Cyber Ethics

Commission on Information and Communications Technology

Cyber EthicsCyber Ethics

Source: Rommel Andong & Mel Tan

iSchools Project Team

HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT GROUP

iSchools - CILC for Teachers 2

Issues

• Privacy and Personal Information• Trust • Freedom of speech• Intellectual Property• Computer crime• Computers and Work• Professional Ethics and Responsibilities


Computer Ethics

• Category of professional ethics similar to medical, accounting, legal ethics

• For computer professionals & those who select, manage or use computers in a professional setting

• many people do not understand technology well...– Concerns relationships & responsibilities

towards customers, clients, coworkers, users, people affected by computers, ...


What is Ethics ?

• Study of what it means to "do the right thing"

• View ethical rules as – fundamental & universal– made up to provide a framework to

interact with other people

• Behaving ethically is often practical• Needs courage sometimes ...


Some important distinctions

• Right, wrong, OK, prohibited, acceptable

• Distinguising Wrong and Harm• Separating Goals from Constraints• Personal Preference and Ethics• Law and Ethics


• To handle information in a responsible way you must understand:– The importance of ethics in the ownership and

use of information.– The importance to people of personal privacy and

the ways in which it can be compromised.– The value of information to an organization.– Threats to information and how to protect against

them (security).

Introduction


Ethics

• Ethics - the principles and standards that guide our behavior toward other people.


EthicsTwo Factors That Determine How You Decide Ethical Issues

1. Your basic ethical structure, which you developed as you grew up.

2. The set of practical circumstances involved in the decision that you’re trying to make — that is, all the shades of gray in what are rarely black or white decisions.

how much do you identify with the person or persons who will receive the benefit or suffer the harm?

Ethics: Practical Considerationshow much or how little benefit or harm will come from a particular decision?

what is your perception of what society really thinks of your intended action?

what is the probability of the harm or benefit that will occur if you take the action?

what length of time will it take for the benefit or harm to take effect?

how many people will be affected by your action?


Intellectual Property

• Intellectual property - intangible creative work that is embodied in physical form.

• Copyright - the legal protection afforded an expression of an idea, such as a song, video game, and some types of proprietary documents.

• Fair Use Doctrine - says that you may use copyrighted material in certain situations — for example, for teaching purposes.


Intellectual Property

• Pirated software - the unauthorized use, duplication, distribution or sale of copyrighted software.

• Counterfeit software - software that is manufactured to look like the real thing and sold as such.


Privacy

• Privacy - the right to be left alone when you want to be, to have control over your own personal possessions, and not to be observed without your consent.


Privacy

• E-mail is completely insecure. • Each e-mail you send results in at least 3 or 4 copies

being stored on different computers. • You can take measures to protect your e-mail.


Privacy

• Cookie - a small record deposited on your hard disk by a Web site containing information about you and your Web activities.

• Adware - software to generate ads that installs itself on your computer when you download some other (usually free) program from the Web.

• Trojan-horse software - software you don’t want hidden inside software you do want.


Privacy

• Spyware (also called sneakware or stealthware) - software that comes hidden in free downloadable software – tracks your online movements– mines the information stored on your computer

– uses your computer’s CPU and storage • Key logger, or key trapper, software, -a

program, when installed on a computer, records every keystroke and mouse click.


THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR COMPUTER ETHICS

from the Computer Ethics Institute

✔ Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. ✔ Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work. ✔ Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files. ✔ Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. ✔ Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness. ✔ Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid. ✔ Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without

authorization. ✔ Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output. ✔ Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program

you write. ✔ Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and

respect.


NETIQUETTE

1. be responsible enough not to waste other people’s time or bandwidth by posting unnecessarily long messages or unimportant messages and sending large attachments

– Keep your messages to the point - you may opt to use common abbreviations

– Limit the size of attachments to 100 kb.

From Computing for Life - Book A by Tan, 2nd edition. FNB Publications, 2005.


NETIQUETTE

2. Promote civility. Be pleasant and polite. Although the Internet advocates freedom of speech, it does not give anyone the right to write anything he wants without minding how it will affect others.

– Avoid using CAPS LOCK. – Minimize the use of exclamation points.– Use smileys or emoticons when appropriate – Do not use offensive language.


