Internet Ethics

by

Fe Angela M. Verzosa

University Archivist, DLSU

ISSUES on Internet Ethics

Internet conduct

Research on the Internet

Business on the Internet

Politics and the Internet

On-line education

Legal issues

Social issues

Identity issues

Privacy issues

Security issues

Unethical/Illegal behavior:

Stealing copyright and credit for intellectual property

Intercepting private e-mail

Display of pornographic material

Deliberate public mis-

information

Misuse of research material

Improper commercial/

personal use of network

Stealing credit information.

Focus of this lecture

What is the Internet?

How does its past development and current operations relate to questions of ethics?

Is there a place for legal ethics on the Internet?

if so, how would this manifest itself?

Evolution of the Internet

started life in 1969 as a network for the American military (ARPANET)

started by connecting terminals at Stanford and UCLA

http://images.forbes.com/images/2002/12/02/1969_internet.jpg

In 70s-80s Internet evolved into a network for the American academic community

WWW was developed by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989

Tim Berners-Lee

In 1988 thru the early 90s, worms found their way around the Net - WWW Worms (W4), joined by Spiders, Wanderers , Crawlers , and Snakes ...

Evolution of the Internet (con’t)

First search engine ‘ Archie ’

came out in 1990

( Google , the most widely used,

came out of Stanford in late 1997)

In 1993, Internet took off, number

of users doubled

A number of Net related companies

went public, with Netscape leading

the pack

1995 Hong Kong police disconnected all but one of the colony's Internet providers for failure to obtain license; thousands of users left without service

1995 Internet entered media consciousness and public debate. Today there are around 400 million Internet users world-wide.

In the Philippines, DOST-ESEP network was launched in 1995. DLSU became the 1 st academic library to go public with its OPAC,

China : requires users and ISPs to register with the police

Germany : cuts off access to some newsgroups carried on CompuServe

Saudi Arabia : confines Internet access to universities and hospitals

Singapore : requires political and religious content providers to register with the state

1996 Restrictions on Internet use…

1996 Restrictions on Internet use…

New Zealand : classifies computer disks as "publications" that can be censored and seized

China : Chinese government puts Lin Hai on trial for "inciting the overthrow of state power" for providing 30,000 email addresses to a US Internet magazine (December) [ He is later sentenced to two years in jail ]

France - French legal case against the American Yahoo

After months of legal proceedings, the French court rules Yahoo! must block French users from accessing hate memorabilia in its auction site (Nov 2000). Given its inability to provide such a block on the Internet, Yahoo! removes those auctions entirely (Jan 2001). The case is eventually thrown out (Feb 2003).

Australia - forwarding email becomes illegal with the passing of the Digital Agenda Act, as it is seen as a technical infringement of personal copyright (4 Mar 2001)

Europe - European Council finalizes an international cybercrime treaty on 22 June and adopts it on 9 November 2002. This is the first treaty addressing criminal offenses committed over the Internet.

Spain - hundreds of Spain-based web sites take their content offline in protest of a new law that took effect on 12 Oct 2002 requiring all commercial Web sites to register with the government.

Taxes make headlines as: larger US Internet retailers begin collecting taxes on all purchases; some US states tax Internet bandwidth; and the EU requires all Internet companies to collect value added tax (VAT) on digital downloads starting 1 July 2003

For a much more detailed history of the Internet, see the Hobbes Internet Timeline http://www.zakon.org/robert/internet/timeline)

What are the implications of this

evolution in the ethics issue?

Internet originally designed for, and used by, the few and the intellectual

Internet was originally used exclusively by Americans , who value freedom of expression and are hostile towards government intervention or control

As Internet growth continues, more users in the Third World, the ethics debate will not simply be an American vs European one because of wide diversity of cultures and value systems of users.

The Internet is not one network but many – indeed it is a network of networks.

The Internet has many

players with different

interests.

There is still a poor

sense of understanding

of the issues.

