Renaat Verbruggen1 Ethics Computer Ethics Cyber Ethics Ethics for Computer Professionals

Renaat Verbruggen2 School of Computing Dublin City University

Renaat Verbruggen3 Foundation of Ethics Philosophy; a system of beliefs allowing for alternative views of reality, meaning and understanding. Ethics belongs to philosophy not science.

Renaat Verbruggen4 Philosophy philosophy {Gk.   –Literally, love of wisdom. Hence, careful thought about the fundamental nature of the world, the grounds for human knowledge, and the evaluation of human conduct.

Renaat Verbruggen5 Philosophy –Parts of a philosophy system are: metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology. –Metaphysics: The theory of the nature of reality, asks what is real? It is a belief in what best explains reality and as it cannot be proven it is an assumption.: –Epistemology The theory of truth or knowledge, asks what is true and how do we come to know that truth?

Renaat Verbruggen6 Philosophy –axiology The theory of value or worth. It asks what is good or bad? It has two sub-parts: ethics the theory of the goodness or badness of human behaviour and aesthetics the theory of the goodness or badness of visual or audible stimuli (expressed in terms of beauty or ugliness)

Renaat Verbruggen7 Philosophy –Compatibility: the parts of a philosophic system must be compatible with one another.A person’s view of reality (metaphysics ), must be consistent with how they think reality is known (epistemology), and how it is to be valued (axiology). –Metaphysics: Is the fundamental or controlling element of philosophy, the way you explain reality will determine your view of knowledge and value.:

Renaat Verbruggen8 Ethics and Computing Why is Ethics such an issue with computing in particular? Principles of ethics are the same - theft is theft whether using a computer or not But computers give rise to new questions as to how these principles are to be applied.

Renaat Verbruggen9 Ethics and Computing Why is Ethics such an issue with computing in particular? Privacy Pervasiveness Security Responsibility

Renaat Verbruggen10 Issues for Ethics and Computing SPEED “Immediate” responses are possible using causing problems that would never have occurred before. Flames Reply All phenomena

Renaat Verbruggen11 Issues for Ethics and Computing STORAGE Vast amounts of data can be stored on individuals including transactions, locations, goods bought etc Privacy and Accuracy of information become an issue Information can be shared in multiple ways

Renaat Verbruggen12 Issues for Ethics and Computing IDENTITY theft Forgery Spoofing identity (impersonation) Pervasive mistaken identity

Renaat Verbruggen13 Issues for Ethics and Computing TRANSNATIONALITY It can cross borders with impunity What is legal in one country can be viewed by another in a country where it is illegal

Renaat Verbruggen14 Issues for Ethics and Computing COPYING Information can be taken form its original source and used elsewhere with ease. Copyright can easily be infringed

Renaat Verbruggen15 Issues for Ethics and Computing Content Pornography Gambling Chat rooms

Renaat Verbruggen16 Issues for Ethics and Computing POWER Gender - Computer Science is still a male- dominated field, is this male domination an inequity, or just an amoral accident? Race and Social Class is the computer such a basic tool that all should have equal access to it?

Renaat Verbruggen17 Issues for Ethics and Computing PRIVACY Selling private data - harvesting addresses then sell that information to mass marketers (spam).Opt-in vs. opt-out for solicitation - Is it unfair to marketers to prevent them by law from sending only to those who have in some way requested it?

Renaat Verbruggen18 Issues for Ethics and Computing Technical Issues Reverse engineering other companies software Professional conduct - see codes later

Renaat Verbruggen19 Why a Separate Category of Professional Ethics? The same ethical rules involving honesty, fairness, and so forth should apply to professionals as well as to ordinary individuals. So, if it is wrong for ordinary people to steal, cheat, lie, and so forth, then it is wrong for professionals to do so as well. Thus, one might conclude that a separate field of study called "professional ethics" is not really needed.

Renaat Verbruggen20 Separate Category of Professional Ethics (continued) Ethicists argue that some moral issues affect- ing professionals are sufficiently distinct and specialized to warrant a separate field of study. Some also argue that professionals can have special moral obligations that exceed those of ordinary individuals. To grasp the arguments for this view, it is useful first to understand what is meant by the terms profession and professional.

Renaat Verbruggen21 What Exactly is a Profession? A profession can be understood in terms of the attributes and requirements of a professional practice, such as "calling in which special knowledge and skill are used in...the service of mankind." (Firmage, 1991) Greenwood (1991) believes that professions are occupational fields distinguishable in terms of five characteristics: (i) systematic theory, (ii) authority, (iii) community sanction, (iv) ethical codes, and (v) a culture.

Renaat Verbruggen22 Who is a Professional? Professionals who comprise a given profession also tend to have certain defining attributes and requirements. Medical doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. find themselves in situations in which their decisions and actions can have significant social effects, and have roles and responsibili- ties that exceed those of ordinary individuals. Sometimes these roles and responsibilities differentiate professionals from others.

Renaat Verbruggen23 Who is a Computer Professional? A computer professional might be interpreted to mean anyone who is employed in the computer, information-technology, or information/communications fields. Or a computer professional might be thought of in more narrow terms, in which case only software engineers would be included. There are various gradients in between the two ends of this spectrum.

