Intro to Com

• Computer Ethics refers to the morally acceptable use of computers.
• Ethics are standards of moral conduct, right and wrong behavior, gauge of personal integrity, and basis of trust.
• Ethical principles are tools used to think through difficult situations.
• An act is ethical if it benefits all society, treats people as an end not means to an end, is fair to all parties, and is based on trust.
• The 10 commandments of computer ethics are: not using a computer to harm other people, not interfering with other people’s computer work, not snooping around in other people’s computer files, not using a computer to steal, not using a computer to bear false witness, not copying or using proprietary software for which you have not paid, not using people’s computer resources without authorization or proper consent, not taking other people’s intellectual property, and thinking about the social consequences of the program you’re writing or system you’re designing.
• Computer professionals are experts in their field, know their customers rely on their knowledge, expertise, and honesty, understand their products affect people, follow good professional standards, maintain an expected level of competence and up-to-date knowledge, and educate the non-computer professionals.
• The four primary issues of computer ethics are privacy, accuracy, property, and access.
• Privacy in computer ethics refers to the responsibility to protect data about individuals.
• Accuracy in computer ethics refers to the responsibility of data collectors to authenticate info and ensure accuracy.
• Property in computer ethics refers to who owns info and software and how they can be sold and exchanged.
• Access in computer ethics refers to the responsibility of data collectors to control access and determine info a person has right to obtain.
• Can people trust quality?
• Hackers are a threat to popular websites.
• Disgruntled employees are a threat to businesses.
• Exploit is a method for taking advantage of a vulnerability.
• Internet security protects data during transmission over a collection of interconnected networks.
• Computer security objectives include confidentiality, authentication, data integrity, availability, non-repudiation, and access control.
• Computer criminals can be employees, outside users, hackers/crackers, or organized crime.
• Vulnerability is a weakness in some aspect of a system.
• Computer criminals use computers to commit illegal acts.
• Problems with large databases include spreading information without consent and inaccurate information.
• History of cryptography involves transposition of letters, substitution, and code.
• Should congress or industry develop standard quality?
• Cryptography is the study of math techniques related to information security, meaning of message is hidden, practice and study of encryption, transform information, technique for ensuring encrypted message will not be modified, technique for secure identification/authentication.
• Microcomputers are the greatest users of electricity.
• Data security prevents attacks and detects attacks.
• The internet and the web can create an illusion of anonymity, making people not worry about email privacy.
• Computer ethics for computer professionals include competence, responsibility, and integrity.
• Threat is using an exploit to compromise security.
• Spyware tracks online movements, mines information, and uses your computer unnoticed.
• Computer security ensures resources such as data, network, hardware, and apps in the computing environment.
• Network security protects data during transmission.
• Green PCs minimize energy consumption and avoid harmful chemicals in production.
• Email Netiquette includes responding promptly, deleting messages if you don't need the information, not sending messages you wouldn't want other to read, keeping messages short and on point, and not typing in all capital letters.
• Information ownership issues include pirating, infringement of copyrights, and plagiarism.
• Terminologies in computer ethics include intellectual property, trade secret, copyright, and patent.
• Software Licenses include public domain, freeware license, shareware license, and all rights reserved license.
• Software Piracy is targeted by the SPA (Software Publisher Association), which polices software piracy and includes illegal duplication, sale of copyrighted software, and companies that purchase single copies and load on multiple networks.
• System Quality in computer ethics refers to when a product is ready for release.
• Computers are involved in almost every aspect of our lives and often perform life-critical tasks.