Transcript Computer Ethics

Computer Ethics
By: Tom Forester & Perry Morrison
Problems with IT
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Scope
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Pervasiveness
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Enormous amount of data stored, retrieved and
transmitted at great speed on a scale not previously
possible
Touches every aspect of our lives but less reliable
and predictable than previous technologies
Complexity
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Sometimes not even understood by creator
Complexity cont.
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“Massive foul-ups” or “spectacular budget
runaways”
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Bank of America
Allstate
Dependence (saving lives, flying, running
nuclear power stations, transferring vast
amounts of money & controlling missile
systems) can result in disaster
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$900, 000, 000/year due to software failures alone
Issues Raised Due to Computers
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The unauthorized use of hardware
Theft of hardware
Disputed product rights
Computer fraud
Hacking and data theft
Sabotage (viruses, bugs ect.)
The degradation of work
Code of Conduct?
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Computer professionals face many ethical
questions including:
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Is copying software really a form of stealing?
Are so-called ‘victimless’ crimes more acceptable
than crimes with human victims?
Who is responsible for computer malfunctions in
computer programs?
Should computer professionals be bound by a
Code of Conduct and what should it include?
Code of Conduct cont.
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Association for Computing Machinery (ACM),
International Federation for Information Processing
(IFIP), British Computer Society (BCS) –
membership is not compulsory
Unlike medicine and law – more like engineers
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Work as employees
Esoteric knowledge but no autonomy
Work in teams rather than alone and on project segments
Usually distant from the effects of their work; no regulating
professional organization
Code of Conduct cont.
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Obligations to society
Obligations to their employers
Obligations to their clients
Obligations to co-professionals and
professional organizations
Risk of misuse of power
Computer Crime
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Increasing technology and computer users
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Can take the form of:
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White to more blue collar crime – mafia (record-keeping,
extortion, blackmail and sabotage)
ATMs, cell phones
Theft of money
Theft of information
Theft of goods
Two techniques:
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The Salami
The Trojan Horse
Computer Crime cont.
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Reported crime is just the tip of the iceberg
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Of 1406 cases, 89% were never taken to court and
convictions were obtained in only 18% of the
remainder
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$0.5 Billion vs. $3-5 Billion ($13.5 Billion)
Little benefit to the victim
The ‘typical’ computer criminal
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First-time offenders who are motivated by greed, pressing
financial worries and/or other personal problems (alcohol)
Definitions of a Hacker
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A person who enjoys learning the details of
computer systems and how to stretch their
capabilities
One who programs enthusiastically
A person capable of appreciating hack value
A person who is good at programming
quickly
Hacking and Viruses
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Began at MIT in the late 1960s
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About intellectual challenge, not malicious damage
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Guessing passwords/inventing means of bypassing file
protections
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Captain Crunch
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Commercialization of software = emergence of
hacking in its criminal form
Why do Hackers Hack?
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Acts of vengeance by disgruntled employees: logicbomb
Feeling of severe social inadequacy (pg. 45)
They are people who have a particular obsession –
although different from other obsessions
Many times it is quite simple
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Lack of variation of user passwords: ‘sex’ and ‘love’ (U.S.),
Fred (U.K.), names of pets, wives, children, first set of
numbers (1234) or letters (qwerty) on a keyboard
Video
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP1BOZ
qrp5g&feature=related
Ethical Issues
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What damage has been caused?
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No obvious intent to cause harm
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Degree of damage and predetermination key
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Different conceptualizations of systems
Computerizing the Workforce
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Impact of new technology has always been
an issue
Employment debate has slowed down
because of three main reasons:
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Introduction of computers has been much slower than
expected
Unemployment has ceased to increase at such an
alarming rate
Baby boomers leaving the workforce
Computers and the Quality of
Worklife
De-skilling the workforce
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Reducing control, responsibility, and job satisfaction of
skilled operators
Increasing the stress, depersonalization, fatigue and
boredom experienced by employees
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Creating additional drafts, ‘fiddling around with
spreadsheets
Creating health and safety hazards
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Headaches and repetitive strain injury
Questions?