1. Ethics in the Computing Industry
EIT, Author Gay Robertson, 2017

2. What are Ethics? Moral principles Rules and regulations
Good behaviour; fair, proper, honourable, decent, principled people
Rules and regulations
Of conduct and behaviour and performance
Course of action
Fitness or correctness of the decision for the problem at hand
Clear Concepts about what is …
good, right, justice, morals, values
Responsibility
Legal use of data, doing what is proper, right or socially acceptable

3. History of Computer ethics
1970 –Association of Computing Machinery adopted a Professional Code of Ethics
1988 – Robert Hauptman came up with the term Information Ethics – involving the, production, storage, access and dissemination of information
1992 – ACM adopted new ethical rules called ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (24 statements of personal responsibility)
1990s – the combination of computers with telecommunication, internet and other media raised new ethical issues
1990s – development of Privacy Acts, growth of computer crimes
1995 – US Research Center of Computing and Society developed the idea that computer ethics would eventually become a global ethical system

4. and … Developing Ethical Standards…
Code of ethics documents were developed to give guidelines to computing professionals:
Association for Computing Machinery developed: ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
British Computer Society developed: BCS Code of Conduct & Code of Good Practice
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEEComSoc) developed: IEEE Code of Ethics
Computer Ethics Institute developed: 10 Commandments of Computer Ethics

5. 10 Ethical Commandments…

6. Ethical issues for the IT industry

7. ITP Code of Conduct …
The ITP (Information Technology Professionals) Code of Conduct document outlines the eight tenets which govern the following:
Good faith (treat people with dignity, good faith and equality)
Integrity (act with integrity, dignity and honour)
Community-focus (responsibilities for the welfare and rights of community shall come before other interests)
Using skills responsibly (to not compromise other tenets)
Continuous development (to contribute to collective knowledge)
Informed consent (take reasonable steps to inform all of consequences that may arise from actions taken)
Conflicts of interest (manage all conflicts between clients or employers)
Competence (follow recognized professional practice)
Go to for the full Code of Conduct read the Tenets of the Code. Close the Browser and you will return here.

8. Always think about the ethics of …
In the workplace …
Information stored on a computer should be treated as seriously as the written or spoken word
Privacy should not be violated
Copying can become plagiarism (cheating)
Information for public viewing should not be modified, deleted or inaccessible - these are classed as destructive acts
Don’t introduce intrusive software (worms, viruses etc) this is illegal
Don’t congest a computer system with a lot of unwanted information
Don’t send obscene or crude messages through any type of media
Don’t store or send sexually explicit content, pictures or messages

9. Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) should cover …
Maintain system integrity Don’t divulge passwords, pins, private keys or use the identity of another
Confidential data - limit access to essential employees only
No unauthorised access to other users’ accounts or files
Rules should be included to cover:
Personal use of any, some, none and the timing ie lunch hours or after work / before work
Internet usage any, some, none and the timing ie lunch hours or after work / before work
File sharing Downloading or uploading

10. From your Student Handbook
and internet usage
Students are expected to respect commercial business etiquette when replying and forwarding s. Remember your s could be used for legal evidence.
When you are working in an EIT center, use of is restricted to study matters only. We are training you to work in the workplace and usage wastes an employer’s time and costs money.
Refer to the EIT student Handbook (which you received with your enrolment pack) and the Computer Usage Policy for complete rules. Or go to to read online

11. What is illegal material …
Censorship in New Zealand is governed by the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 (the Classification Act) and associated regulations. The Act was the result of the 1987 Ministerial Committee of Inquiry into Pornography
Certain images (eg child pornography) are illegal and cannot/should not be viewed, stored or owned in any circumstances
The Department of Internal Affairs carries out on-line investigations of people trading in objectionable material, primarily child pornography
The New Zealand Customs Service deals with the importation of objectionable material, which is a prohibited import under the Customs and Excise Act this includes acts of violence or coercion, torture or any other degrading or dehumanizing conduct

12. What is restricted material …
Defined as material which is only made available to people who are over a certain age.
Typically, this is R18 or Adult material similar to that which can be legally purchased from video or magazine outlets.

13. What is Objectionable material …
Defined under the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993 (policed by the Internal Affairs Department) as:
“a publication … that describes, depicts or expresses or otherwise deals with matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty or violence in such a manner that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good.”
Although general agreement of what is offensive shifts and changes with cultural norms, always err on the side of caution!
Note: Internet service providers (ISPs) are in an uncertain legal position regarding liability for the Internet content to which they provide access. The Classification Act is silent regarding the position of ISPs and it is possible that they could be liable for their part in supplying, distributing or displaying an objectionable publication, even if they did no more than provide access to it. Enforcement activity has focused on those who download and trade objectionable material. ISPs have co-operated with the Department of Internal Affairs, when required to do so by a search warrant, in providing information to assist with investigations of censorship offenders.

14. What is … Unacceptable use ….
In a workplace environment the viewing of, storing of, or sharing of, any form of illegal or objectionable images or material would be considered unacceptable use of the computer by fellow employees and your employer

15. The role of a Code of Conduct
Principles
Values
Practices
The role of a Code of Conduct
Defines responsibilities
Creates an environment of ethical behaviour
Provides a guide for expected behaviour
Keeps people informed as it is developed and modified with the changes that occur
Provides a benchmark for qualifications and on-going educational requirements
Commitment to the IT industry

16. Ethics in Business …
Take a look at the following video – this is one explanation of ethics as it relates to business: Click on URL to view Duration: 4m 35s
Close the Browser and you will return here.

17. Conclusion Code of Conduct or Code of Practice required
There must be clear rules around how to become a member of the organisation eg ITPNZ membership
Members need to formally agree to the code
Members accept that they are bound by it
Provides a recognised background of trust and reliability
Members know they will be faced with disciplinary action if they break the code

18. General computer ethical issues
Intellectual Property Rights
Copyrighted electronic (digital) content
Privacy concerns - gaining personal information illegally
Censorship issues
Human and social networking
Google street views
Artificial intelligence

19. Let’s hope that helped! But, if it didn’t make much sense – I can go through this again!