The debate about the

content of the Internet

is not national but

global, not by specialists but by the general populace.

What are the implications of the range of Internet services for the ethics debate?

What is this ethics debate over the Internet? Is there a place for legal ethics on the Internet and, if so, how would this manifest itself?

How do we define Internet Ethics ?

Ethics debate

Ethics is about what is good, and

how we should think about good.

Logic is about truth;

aesthetics about beauty;

and ethics is about goodness.

Definitions

E thics pertains to a system of moral principles; the branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions .

Internet makes us aware there is quite a lot of opinions on Internet ethics.

Ethics

seeks to come up with a code of conduct and disclosure obligation for those

who communicate on the Internet.

Internet ethics

Issues on Internet Ethics

Should we apply our moral standards to the Internet, or should we develop new norms?

If Internet is borderless, how do we accommodate multiplicity of values?

Are we to follow the established Netiquette ?

Whose responsibility is ethics on the Internet?

consist of codes of conduct

relating to behavior in computer

mediated groups and communities

and conduct relating to the

practice of research

generally relate to issues of

informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and avoidance of harm

guidelines for internet research developed by American Sociological Assn and British Sociological Association (see the ff websites 

http://www.asanet/ecoderev.htm http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/ot36/ethgu2.htm)

Issues on Ethics of Internet research

Another ethical issue is technology-assisted plagiarism .

Users, especially students/faculty can download entire term papers/thesis/ research articles/syllabi/ modules.

Internet makes it easy for users to simply sit at home, search millions of articles instantly, be taken to the exact paragraph in a text that deals with their subject, cut and paste it, and pass the work as their own.

Software has been developed to track down such cheating.

Another ethical issue concerns search engines as

advertising media.

Search engines used to index web sites for relevant information on specific topics; now that they accept paid-for listings, users who look for free information are pushed towards product sites and ad pages.

Paid submission speeds up process of being included in any search result.

Paid placement can guarantee high ranking in search result

Paid inclusion is where an advertiser isn’t guaranteed a high result but it will be more likely to appear in the result

Internet Business

issues including honesty and responsibility

accountability, privacy and confidentiality

protection of data (i.e. credit card numbers)

freedom from invasiveness (i.e. so-called sticky websites that automatically track and retain customer contact and information)

quality of the goods delivered

disclosure and reliability of information (i.e. the scandal with fake paintings sold on eBay)

Sources of goods

Internet economics vs. traditional economics

impact of global Internet business

employment through the net ( local and global telecommuting)

web advertising, competition on the Internet (hacking into data, falsification of data)

public information and financial disclosure (investor relations on the Internet), and others.

Issue on ethics & Internet Business

What is AUP?

An acceptable use policy is an agreement between the user and the service provider that defines how users are allowed to use the network/Internet. An AUP should describe both acceptable and unacceptable behavior. To print out or view our DLSU AUP, visit http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/legalities/netusage.asp

General policies of DLSU’s Netusage

Respect the privacy of other users.

Respect the legal protection provided by copyright and license to programs and data.

Respect the integrity of computing systems .

Use by member institutions as a laboratory for research and experimentation in computer communications should not interfere with production usage . Any experimental use requiring modification to router software or protocol layers below ISO layer 4 requires prior review by ITC.

Ownership issues: Who owns what ?

Computer equipment, workstation, and software license

Electronic messages and electronic files with limited computing space (quota)

Computer account is not owned but access is granted subject to conditions and limitations.

Institutional Name, Logo, trademarks, signs, etc. such as DLSU, its logo, “The future begins here”, Green Archer, are all registered with IPO.

What is Netiquette?

Email formality/informality depends on communicators

Never type using capital letters, unless in anger

Email is not a telegraph; use complete sentences

Use !!! Sparingly (if only to indicate emotions)

Always put something descriptive under Subject

Avoid email exchanges of sexual nature

Respect copyright privileges and “fair use” policies

Do not share password/computer accounts

Do not send chain letters, forged messages, etc.

