IS 201 - Computer Ethics: 2004

Friday, December 17, 2004

5 Cases

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

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.

Saturday, December 04, 2004

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

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

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.

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