Ethics CS 351 What are ethics

Ethics CS 351

What are ethics? • Dictionary: – 1. A system or set of moral principles. – 2. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or governing a particular group, culture. (e. g. medical ethics). – 3. The branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of actions, and the goodness and badness of motives and ends. • What saves us from the lawyers!

Situations • The following situations come from “real life”. • They were told by Dr. Starkey who was department head at the time. • Dr. Starkey has given his permission for me to use these situations in CS 351.

Situation 1 • A few years ago, a first semester senior in Computer Science at MSU, top in his/her class with a 3. 85 cumulative with OSCS. • (S)he asked an OSCS manager for the superuser password on the Computer Science systems so that “(s)he could do some systems improvements. ”

Situation 1 (cont. ) • The manager gave him/her the password with no further questions and without checking with CS. • (S)he used the password to break into Dr. Paxton's protected account and look at a CS 436 test in preparation. • (S)he also copied Dr. Paxton's solution to a CS 436 programming assignment and submitted it, with minor modifications, as his/her own.

Situation 1 (cont. ) • When challenged, (s)he admitted the actions described above, and signed a letter agreeing to all charges. • All faculty agreed that there was no sign that problems like this had occurred with this student before, and that this time (s)he seems to have been tempted by a wide open door in OSCS security, combined with fear of getting a B.

Situation 1 (cont. ) • There were a number of questions that came up immediately: • 1. What action should Dr. Paxton take against the student. Major options include: – – a. a warning b. F's on the programming assignment and/or the test c. F on the course d. report to the Dean of Students for possible dismissal or suspension – 2. What action should OSCS take against the student? – 3. What action should OSCS take against the manager?

Situation 1 (cont. ) • 4. Five months later Dr. Starkey was having lunch with a recruiter who announced that she was intending to make an offer to the student. – If he is asked for any comments, should Dr. Starkey report the incident? – If he is not asked for any comments, should Dr. Starkey report the incident?

Situation 2 • A former student phones up Dr. Starkey at 8: 15 in the morning (i. e. before his first cup of coffee) and asks for advice. • (S)he says that (s)he graduated three years before, but will not give his/her name or company. • (S)he works for a small company, and is currently the systems manager there.

Situation 2 (cont. ) • The President (and owner) of the company asks him/her whether his/her former manager has a particular file on a company computer, and if he has, then the President wants a copy of the file. • (S)he knows that the former manager does have the file, and also expects that if (s)he gives a copy of the file to the President then his/her former manager will probably be fired.

Situation 2 (cont. ) • Meanwhile, the former manager comes to him/her and asks that (s)he download the file on to his personal PC and then delete the file from the company computers. • (S)he appears to be a friend of his/her former manager. • If (s)he does give the file to the President all other employees would know that (s)he was the only one capable of doing this.

Situation 2 (cont. ) • What should Dr. Starkey advise him/her to do?

Situation 3 • An MSU CS graduate works for a large software company, which lets employees buy company PC software packages, at cost, for their personal use. • (S)he shares an apartment with another company employee who has been using this to obtain software very cheap and then trading it for hardware.

Situation 3 (cont. ) • The roomate has used this to acquire a personal system that is worth about $10, 000. • The former student contacts a friend at MSU who asks Dr. Starkey for advice to pass on to him/her. • What should Dr. Starkey advise him/her to do?

Situation 4 • The security officer (SO) in OSCS phoned up Dr. Starkey and told him that a graduate student account had connected twice to icsds@gemini, Starkey’s account. • After some more research the SO found that two rlogins had been attempted, but password attempts had failed, so the student had not made it into the faculty account

Situation 4 (cont. ) • The SO also reported the incident to the Dean of Students for further action. • Subsequently the student was able to demonstrate that the login attempt was accidental. • If it had not been accidental, what should the department and/or university have done.

DOLCE • Developing On. Line Computer Ethics • A Quiz • Decide if each issue involves an ethical decision:

QUIZ • Deciding whether to buy a paper online?

QUIZ • Ethical Decision Non-Ethical Decision • Deciding whether to buy a paper online? • Deciding whether to make your Website handicap accessible.

QUIZ • Deciding whether to buy a paper online? • Deciding whether to make your Website handicap accessible. • Requiring that all freshmen buy laptops.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Deciding whether to meet your software engineering project group or to go to the movies?

QUIZ (cont. ) • Deciding whether to meet your software engineering project group or to go to the movies? • Deciding whether to sell encryption s/w abroad.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Deciding whether to meet your software engineering project group or to go to the movies. • Deciding whether to sell encryption s/w abroad. • Deciding to sell personal information acquired at your Web site.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Writing a virus to explore the security holes of a network.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Writing a virus to explore the security holes of a network. • Trying that virus out.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Writing a virus to explore the security holes of a network. • Trying that virus out. • Using shareware for your course projects.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Writing a virus to explore the security holes of a network. • Trying that virus out. • Using shareware for your course projects. • Talking in a chat room.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Writing a virus to explore the security holes of a network. • Trying that virus out. • Using shareware for your course projects. • Talking in a chat room. • Deciding to release your product to meet a deadline even though testing has not been completed.

QUIZ (cont. ) • Forwarding a chain letter through email.

Issues with ethical implications • • Privacy Security Identity Theft Common Business Practices Company Policy Intellectual Property Non-Disclosure Agreements

Issues (cont. ) • • Property rights. Accountability. Legal Liability. Prejudice. – Race – Age – Sex

Issues (cont. ) • • • Hacking Crime Community Values Campus Ethics Education (ABET)

Issues (cont. ) • • • Copyright Censorship Freedom of Speech Patents Trademarks