Malicious misuse (cracking passwords, hacking, disrupting system, sending bogus aliases, messages, etc)

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. 2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work. 3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files. 4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. 5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.

Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics

6.Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid. 7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization. 8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output. 9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write. 10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.

Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics

Cited from The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette - by Arlene Rinaldi, from the Computer Ethics Institute http://www.fau.edu/rinaldi/net/ten.html “ Permission to duplicate or distribute this document is granted with the provision that the document remains intact or if used in sections, that the original document source be referenced.”

intellectual property issues

privacy (almost every commercial website has a privacy statement)

reliability and accountability

data protection

censorship vs. freedom of expression (pornography, hate speech, restricted data)

What about legal issues and Internet Ethics?

Internet crime (i.e. hacking) and justice

information technology in the workplace (surveillance, control, empowerment vs. disempowerment)

terms of participation and service agreements

What about legal issues and Internet Ethics? (2)

Piracy (E-Commerce Act)

the unauthorized copying, reproduction, dissemination, distribution, importation, use removal, alteration, substitution, modification, storage, uploading, downloading, communication, making available to the public, or broadcasting of protected material, electronic signatures or copyrighted works, including legally protected sound recordings or phonograms or information material on protected works,

Piracy (E-Commerce Act)…

through the use of telecommunication networks such as, but not limited

to, the Internet,

in a manner that

infringes intellectual

property rights...

Some questions on legal aspects

Should off-line laws be applied to online activities

Should Internet be borderless , or should there be

geolocation checkpoints, and how will they work?

Can the courts of one country apply penalties to a company based in another country? If so, how will Internet e-commerce cope with multiple jurisdictions?

Laws are nation-based but cyberspace is global. How does one apply up to 170 separate and

different legal systems to the Internet?

Children needs special protection.

Who should police the net and

detect cybercrimes ?

Some remedial solutions …

Update copyright and intellectual property laws to meet the challenges of the networked environment

More high tech crime fighters ,

like the National High Tech Crime

Unit in UK

More hotline organizations

to receive report on cybercrimes,

like Internet Watch Foundation

Use more sophisticated filtering software , like. the Internet Content Rating Association which has developed labelling system and promotes content rating

Access to this site is blocked The filter list that is used is downloaded from the Internet. Sometimes, legitimate sites get included in this filter list. If you think this is an error, send this e-mail. You may need to use the browser's <Reload> button or even <Keyboard Shift>+<Browser Reload> to get rid of this page after an access rule change 403 Forbidden Additional information: Client address = 10.2.81.1 Client name = Client user = Client group = default URL = http://www.antionline.com/ tutorials/?c Target group =

Background Fair use : Basic and applied. Who owns what? How to figure it out and how to change it. Details Creating multimedia : Fair use and beyond, including courseware contracts. Copyright in the digital library : Welcome to the center of the digital revolution. Copyright management : Nobody knows what this is about. Find out. Licensing resources : The next copyright frontier. Online presentations : Talks tailored to the audience's copyright concerns - for faculty, students, staff, librarians, artists, administrators. Outside References Ask a lawyer : If you are a U.T. System employee, ask away. Offsite : So much really good information is available out there; you won't believe it. The Crash Course Tutorial is available for faculty to use to learn Copyright basics, especially in the distance learning context. Crash Course Syllabus

Some remedial solutions…(2)

Install

“ walled gardens”

for children using

the net

Courts are

legalistic,

confrontational

and costly ;

use flexible, cheaper, and faster means to resolve

Internet problems thru dialogues, informed public

opinion surveys, etc.

More internet crime fora/symposia to educate the netpublic

An Informative Interactive Question and Answer Page on Internet Ethics, Computer Ethics, Cyber Ethics, E-Commerce Ethics, Web Ethics, Medical Ethics and Other General Ethical Issues.htm