Renaat Verbruggen24 Definition of a Computer Professional (Continued) A computer professional could be defined in such a way that, in addition to software engineers, software quality analysts, software technical writers, and software managers and supervisors. A software engineering team includes those who contribute by direct participation to the analysis, specification, design, development, certification, maintenance, and testing of software systems.

Renaat Verbruggen25 Do Computer Professionals Have Special Responsibilities? Gotterbarn (1999) believes that because software engineers and their teams are have significant opportunities to: (i) do good or cause harm (ii) enable others to do good or cause harm (iii) influence others to do good or cause harm.

Renaat Verbruggen26 Critical-Safety Software Gotterbarn suggests that the roles and responsibilities involved in the development of safety-critical systems is a differentiating factor. A "safety-critical system" is often used to refer to computer systems that can have a direct life-threatening impact.

Renaat Verbruggen27 Safety-Critical Software (Continued) Examples of safety-critical software systems and applications typically include: aircraft and air traffic control systems mass transportation systems nuclear reactors missile systems medical treatment systems.

Renaat Verbruggen28 Additional Safety-Critical Systems Bowyer (2002) extends the range of safety- critical applications to include software used in the: design of bridges and buildings; election of water disposal sites; development of analytical models for medical treatment.

Renaat Verbruggen29 Professional Codes of Ethics Many professions have established professional societies, which in turn have adopted codes of conduct. The medical profession established the AMA (American Medical Association), The legal profession established the ABA (American Bar Association). Both associations have formal codes of ethics/conduct for their members.

Renaat Verbruggen30 Professional Codes for Computer Societies The computing profession has also has professional societies. The two largest are: The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM); The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers – Computer Society (IEEE-CS). Both organizations have adopted professional codes of ethics.

Renaat Verbruggen31 Purpose of Professional Codes Professional codes of ethics are often designed to motivate members of an association to behave in certain ways. Four primary functions of codes are to: –inspire –guide –educate –discipline the members.

Renaat Verbruggen32 Criticisms of Ethical Codes Ladd (1995) argues that ethical codes rest on a series of confusions that are both "intellectual and moral." His argument has three main points. First, ethics is basically an "open-ended, reflective, and critical intellectual activity." Second, codes introduce confusions with respect to micro-ethics vs. macro-ethics. Third, giving codes a disciplinary function makes them more like legal than ethical rules.

Renaat Verbruggen33 In Defense of Professional Codes Gotterbarn argues that we need to distinguish between: codes of ethics; codes of conduct; codes of practice.

Renaat Verbruggen34 In Defense of Professional Codes (Continued) Codes of ethics as "aspirational," because they often serve as mission statements for the profession and thus can provide vision and objectives. Codes of conduct are oriented more toward the professional and the professional's attitude and behavior. Codes of practice relate to operational activities within a profession.

Renaat Verbruggen35 Table 4-1: Some Strengths and Weaknesses of Professional Codes Codes inspire the members of a profession to behave ethically. Directives included in many codes tend to be too general and too vague. Codes guide the members of a profession in ethical choices. Codes are not always helpful when two or more directives conflict. Codes educate the members of a profession about their professional obligations. A professional code’s directives are never complete or exhaustive. Codes discipline members when they violate one or more of the code’s directives. Codes are ineffective (have no “teeth”) in disciplinary matters. Codes “sensitize” members of a profession to ethical issues and alert them to ethical aspects they otherwise might overlook. Codes do not help us distinguish between micro- ethics issues and macro-ethics issues. Codes inform the public about the nature and roles of the profession. Directives in codes are sometimes inconsistent with one another. Codes enhance the profession in the eyes of the public. Codes can be self-serving for the profession. StrengthsWeaknesses

Renaat Verbruggen36 ACM: General Moral Imperatives 1. Contribute to society and human well- being. 2. Avoid harm to others. 3. Be honest and trustworthy. 4. Be fair and take action not to discriminate. 5. Honour property rights including copyrights and patents

Renaat Verbruggen37 ACM (cont’d) 6. Give proper credit for intellectual property. 7. Respect the privacy of others. 8. Honour confidentiality.

Renaat Verbruggen38 ACM: Specific Professional Responsibilities 1. Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and dignity in both the process and products of professional work. 2. Acquire and maintain professional competence. 3. Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work.

Renaat Verbruggen39 ACM: Specific Professional Responsibilities (cont’d) 4. Accept and provide appropriate professional review. 5. Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks. 6. Honour contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities.

Renaat Verbruggen40 ACM: Specific Professional Responsibilities (cont’d) 7. Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences. 8. Access computing and communication resources only when authorised to do so.

Renaat Verbruggen41 ACM: Organisational Leadership Imperatives 1. Articulate social responsibilities of members of an organisational unit and encourage full acceptance of those responsibilities. 2. Manage personnel and resources to design and build information systems that enhance the quality of working life.

Renaat Verbruggen42 ACM: Organisational Leadership Imperatives(cont’d) 3. Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of an organization's computing and communication resources. 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.

Renaat Verbruggen43 ACM: Organisational Leadership Imperatives(cont’d) 5. Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity of users and others affected by a computing system. 6. Create opportunities for members of the organisation to learn the principles and limitations of computer systems.

Renaat Verbruggen44 ACM: Compliance with the Code 1. Uphold and promote the principles of this Code. 2. Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM.