1. Ethical Issues in Computing

2. Ethical and Social Issues
Privacy
Government surveillance
Corporate surveillance
Web tracking/weblogs
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
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

3. ACM Code

4. ACM Association for Computing Machinery
Commitment to ethical professional conduct is expected of every member.

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

6. 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

14. 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

20. 1.3 Be honest and trustworthy
Providing “full disclosure of all pertinent system limitations and problems.”
Example: ?

23. 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

26. Sept. 2001

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

28. 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

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

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

33. 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.

42. 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

50. 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

56. 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.

58. Sections 2-4
(Not on the final exam)

59. 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

60. 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

61. 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.

62. 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.

63. 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