Computer / Information / Internet Ethics

Beth Sanderson University of Washington Libraries, Bothell

© Lawrence Snyder 2004

  Recalling the “digitization lecture,” there was steady computing progress in last ½ of 20 th C There are probably computer people who dream of the lost “online paradise” of the time  A few hundred computers  Internet had little traffic  No security … everyone saw all   Collegial respect controlled behavior A time of Peace and Harmony © 2010 Larry Snyder, CSE 4/29/2020 2

 That “paradise” came to an end in either  November 1988, with the “Morris Worm,” the first Internet virus  March 1994, with the first SPAM sent by a lawyer trying to sell “green cards”  Since then “paradise” has gotten a lot better, but now we have risks and frustrations  Today, we discuss privacy and the social sphere © 2010 Larry Snyder, CSE 4/29/2020 3

Why are we talking about this at the library?

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You call it digital/computer literacy, I call it information literacy:

The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally

. The Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Standards, Standard Five: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cf

m#stan 5

ethics

1. the moral principles governing or

influencing conduct.

"ethics pl. n." The Concise Oxford English Dictionary, Twelfth edition . Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of Washington. 10 October 2011 6

       Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.

Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.

Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.

Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.

Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.

Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.

Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.

  Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.

Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.

 Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

"Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics of the Computer Ethics Institute." Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics. Ed. Carl Mitcham. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 2175. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

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Privacy AND Ethics AND Internet Digital Rights Management (DRM) AND Ethics AND Internet Intellectual Property AND Ethics AND Internet Digital Divide AND Ethics AND Internet Net Neutrality AND Ethics AND Internet Censorship/Freedom of Speech AND Ethics AND Internet

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1. What is your topic? Summarize the issue(s) to the class. You may use the board or the overhead computer if you would like (5ish minutes per group) 2. Look at the sources you used to find the above information. Choose a “good” source and explain why you feel it is a “good” source. (3ish minutes per group) 9

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