent nature of men and this brings conflicts because there are various opinions on the nature of man. The notion depicted in the module is that by Epictetus, in which man by nature is good. Again, the nature of “good” is not firmly established. Man has the capacity for goodness and such, but could we deny that man has the capacity for the opposite of these precepts? Others also state that man by nature is bad, etc. Whatever the nature of man is, we could state that man’s action is in accord with Natural Law if his actions are in accord with his nature. If software piracy is not in accord with man’s nature then it violates Natural Law.

Moral Law

Since the problem states that Melinda bought from Cyberzone (which is presumed to be a Cyberzone in the Philippines) the moral laws of the Philippine community should apply which has high tolerance for software piracy. Most people are aware that software piracy is illegal but still tolerate it, thus the case of Melinda is faced with different judgments instead of just one: whether it is accepted or not.

Physical Law

If there is a law of nature about software piracy then it is inevitable that software will be pirated. Melinda did just the inevitable. But physical laws still does not give meaning to software piracy as wrong or right.

Ethical Norms

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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.

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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.

When Does An Act Become Ethical or Unethical?

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Classmates' IS 201 Sites

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Abenoja, Almario
Abesamis, Jose Jonas
Acedo, Gemma
Agudelo, Jerecho
Aguinaldo, Betchie (Old)
Aguinaldo, Betchie
Aguinaldo, Rodelyn
Almazan, Chester
Apao, Elymar
Aragona, Jovita
Babao, Allen Andrew
Baluyut, John King
Barriga, Ronald
Belanio, John Lorenz
Belanio, John Lorenz (WVSU)
Berango, Mildred
Briguera, Marlon
Cabrera, Vina Liza Ruth
Castillo-Ramoran, Vanessa
Catipay, Charnel
Ceniza, Bryan
Clarito, Bernard Klinch
Contemplo, Mark Anthony
Cruz, Jositta Jude
Cua, Jasmin
De Guia, Joseph
Delluza, Ma.
Diaz, Anuerin
Didulo, Lawrence
Elardo, Vicky
Elibeto, Glenda (Old)
Elibeto, Glenda
Elibeto, Glenda
Gacusan, Raul
Garilao, Chona (Old)
Garilao, Chona
Germano, Jennifer Lovelyn
Geronimo, Martiniano
Gomez, Ligaya
Gutierrez, Alvin (Old)
Gutierrez, Alvin
Halibas, Alfonso
Hernandez, Armand (Blogspot)
Hernandez, Armand (Netfirms)
Hernandez, Armand (Freewebs)
Hubahib, Joel
Icaro, Walter
Ignacio, Roy
Lamadrid, Bernardo
Lim, Nestor (Old)
Lim, Nestor
Loma, Shirley
Lomada, Jerome
Lopez, Roda (Old)
Lopez, Roda
Loria, Michael (Old)
Loria, Michael
Lozano, Rubelyn
Mabalay, Malakas
Magpayo, Rolando
Magsombol, Loreta
Manalo, Sarah
Mangaliag, Ronald
Manuel, Robert
Mendoza, George
Morano, Lenny
Nabos, Julieta
Navarrosa, Maureen Nettie
Navarrosa, Maureen Nettie (Blogspot)
Odono, Leonardo
Osio, Isagani (Old)
Osio, Isagani
Padilla, Marc
Parayno, Aris
Pariñas-Mara, Belinda (Old)
Pariñas-Mara, Belinda
Patalinghug, Razel
Pinuela, Johnny Jr.
Pitogo, Francis
Piza, Geovani
Pontejos, Armand (Blogspot)
Pontejos, Armand (Angeltowns)
Pontejos, Armand
Pontillas, Ferdinand
Quimoyog, Renato
Racelis, Ryan
Rañola, Francia Paola
Ringpis, Mariffi (Old)
Ringpis, Mariffi
San Diego, Rea
Santos, Enrique
Sarmiento, Renato
Solmoro, Kriztine Mae (Old)
Solmoro, Kriztine Mae
Songco, Fred
Soriano, Liberty
Sotto, Ma. Thelma
Tan, Marissa
Tayamen, Jill
Timan, Elmer (Old)
Timan, Elmer
Trillanes, Arlene
Trillanes-Reyes, Agnes
Villarosa, Marc
Vitales, Sarina
Zipagan, Reynaldo