Unethical Use of Computer

Computers in Society
Ethics and Information Technology

UNETHICAL COMPUTER USE
Rather than hackers, who is usually responsible for unethical computer use?

Individual practice:
1. Change passwords, don't share them, back up data, lock computers,
2. Don't leave confidential OR POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE information on screen in a public place.
Development processes:
3. Responsibility to test thoroughly (fallen bridge, Therac radiation therapy machine)
4. No piracy. What is the most common excuse for piracy?
Management employee relations:
Revenge
5. Ethical disagreements.
Processing issues.
1. Unreliability
AT&T switch failure.
Air traffic control failure
2. Untimely output.
What happens when computers make work late?
3. Unintended Data use.
Think of all the junk mail you get.
Is it ethical for someone to sell your consumer profile without your permission?
Workplace issues:
1. Ergonomics.
Chairs, monitors, electromagnetic radiation, repetitive stress, breaks
2 Monitoring:

Issues of Data Collection, Storage, and Access:

Email:
Is your privacy protected?
Does your employer have a right to see your mail if you use the employer's system for your mail?
Do employees know their mail is being read?
Should you send unwanted advertisements, or rude messages?
Resource Exploitation Issues:
Wasting resources, interrupting services, cracking into systems.
Planting viruses, bad hacking.
Logic bombs, using a company computer for your own gain.

Computer crime:
Using computers to perform illegal acts.
Altering documents with DTP technology.