Computer Ethics

The term computer ethics was first coined by Walter Maner in the Mid-1970s. It started being integrated into professional development programs in academic settings only from 1990s with the growth of the internet, privacy issues as well as concerns regarding computing technologies such as spyware and other. It is rapidly evloving into a broader and even more important field, which might reasonably be called global information ethics. Ethics is a major branch of philosophy, encompassing right comduct and good life. it is significantly broader than the common conception of analyzing right and wrong. New ethical and legan decisions are necessary to balance the needs and rights of every one. Computer ethics, a branch of practical philospphy deals with computing which is related to moral dilemmas and also defines ethical principles for computer professionals. It deals how computing professionals should make decisions undertaking professional and social conduct. this applied ethics studies and analyzes social and ethical impacts of information technology. It is growning and changing in the same pace as that of the development of computer technology. Golbal networks like the Internet and especially the world wide web are connecting pepole all over the earth. It is integrating standards of professional practice, codes of conduct, aspects of computer law, public policy, corporate ethics even certain topics in the sociology and psychology of computing.

It is a fact that legality does not completely encompass computer ethics. Identifying ethical issues as they arise, as well as difining how to deal with them, has traditionally been problematic in computer ethics. Collins and Miller proposed a method of identifying issues in computer ethics in their Paramedic Ethics model. this model is a data-centred view of judging ethical issues, involving the gathering, analysis, negotiation, and judging of data about the issue. In Davis's unique problem solving model the ethical problem is stated, facts are checked and a list of options are generated by considering relevent factors relating to the problem. The actual actions taken is influenced by specific ethical standards. One of the most definitive sets of ethical standards is the Association for Computing Machinery Code of Ethics. The code is a four-point standard governing ethical behaviour among computing professionals. Another body of computer ethics is the British Computer Society. The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) defines ethical behaviour from the standpoint of legality, specifically during the contracting process of computing.
THe Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics were created in 1992 by the Computer Ethics Institute and were introduced in the paper by ramon C. Barquin as means to create a set of standards to guide and instruct people in the ethical use of computers. They are:
1. Thou shalt not use computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for whic you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
8. thoul shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that insure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

Computer Ethics are in attention through:
1. Privacy:
One of the earliest computer ethics topics to arouse public interest was privacy. In the early 1970s, major computer privacy laws were passed in the USA. Ever since then, computer-threatened privacy has remained as a topic of public concern. The ease and efficiency with which computers and computer networks can be used to gather, store search, compare, retrieve and share personal information make computer technology especially threatening to tanyone who wishes to keep various kinds of sensitive information out of the hands of those who are perceived as potential threats. During the past decade, commercialization and rapid growth of the internet; the rise of the world-wide-web; increasing user-friendliness and processing power of computers; and decreasing costs of computertechnology have led to new privacy issues, such as data-mining, data matching, recording of click trails on the web, and so on.

2. Computers in the Workplace:
Workers will feel stressed trying to keep up with high-speed computerized devices or they may be injured by repeating the same physical movement over and over. Their health may be threatened by radiation emanating from computer monitors. The employment outlook, however, is not all bad. Consider, for example, the fact that the computer industry already has generated a wide variety of new jobs: hardware engineers, softare engineers, systems analysts, webmasters, information technology teachers, computer sales clerks, and so on. Thus it appears that, in the short run, computer-generated unemployment will be an important social problem; but in the long run, information technology will create many more jobs then it eliminates. Even when computers do not eliminate a job, it can be radically altered.

3. Intellectual Property
One of the more controversial areas of computer ethics concerns the intellectual property rights connected with software ownership. Some people thing that software should be ownable. Some people, like Richard Stallman who started the Free Software Foundation, believe that software ownership should not be allowed at all. He claims that all information should be free, and all programs should be available for copying, studying and modifying by anyone who wishes to do so. Today's software industry is a multibillion dollar part of the economy; and software companies claim to lose billions of dollars per year through illegal of the aspects of the program that can be own are like source code, object code, algorithm as well as user interface and the appearance of the program.

4. Professional Responsibility
It is clear that professional organizations in computer science recognize and insist upon standards of professional responsibility for their members. No professional can stay in a business for a long time without a rigorous and enforced code of professional ethics. So every computer professional need to work remain strictly under computer ethics as that prescribed by the law or code of conduct of that company. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) of USA, ahve established codes of ethics, curriculum guidelines and accreditation requirements to help computer professionals responsibilities. In 1991 a Joint Curriculum Task Force of the ACM and IEEE adopted a set of guidelines called Curriculum 1991 for college programs in computer science. The guidelines say that a significant component of computer ethics should be included in undergraduate education in cumputer science. Some of the codes of ethics adopted by both ACM and IEEE are general moral imperatives like avoid harm to others and be honest and trustworthy as well as more specific professional responsibilities like acquire and maintain professional competence and know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work, etc.

5. Computer Crime
In the era of computer viruses and international spying by hackers who are thousands of miles away, computer security is a topic of concern in the field of Computer Ethics. Privacy and confidentiality, Integrity, Unimpaired service, Consistency, Controlling access to resources are five aspects of logical security divide by Spafford, Heaphy and Ferbrache. Computer security is essential for the intentional as well as accidental misuse of data. It whould be maintained for the trusted computer users. The major risks to computer security is against the so-called hacker who breaks into someone's computer system without permission.
 There are number of questions that are frequently discussed under the rubric of computer ethics. There are some more terms like plagiarism, copyright infrigement, software piracy, adult sites and erotica newsgroups, obscenity, hacking, etc that are performed against the computer ethical principles. Plagiarism is the process of copying information from another computer or even from internet i.e. illegally as if it was done by him. Plagiarizing copyrighted materials is called copyright for small people (below 18 years) even though they try to access. The intention of sex education is twisted to naughty entertainment purpose, even at eh office another computer system. Some hackers intentionally steal data or commit vandalish, while others merely explore the system to see how it works and what files it contains.
 Computer crime or abuse are increasing in a same speed as the wide spread or development of IT. Computer abuse refers to act that are legal but unethical. For this, there exists a Cyber law to govern the legal issues of cyberspace. Cyber space include computer, Computer network, Internet, Software, Data, etc. Cyber law is the law or acts or rules framed and adopted by the organizations for safe guarding against the digital that are performed by the people willfully to damage, make loss, steal information, etc.
 Nothing is absolutely right or wrong, which depends upon its use and implementation. If it is intended for positive aspect it is advantageous to all. If the same thing is used in other way it will turn in to an abusle.