Ethics in Information Technology Michael G. Prais, Ph.D. Director Academic Computing Services Northern Illinois University Ethics - What's a person to do? When to change information When to change the ability or technique for changing information When there is distinction between what is and what ought to be A strategy of what to do now to minimize the risk of being able to do what you want in the future Ethics - Affecting Others No one is an island. When the behavior of an agent materially affects another Someone must choose - Responsibility Someone must know - Accountability Someone must support - Liability Ethics - Analysis A way to make choices among alternatives and consequences Technical - Financial - Operational - Social A neglected dimension of systems analysis Ethics - Systems Analysis The Agent Those Affected - Stakeholders Alternatives Consequences Assumptions Benefits Costs Dangers Escapes Fences Gates Ethics - Alternatives Who should decide? Who should benefit? pay? be included? be excluded? How should the decision be made? How can the decision be generalized? procedurized? How can the exception be handled? Ethics - How do you decide? Use established rules Use expected consequences Logical deduction from assumptions Empirical induction from observation Depend on your own abilities and emotions Depend on collective experiences Optimize your benefits/costs Optimize collective benefits/costs Ethics - Limitations Informed, rational actors Opportunism of actors Precision for calculating best outcomes Uniqueness of situations Uncertainty of situations People have competing priorities. People make mistakes. NIU IT Acceptable Use Policy Respect the need for others to use the systems Respect the integrity of systems Respect the work of others Respect the sensitivities of others Legislated Ethics Right to Property Right to Agreed Upon Consequences Right to Privacy Right to Reputation Right to Freedom of Speech Right to Freedom of Obsenity Right to Property For the promotion of industry Copyright of Information Communication of Information Constitution - Copyright Act 1978 & 1989 Application of Computer Mediation? Right to Property Text, graphics, illustrations, sounds, motion, and instructions Automatic protection - fixed in tangible form recognizable, reproduceable, communicatable can be used as evidence Original experession of idea - not the idea Original collection of facts and ideas Right to Property Right to reproduce, derive, translate, distribute, display Right to prevent attributing authorship to other works Right to prevent attributing authorship to distorted works Right to prevent intentional distortion and destruction Right to Property - Fair Use For the promotion of industry Nature of the work Non-commercial use Amount used Economic impact on the author Right to Agreed Upon Consequences Contracts and Agreements - a set of promises Offer (not invitation - not revoked) Acceptance (not inquiry - at dispatch) Consideration - bargained-for-exchange (economic benefit not required) Acceptable Use Policies - limits rights for access Right to Agreed Upon Consequences - Fraud Written if large amount or long time Written as evidence or for custodian Signature of intention as evidence actual signature is not necessary Encrypted as evidence Right to Privacy Right to control information about oneself Anonymity - pseudonyms, handles Remailers - beware of logs File Transfer - beware of logs Association - lists of members Not in the Constitution Loss of Right to Privacy Fourth Ammendment Right of security from unreasonable search Privacy and reputation can be compromised by law enforcement or under existing agreement when there is evidence of criminal behavior Skipjack Encryption and Clipper Chip Right to Privacy Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1968 Restricts Governments, Businesses, and Individuals Intentional interception of electronic communication Intentional disclosure of intercepted communication Unauthorized access to a communications facility Exceeding authorization to access stored communications Right to Reputation Common Law - civil remedy Disclosure of "highly objectionable" information about a person without authorization unless volunteered except about a public figure or for public interest Wrongful attribution of views or characteristics - False Light Wrongful Intrusion - SysOps beware! - Intention or negligence Encryption as technical protection Right to Reputation Defamation - honesty, integrity, sanity Untrue, but not opinion Unauthorized specifically pointed at an individual published to more than individual Caused damages - malicious or negligent Right to Freedom of Speech Freedom from government oppression of spoken and printed material First and Fourteenth Amendments (federal, state, and local) Problems with new technology (technique) Nongovernment organizations can "censor". What is a public forum? a private forum? Right to Freedom of Speech Government can punish conduct that is not speech. Clear and present danger, eg violence FIghting words Defamation-slander and libel Obscenity False and deceptive advertising Restrictions possible on content-independent material Privacy Protection Act of 1980 Protection for publishers against Govt searches Right to Freedom from Obscenity Images, animation, text, discussion Limited First Amendment freedom of expression Obscenity - Indecency beneath current community standards offensive behavior defined by applicable state law lack serious value Possession is not an offense. Child Pornography affects the child (ab)used. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 Governement or financial systems knowingly access without authorization or in excess of authorization and obtain information knowingly, and with intent to defraud, traffic in access information Wire Fraud Act Use of communications media to defraud people of money or goods State Computer Crime Laws Computer Traspass and unauthorized access Theft of Computer Services Duplication, alteration, or destruction of information Fraud Possession of illegal information Attempt, Complicity, and Conspiracy ACM Project ImpactCS Appreciation for Consequences Quality of Life-Costs and Benefits Power to Change situations of others Reliability and Risks Property Rights Privacy Equity of Opportunity and Access Honesty Diversity ACM Project ImpactCS Ethical Principles Ethical claims should be discussed rationally. Ethical claims must be evaluated for consistency, logical coherence, agreement with accepted standards, and general applicability. Ethical choices cannot be avoided. Some easy ethical approaches are questionable. ACM Project ImpactCS Ethical Skills Argue from example, analogy, and counter-example. Identify ethical principles and stake holders in concrete situations. Identify and evaluate alternative courses of action. Apply ethical codes to concrete situations. ACM Project ImpactCS Social Principles Social context influences the design and use of technology. Power relations and the power to change are central in all social interactions. Technology embodies value decisions made by designers. Populations are always diverse. Empirical data is crucial to the design process; don't guess. ACS Project ImpactCS Social Skills Identifying and interpreting the social context of a particular implementation Identifying assumptions and values embedded in a particular design Evaluating, by use of empirical data, a particular implementation of technology Hippocratic Oath The code of the professional Do no harm to your client. Sierra Club and Reversible Thermodynamics Leave only footprints. It's easiest when you're most sensitive. Listen to and Respect Others. Communications of the ACM - Dec 95 Ethical Concepts and Information Technology Kenneth C. Laudon Applying Ethics to Information Technology Issues Richard O. Mason Computing Cosequences: A Framework for teaching Ethical Computing Chuck Huff and C. Dianne Martin ACM SIGUCCS Newsletter - Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec '95 Ethics - John W. Smith Cyberspace and the Law Edward A. Cavazos and Gavino Morin Copyright's Highway Paul Goldstein Computer Ethics D.G. Johnson Ethics of Information Management R.O. Mason, F.M. Mason, and M.J. Culnan