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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.

There can remain gaps or “lacuna” within which new policies have to be made.

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Issues

Why is Ethics such an issue with computing in particular? Health Speed/Pervasiveness Storage Identity Transnationality Copying Content Power Privacy Technical Issues

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Health

Health device control Obesity Education Copy-cat “gaming”:

Grand Theft Auto in the dock over US road killing

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SPEED/ Pervasiveness

“Immediate” responses are possible using email causing problems that would never have occurred before.

Flames Reply All phenomena

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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

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IDENTITY

Forgery Spoofing identity (impersonation) Pervasive mistaken identity

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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

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COPYING

Information can be taken form its original source and used elsewhere with ease.

Copyright can easily be infringed

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Content

Pornography Gambling Chat rooms

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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?

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PRIVACY

Selling private data - harvesting e-mail 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 e-mail only to those who have in some way requested it?

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Technical Issues

Reverse engineering other companies software

Professional conduct - see codes later