G53CWO: Computers in the World

Introduction

Module Coordinator: Ho Sooi Hock

Module Aims and Objectives

• Scope of applications of computers and computing in the world at large

• Dependability of computer-based systems, and the nature and extent of their risk management

• Legal, ethical, and social issues of computing• Sustainability of appropriate technologies and

professionalism• Most importantly, to meet BCS accreditation

requirements

Module Information

• Prerequisites: None• Lecture + Workshop

– 2 hours/week

• Assessment– Essay Coursework (50%)– 1.5-hour exam (50%)

• Handouts

http://moodle.nottingham.ac.uk

OR http://sepang.nottingham.edu.my/~hsooihock/G53CWO/

• Contributions by all lecturers of School of Computer Science and industry contacts

• Reference Books

– A Gift of Fire, 4th Edition by Sara Baase

– Ethics and Computing by Kevin W. Bowyer

[Downloadable from IEEE Xplore site at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ ]

Additional Information and Requirements

• Essay Coursework – critical analysis of ethical issues arising from

digital or e-applications– group work (~3 per group)– topics and groups are assigned– report + poster & an event day for poster

presentation

• Class Attendance – COMPULSORY!– mark contribution to be worked out later

Rapid Pace of Change

• 1940s: The first computer is built• 1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a

ton and stored five megabytes• 1991: Space shuttle had a one-

megahertz computer• 2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte

(one trillion bytes) of data• 2006: Automobiles can have 100-

megahertz computers

Ubiquity of Computers

• Computing everywhere… ORcomputers everywhere…most of them invisible

• Have you used a computer today?You have if you used…

– your car – an ATM – a credit/debit card – a camera – a cell phone– GPS– PDA– a pager– mp3 players– a modern appliance– an electronic device – etc.

Some Positive Impacts of NewTechnology

• Convenience• New types of jobs [Name one besides

programmer - the current top 10 jobs did not exist in 2004]

• More options for transactions• Improvements in crime-fighting• Small error rate• Great amounts of information in little time

(medical, incident responders)

Adapted from PowerPoint slides created by Sherry Clark (Copyright 2003 Prentice Hall)

New Developments

Blogs (Word made up from ‘web log’):• Began as outlets for amateurs who want to

express ideas or creativity • Appealing because present personal views, are

funny and creative, and present a quirky perspective on current events

• Now used as alternatives to mainstream news and for business public relations

• Can be used to spread inaccurate information

New Developments

Video Sharing:• Rise of amateur videos on the web• Boom of websites like Youtube and

Myspace• Many videos on the web can infringe

copyrights owned by entertainment companies

New Developments

Cell Phones:• Can now be used for travel, last minute

planning, taking pictures and downloading music

• Talking on cell phones while driving is a problem

• Cell phones can interfere with solitude, quiet and concentration

• Cameras in cell phones and privacy issues

New Developments

Social Networking:• First online social networking site was

www.classmates.com in 1995• Myspace, founded in 2003 had roughly

100 million member profiles by 2006• Facebook was started at Harvard as an

online version of student directories• Lost of privacy

New Developments

E-commerce and Free Stuff:• Free stuff on the web: email, books,

newspapers, games, etc.• www.Amazon.com started in 1994 and

10 years later annual sales reached $8.5 billion

• TV show episodes are available to view on the Web

• May infringe on IPR and copyrights

New Developments

What’s Next?• Medical records on chips attached to

medical bracelets• Biological and computer sciences will

combine new ways to insert micro-processors or controlled devices on human bodies

Reality of Computing

• Computers are involved to some extent in almost every aspect of our lives

– they often perform life-critical tasks

• Computer Science is not regulated to the extent of medicine, air travel, or engineering

• Some users view their computing actions as less serious than their actions in the “real world”

• New ethical considerations may be required with new technology capabilities

System Quality

• Bug-free software is difficult to produce

• It must be carefully designed, developed, and tested

• Mistakes generated by computers can be far reaching

• Commenting and documenting software is required for effective maintenance throughout the life of the program

• Ethical issues

– when is software, system or service ready for release?

Privacy

• Inappropriate sharing – vast amount of information in storage – private data describes individual employees – for

example, salary, attendance, performance rating, health record.

– confidential information describes a company and its operations: sales, promotion plans, research and development.

– sharing this information with unauthorised party, even inadvertently, has violated someone’s privacy or created the potential that company information could fall into the hands of competitors.

The Internet and the Web

• Most people don’t worry about email privacy on the Web due to illusion of anonymity

– each e-mail you send results in at least 3 or 4 copies being stored on different computers.

• Web sites often load files on your computer called cookies to record times and pages visited and other personal information

• Spyware - software that tracks your online movements, mines the information stored on your computer, or uses your computer for some task you know nothing about.

