Introduction to computer ethics

1. Computer Ethics
Overview
Gordon College

2. Introduction
 Computer ethics is growing and changing
as computers are growing and changing
 Narrow view:
apply traditional ethical to issues regarding the use of
computer technology
 Very Broad view:
Also include: standards of professional practice,
codes of conduct, aspects of computer law,
public policy, corporate ethics

3. History of Computer Ethics
 MIT professor Norbert Wiener WWII
(early 1940s)
“second industrial revolution “
the integration of computer technology
into society will eventually constitute
the remaking of society

4. History of Computer Ethics
Mid 1960s, Donn Parker of SRI
“when people entered the computer center
they left their ethics at the door”
Late 1960s, Joseph Weizenbaum (MIT)
inspired many thinkers and projects in
computer ethics
Mid 1970s, Walter Maner
inquiry dealing with ethical problems
aggravated, transformed or created by
computer technology

5. History of Computer Ethics
By the 1980s, a number of social and
ethical consequences of IT going
public:
 computer-enabled crime
 disasters caused by computer failures
 invasions of privacy via computer
databases
 major law suits regarding software
ownership

6. History of Computer Ethics
Mid 80’s
James Moor (Dartmouth College)
published influential article "What Is
Computer Ethics?"
Deborah Johnson published Computer
Ethics, the first textbook

7. History of Computer Ethics
1990’s
new university courses, research
centers, conferences, journals,
articles and textbooks appeared, and
a wide diversity of additional scholars
and topics became involved.
Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility
Electronic Frontier Foundation

8. What is Ethics?
The study of moral, legal, and social
issues…

9. What is Computer Ethics?
New Twist to Old Ethical Issues:
“ethical problems aggravated, transformed or
created by computer technology” Maner
“pose new versions of standard moral problems and
moral dilemmas, exacerbating the old problems,
and forcing us to apply ordinary moral norms in
uncharted realms “ Johnson

10. What is Computer Ethics?
Best available definition:
a field concerned with "policy vacuums" and "conceptual
muddles" regarding the social and ethical use of
information technology Moor
policy vacuum – Computers provide us with
new capabilities and these in turn give us new
choices for action
conceptual muddle - a problem in computer
ethics may seem clear initially, a little reflection
reveals a conceptual muddle

11. What is Computer Ethics?
1990’s Gotterbarn
a branch of professional ethics, which
is concerned primarily with standards
of practice and codes of conduct of
computing professionals

12. Computer Ethics Topics
 Computers in the Workplace
 Computer Crime
 Privacy and Anonymity
 Intellectual Property
 Professional Responsibility
 Globalization
 The Metaethics of Computer Ethics

13. Computers in the Workplace
 LOST JOBS: Economic incentives to
replace humans with computerized
devices are very high
 NEW JOBS: Computer industry
already has generated a wide variety
of new jobs
 ALTERED JOBS:
– “de-skilling”
– New skilled jobs

14. Computer Crime
 Privacy and confidentiality
 Integrity -- assuring that data and
programs are not modified without
proper authority
 Unimpaired service
 Consistency -- ensuring that the data
and behavior we see today will be the
same tomorrow
 Controlling access to resources
$50 million identity theft

15. Privacy and Anonymity
 Mid-1960s
the American government already had created
large databases of information about private
citizens - census data, tax records, military
service records, welfare records, and so on.
BIG-BROTHER PLAN
ID number for every citizen in database
PUBLIC OUTCRY
Plan aborted … USA Privacy laws passed

16. Intellectual Property
 Free Software Foundation - software
ownership should not be allowed at
all.
 One can own the following aspects of
a program:
– source code
– object code
– algorithm
– look and feel

17. Professional Responsibility
 Computer professionals find themselves in
a variety of professional relationships with
other people
 Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE), have
established codes of ethics, curriculum
guidelines and accreditation requirements

18. Globalization
“Computer ethics” evolving into “global
information ethics”
 Global Laws
 Global Cyberbusiness
 Global Education
 Information Rich and Information
Poor

19. The Metaethics of Computer Ethics
 Computer technology would be
absorbed into the fabric of life, and
computer ethics would thus be
effectively absorbed into ordinary
ethics [Johnson]

20. Current Affairs
Electronic Voting (E-vote)
- E-vote success in Nevada may be model