Sample Emoticons

:-) Happy face;-) Kidding or teasing:-D Laughing hard:-I Indifferent. Either way

is O.K.|-O Yawning|-I Asleep:-/ Not quite sure about

something:-( Frowning>:-( Angry

:-@ Screaming:-C Disappointed:'-( Crying:-O Surprise or

amazement:-X Your secret is safe

with me}:-) A devilO:-) An angel^5 High 5


Sample Acronyms

• AFAIK As Far As I Know • AFK Away From Keyboard• ASAP As Soon As Possible • B4N Bye For Now• BBL Be Back Later • BRB Be Right Back• BBS Be Back Soon • CYA See You (Seeya)• CU See You • DLTBBB Don't Let The Bed Bugs

Bite• CYAL8R See You Later

(Seeyalata) • FC Fingers Crossed• F2F Face To Face

• G Grin• FTBOMH From The Bottom Of My

Heart • GL Good Luck• FWIW For What It's Worth • H&K Hug and Kiss• GFN Gone For Now • HAGU Have A Good 'Un• GMTA Great Minds Think Alike • HIG How's It Going• HAGN Have A Good Night • IC I See• HAND Have A Nice Day • IMNSHO In My Not So Humble

Opinion• HT Hi There


Sample Acronyms

• IMCO In My Considered Opinion• ILY I Love You • IMS I'm Sorry• IMHO In My Humble Opinion • JK Just Kidding• IMO In My Opinion • IRL In Real Life• IOW In Other Words • JTLYK Just To Let You Know• J4G Just For Grins • KIT Keep In Touch• JMO Just My Opinion KWIM

Know What I Mean• KISS Keep It Simple, Stupid • L8R Later

• KOTC Kiss On The Cheek • LHO Laughing Head Off• L8R G8R Later 'Gator • LOL Laugh Out Loud• LMSO Laughing My Socks Off • LY4E Love You Forever• LSHMBH Laughing So Hard My

Belly Hurts • ROTFL Rolls On The Floor

Laughing• LY Love Ya • STO Sticking Out Tongue• OIC Oh, I See • OTOH On The Other Hand


NETIQUETTE

3. Use descriptive subject lines for your messages as a courtesy to your reader - to help people organize and prioritize their messages.

4. Let the recipient know who is sending the message.

– From: or end your messages with your name– Signature


NETIQUETTE

5. When forwarding messages:– Check the reliability of the source of a forwarded

message and the accuracy of the message or story before passing it on.

• Do not unnecessarily alarm people, waste their precious time, and clog the network.

– Clean up your messages before you forward them. • Take out unnecessary header information and forwarding

symbols (usually the > sign). • Retain only those that are important to your recipient.

– Choose the recipients of your forwarded message.


NETIQUETTE

6. When replying to a mass email, avoid hitting Reply to All.

7. When sending mass email, it would be better to use BCCs (Blind Carbon Copies)

– respect your recipients’ privacy

• NOTE: Be careful when corresponding to strangers on a network.

– Do not give out sensitive or personal information to people you do not personally know.

– Be wary of people who give out or lie about their own information to gain your trust.


CASESCASES

discussion points


Case 1

You are a unit supervisor. A member of your unit is out sick and another member requests a copy of all files from the sick employee's computer to his so that he can do some work.


Case 2

My brother and I saw this really cool game being played in the network gaming shop. We would really like to get a copy but it costs a lot of money. My classmate told me that that there is a website where I can copy it for free. That way, I can enjoy the game without having to shell out any money!

adapted from www.cybercrime.gov/rules/kidinternet.htm From Computing for Life - Book A by Tan, 2nd edition. FNB Publications, 2005.


Case 3

When I went over to James’ workstation to copy a file, I found that he left his Instant Messenger open. A mutual friend, who is on the other end, just sent a message. Since nobody is looking, I sat down, typed a response, and sent it pretending to be James.

adapted from www.cybercrime.gov/rules/kidinternet.htm From Computing for Life - Book A by Tan, 2nd edition. FNB Publications, 2005.


Thank you

Education

Cyber Ethics