Problems with Large Databases

• Spreading information without consent– some large companies use medical records

and credit records as a factor in important personnel decisions

• Spreading inaccurate information– mistakes in one computer file can easily

migrate to others

– inaccurate data may linger for years

Internet Content & Free Speech Issues

• Information on internet includes hate, violence, and information that is harmful for children

– how much of this should be regulated?

– do filters solve problems or create more?

• Is web site information used for course work and research reliable?

Computer Crime

• Computer criminals -using a computer to commit an illegal act

• Who are computer criminals?– employees – disgruntled or dishonest --

the largest category

– outside users - customers or suppliers

– “hackers” and “crackers” - hackers do it “for fun” but crackers have malicious intent

– organised crime - forgery, counterfeiting

The Changing Nature of Work

Impact of Computers on Work:Some jobs have been eliminated / Other jobs have been

created.

Repetitious or boring jobs are now done with computers.There is more time for creativity.Some workers “telecommute.”Employers can better monitor their workers.

Health issues have been associated with computer usage.

Q: Do they require more or less skill than those they replaced?

Q: Do you mind being monitored?

Adapted from PowerPoint slides created by Sherry Clark (Copyright 2003 Prentice Hall)

Information OwnershipIssues

• Illegal software copying and duplication (software piracy)

• purchase single license but load the software on multiple computers or networks

• Infringement of copyrights by copying of pictures or text from web pages

• Plagiarism by copying text from other sources when original work is expected

Quality of Life Issues

• Rapid change – reduced response time to competition

• Maintaining boundaries – family, work, leisure

• Dependency & vulnerability• Employment

– re-engineering job loss

• Equity & access– increasing gap between haves and have-nots

Health issues

Workplace Issues

• Inappropriate Use of Computing Resources: some employees use their work computers to surf popular Web sites that have nothing to do with their jobs.

“Half of Fortune 500 companies have dealt with at least one incident related to computer porn in the workplace over the past 12 months, according to a survey released today. Corporations are taking the problem seriously, and fired the offenders in 44% of the cases and disciplined those responsible in 41% of the instances”.

(China Martens, Survey: Computer porn remains issue at U.S. companies, Computer-world, June 21, 2005)

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=102664

Solution Space Models

Points to Consider:• Models are simplifications of either physical or

intangible systems.• Those who design and develop models must be honest

and accurate with results.• Computer professionals and the general public must be

able to evaluate the claims of the developers.

Why Models Might Not Be Accurate:• Developers have incomplete knowledge of the system

being modeled.• Developers have a solution space prejudice.• Data might be incomplete or inaccurate.• Power of the computer might be inadequate.• Variables are difficult to numerically quantify.• Political and economic motivation to distort results.

Adapted from PowerPoint slides created by Sherry Clark (Copyright 2003 Prentice Hall)

Introduction to Ethics

Quote from Aristotle:“Man, when perfected, is the best of the

animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all”

Taken from PowerPoint slides, Introduction to Computer Ethics, by Dr. Yana Kortsarts, Widener University

What is Ethics?

• Virtues are habits that guide people to do what is acceptable, and vices are habits that lead to unacceptable behaviour– people’s virtues and vices help define their value system

• Ethics is the set of beliefs about right and wrong behaviour– conforms to generally accepted social norms, many of

which are almost universal.– standards of moral conduct to gauge personal integrity– basis of trust and cooperation in relation to others

Computer Ethics

• Computer ethics are morally acceptable use of computers

– i.e. using computers appropriately

• Standards or guidelines are important in this industry, because technology changes are outstripping the legal system’s ability to keep up

Ethical Principles

• Ethical principles are tools which are used to think through difficult situations.

• Three useful ethical principles:– an act is ethical if all of society benefits from

the act.– an act is ethical if people are treated as an

end and not as a means to an end.– an act is ethical if it is fair to all parties

involved.

Computer Ethics for Computer Professionals

• Competence – Professionals keep up with the latest knowledge in their field and perform services only in their area of competence.

• Responsibility – Professionals are loyal to their clients or employees, and they won’t disclose confidential information.

• Integrity – Professionals express their opinions based on facts, and they are impartial in their judgments.

Proposed Contents

• Introduction & Overview [Ho Sooi Hock] • Software Safety [Chew Sze-Ker]

• Computer Crime [Michael Chung]

• Privacy [Hani Behrang Parhizkar]

• Intellectual Property Issues [Tim Brailsford] • Poster Presentation [All Students]

• Free Speech & Miscellaneous [KR Selvaraj]

• Computers in the Workplace [Guest Lecture by Hilti]

• Professionalism & Ethics [Iman Liao]

Food for Thought

Quote from Martin Luther King Jr.:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”

Acknowlegements

This presentation is adaptation of the original slides from the following sites:

• Supplementary materials of the book, A Gift of Fire by Sara Baase: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/giftfire/

• academic.regis.edu/msanders/Site%20Pages/CS208/Sec8.2-Ethics.ppt

• www.cse.buffalo.edu/~mikeb/12-LegalAndEthical.ppt