Ethics in Internet. Joshi AG Centre for Information and Network Security University of Pune

Transcription

1 Ethics in Internet Joshi AG Centre for Information and Network Security University of Pune

2 The World Today Communication knows no physical boundaries Interconnected globe humming with electronic transmissions a chattering planet nestled in provident silence of space every person everywhere

3 The Internet The Internet has a number of striking features. It is instantaneous, immediate, worldwide, decentralized, interactive, endlessly expandable in contents and outreach, flexible and adaptable to a remarkable degree Anyone with the necessary equipment and modest technical skill can be an active presence in cyberspace

4 Potential Supply information whenever required Way to convey thoughts Sharing knowledge and information Beware it has the potential to harm Can be used in - Business - Research - Communication - Fun and Games Doing illegal, immoral activities

5 Security Concerns in Electronic Environment Availability Confidentiality and Privacy Integrity not while data transfer over public / private media only, but while storage also.

6 Play it SAFE Don t take candy from STRANGERS Don t go where you don t BELONG Those are real PEOPLE out there WHAT you do reflects on you Play by the RULES Don t POLLUTE Do YOUR part

7 Ethics Everyone has his own way Story of Blind Men and Elephant The meaning of "ethics" is hard to pin down

8 Sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked business people "What does ethics mean to you?" Among their replies were the following "Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong." "Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs." "Being ethical is doing what the law requires." "Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts." "I don't know what the word means." Contd..

9 Computer Ethics From the 1940s through the 1960s, therefore, there was no discipline known as "computer ethics Walter Maner in the 1970s decided to use the term "computer ethics" in the mid-70s, Walter Maner defined the field as one which examines "ethical problems aggravated, transformed or created by computer technology

10 Contd Wiener in 1950 in his book The Human Use of Human Beings, and Moor also discussed it briefly in "What Is Computer Ethics?" [1985]. According to this alternative account, computer ethics identifies and analyzes the impacts of information technology upon human values like health, wealth, opportunity, freedom, democracy, knowledge, privacy, security, self-fulfillment, and so on

11 Ethics and Internet The technological configuration underlying the Internet has a considerable bearing on its ethical aspects: People have tended to use it according to the way it was designed, and to design it to suit that kind of use Internet is not value free zone. Have sensitivity to social culture

12 Example Topics in Computer Ethics No matter which re-definition of computer ethics one chooses, the best way to understand the nature of the field is through some representative examples of the issues and problems that have attracted research and scholarship. Consider, for example, the following topics: Computers in the Workplace Computer Crime Privacy and Anonymity Intellectual Property Professional Responsibility Globalization The Metaethics of Computer Ethics

13 Classes of ethical problems Personal Intrusion Privacy Morality Deception Security Access Intellectual Property Ownership and control Technology and social responsibility

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15 Scenarios 1. Preeti has walked away from a lab computer without logging off. Hemant sits down and, still logged in as Preeti, sends inflammatory messages out to a number of students and posts similar messages on the class newsgroup A secretary on the campus of a tax-supported university has been requested to give her staff password to her supervisor. The supervisor would like to check the secretarys when she is not at work to see if departmental-related mail is coming in. The secretary is not comfortable giving her password to her supervisor, but is afraid to say no..contd

16 Contd Tina's is being diverted and sent out to her entire class. The messages are quite personal and Tina is very embarrassed Maria figures out that when she is logged into the server she can look at others' directories, make copies of files, and deposit new files. The operating system was designed to allow this functionality so that people could share their work. Mr. Kulkarni objects when he observes Maria poking around in another student's directory. But Maria responds by saying, "If the system allows me to do it and there's no specific rule against it, what's the problem?"

17 ..Contd Smitha had a report to write on acid rain. She used several sources -- books, magazines, newspaper articles, and an electronic encyclopedia. She listed all these sources in her bibliography at the end of the report. She found the encyclopedia to be the most convenient source because she could highlight portions of the text and paste them into her word processing document Joy really enjoys music but doesn't have much money to buy new CDs. He notices that the public library has a lot of CDs and decides to check them out. Once Joy has the CDs at home he realizes that he can burn the CDs and keep copies for himself.

18 Who should act? Government Regulatory Authority Organizations Educators Parents Individuals

19 Standardization and Auditing Need for Standardization E.g HIPAA, ISO 17799, BS7799 Auditing Policy of the organization

20 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). This Code, consisting of 24 imperatives formulated as statements of personal responsibility, identifies the elements of such a commitment 1. GENERAL MORAL IMPERATIVES Contribute to society and human well-being Avoid harm to others. Be honest and trustworthy. Be fair and take action not to discriminate Honor property rights including copyrights and patent Give proper credit for intellectual property Respect the privacy of others Honor confidentiality

21 Rfc 1087 Unethical characterized as unethical and unacceptable any activity which purposely: (a) seeks to gain unauthorized access to the resources of the Internet, (b) disrupts the intended use of the Internet, (c) wastes resources (people, capacity, computer) through such actions, (d) destroys the integrity of computer-based information, and/or (e) compromises the privacy of users. Network Working Group Internet Activities Board Request for Comments: 1087 January 1989

22 Users Responsibility That Which is Not Yours Sharing that Which is Yours Protecting that Which is Yours

23 THANK YOU!