Ethics deals with placing a “value” on acts according to whether they are “good” or “bad”. Every society has its rules about whether certain acts are ethical or not. These rules have been established as a result of consensus in society and are often written into laws.
When computers first began to be used in society at large, the absence of ethical standards about their use and related issues caused some problems. However, as their use became widespread in every facet of our lives, discussions in computer ethics resulted in the forming of some form of a consensus. Today, many of these rules have been formulated in the form of laws, either national or international. Computer crimes and computer fraud are now common terms. There are laws against them, and everyone is responsible from knowing what constitutes computer crime and computer fraud.
The Ten Commandments of computer ethics have been defined by the Computer Ethics Institute. Here is my interpretation of them:
1) Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people: If it is unethical to harm people by making a bomb, for example, it is equally bad to write a program that handles the timing of the bomb. Or, to put it more simply, if it is bad to steal and destroy other people’s books and notebooks, it is equally bad to access and destroy their files.
2) Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work: Computer viruses are small programs that disrupt other people’s computer work by destroying their files, taking huge amounts of computer time or memory, or by simply displaying annoying messages. Generating and consciously spreading computer viruses is unethical.
3) Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files: Reading other people’s e-mail messages is as bad as opening and reading their letters: This is invading their privacy. Obtaining other people’s non-public files should be judged the same way as breaking into their rooms and stealing their documents.
4) Thou shalt not use a computer to steal: Using a computer to break into the accounts of a company or a bank and transferring money should be judged the same way as robbery. It is illegal and there are strict laws against it.
5) Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness: This means that if you give false information through a computer, this is unethical. For example, obtaining somebody else’s computer login name and password and using it is unethical.
6) Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid: Software is an intellectual product. In that way, it is like a book: Obtaining illegal copies of copyrighted software is as bad as photocopying a copyrighted book. There are laws against both.
7) Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization: Multiuser systems use user id’s and passwords to enforce their memory and time allocations, and to safeguard information. Text documents on the Internet may be protected by encryption and pictures on the Internet may be protected by watermarking. You should not try to bypass this authorization system. Hacking a system to break and bypass the authorization is unethical.
8) Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output: For example, the programs you write for the projects assigned in this course are your own intellectual output. Copying somebody else’s program is software piracy and is unethical. Intellectual property is a form of ownership, and may be protected by copyright laws.
9) Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write: You have to think about computer issues in a more general social framework: Can the program you write be used in a way that is harmful to society? For example, if you are working for an animation house, and are producing animated films for children, you are responsible for their contents. Do the animations include scenes that can be harmful to children? In the United States, Communications Decency Act is an attempt by lawmakers to control the content of Internet websites in terms of ratings to protect young children from harmful material.
10) Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect: Computers should work for the advancement of civilization. They should help people live in peace and in health. You, as a computer user, should make sure that you use the computer in that manner.