Ethical Issues in Computing

Ethical and Social Issues Privacy Government surveillance Corporate surveillance Web tracking/weblogs Email archives Security Viruses Crackers Intellectual Property Software/digital media Piracy File sharing Open source movement Computer Crime Theft of property Destruction of property Free Speech Issues Junk email Censorship Pornography Harassment Information overload Spam Virtual office Information warfare DOS and other attacks Retaliatory viruses The digital divide Race Gender Ethnicity Rural/urban The poor New forms of Relationships Communication Business Telecommuting Information as a commodity Leisure/Recreation Software development Open Source Liability for bugs Reliability Interoperability New codes of conduct The ACM code The Hacker Ethic New health issues RSI Addictions (internet, gaming, etc.) Ergonomics Artificial intelligence Humanizing our machines Strengths and weaknesses Computers in education Use of technology CS-1094 Computers and Society

ACM Code

ACM Association for Computing Machinery http://www.acm.org Commitment to ethical professional conduct is expected of every member.

Section 1 Fundamental Ethical Considerations Not specific to computing Serve as the context for our actions in computing and elsewhere

1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being “…computing professionals must attempt to ensure that the products of their efforts will be used in socially responsible ways, will meet social needs, and will avoid harmful effects to health and welfare.” Example: Star Wars programming

1.2 Avoid harm to others To minimize harm “computing professionals must minimize malfunctions by following generally accepted standards for system design and testing.” Example: Therac Radiation machine AT&T telephone system crash Dallas/Fort Worth airport radar crash Patches and Service Packs Related issue: Software liability

1.3 Be honest and trustworthy Providing “full disclosure of all pertinent system limitations and problems.” Example: ?

1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate “Inequities between different groups of people may result from the use or misuse of information and technology.” Example: The Digital Divide

Sept. 2001

August. 2000 Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements

Computer and Internet Use at Any Location Age Distribution (3 year moving average), Percent of Persons Age 3 to 80 Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements

Computer and Internet Use Anywhere by Type of Household, Persons Age 3 +

Internet Use Anywhere by Race/Hispanic Origin, Percent of Persons Age 3 +

1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and patent More than moral duty it is legal obligation Patents, intellectual property with or without copyrights, license agreements “Unauthorized duplication of materials must not be condoned.” Example: Pirated software, etc.

1.6 Give proper credit for intellectual property Don’t take credit for someone else’s work or ideas Example: Group effort on individual’s labs Combated by websites to compare versions Term paper sites Contracted assignment services Code libraries Anti-plagiarism websites Beyond intellectual property rights The Open Source Movement

1.7 Respect the privacy of others Only collect the necessary amounts of data Procedures governing appropriate access appropriate use data security Examples: Government TIA program

1.8 Honor confidentiality If you say you won’t reveal information, you don’t! If you don’t promise confidentiality you say so in a way that people hear you. Examples: Websites that bury confidentiality in the fine print of their Privacy Policies.

Sections 2-4 (Not on the final exam)

Section 2 More Specific Professional Responsibilities 2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and dignity in both the process and products of professional work. Your reputation is only as strong as your code. 2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence Stay active in the profession and current advances. 2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work Professional organizations often help with this 2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review 2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks

Section 2 More Specific Professional Responsibilities 2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities 2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences 2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when authorized to do so

Section 3 Organizational Leadership Imperatives 3.1 Articulate social responsibilities of members of an organizational unit and encourage full acceptance of those responsibilities 3.2 Manage personnel and resources to design and build information systems that enhance the quality of working life 3.3 Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of an organization’s computing and communication resources 3.4 Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a system have their needs clearly articulated during the assessment and design of requirements; later the system must be validated to meet requirements.

Section 3 Organizational Leadership Imperatives 3.5 Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity of users and others affected by a computing system. 3.6 Create opportunities for members of the organization to learn the principles and limitations of computer systems.

Section 4 Compliance with the code As an ACM member I will … 4.1 Uphold and promote the principles of this Code The future of the computing profession depends on both technical and ethical excellence 4.2 Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM Adherence is voluntary Violations by gross misconduct are grounds for membership termination