Module 6 - Computer Ethics

1. A. Daan is a computer buff. He loves to surf the Internet and try all available applications. Daan also does web design and programming, among others. In one of his computer explorations, Daan discovered a virus that destroys the computer motherboard. To test his discovery, Daan surreptitiously installed the virus in his friend Kale’s PC. After a week, Kael broke the sad news to Daan. His PC has bogged down and he needs to buy a new motherboard. Daan finds himself torn between whether to tell Kael or not.



1. Which of the 10 commandments on computer use did Daan violate?




• Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.


• Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work.


• Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization.


• Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.




2. If you were Daan, will you tell Kael the truth or not? Explain.

If I were Daan, I will tell Kael the truth. I will tell him exactly what had happened and apologize for the damage my action has caused on his computer. I will help him fix his computer and even pay for the new motherboard.

3. If you were Kael and Daan told you the truth, what will you do?

If I were Kael, I will feel betrayed and be mad with Daan. It will take awhile for me to accept and forgive Daan of what he did. Our friendship will remain but the trust will never be the same.







2. B. Pick three of the precepts on the computer use discussed above and briefly explain each precept in terms of the theory of ethics and the ethical concepts (discussed in Modules 1-4) that underpin it.




Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.
The following ethical concepts and theories underpin this precept:




• Ethical altruism promotes the good of others. Computer use must be geared towards good ends and must not infringe the rights of others.


• Divine Law: “Love thy neighbors as you love thy self”. A commandment God has given to his disciple to love and respect each other.


• Moral Law: Respecting the rights of others is a human action in computing that is considered compliant with moral norms.


• Aristotle’s Nicomachean Theory: Aristotle’s virtue ethics promotes righteousness, fairness, goodness, and justice.




Thou shalt not a computer to steal.

Never use computer to break codes and password in order to penetrate computer systems. The ethical concepts and theories that underpin these precepts are as follows:




• Divine Law: No matter what your religion is, stealing is a violation of divine law. With Catholics, stealing violates one of the ten commandments of God – “Thou shalt not steal”.


• Moral Law: Looking at all walks of life, stealing is immoral and illegal. Honesty and integrity is a human action in computing that conforms with the moral norms.


• Ethical absolutism:Ethical absolutism argues that one must follow a consistent ethical standard, one that is universal in nature. Stealing is a forbidden act no matter where you are from, what your race is.


• Kant’s Categorical Imperatives: Laws forbids stealing, and violation of such is against Kant’s categorical imperatives - ‘Be loyal to the laws, be a disciplined person, live an orderly life, do not come into conflict with laws’


• Aristotle’s Nicomachean Theory: Stealing is against Aristotle’s’ Virtue of Ethics - “Actions that do not infringe the intellectual creations of others, decency, honesty and integrity in the use of computer and its applications, among others, are the computer users’ means towards attaining the “good life”.




Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people

Use computer that does not inflict injury, both physical and emotional, of people around you.
The moral concepts and theories that underpin this precept are:




• Ethical altruism promotes the good of others. Computer must not be use to harm other people but to promote good welfare of others.


• Kant’s Categorical Imperatives: Kant emphasizes to “always treat humanity, whether in yourself or in other people, as an end in itself and never as a mere means.”


• Aristotle’s Nicomachean Theory: Aristotle’s’ Virtue of Ethics promotes righteousness, fairness, goodness, and justice.








3. C. Cite two ethical issues in computing. Explain how they are ethical in nature.



Software Piracy is one of the ethical issues in computing. It is the illegal reproduction and distribution of software applications, whether for business or personal use, therefore it is unethical. However, many computer professionals and users resort to software piracy because of the high cost of licensed software, thus what is unethical becomes fair and just.

Hacking is another ethical issue in computing. Hacking means unauthorized access to a computer, its files and programs and it is unethical especially if the intention that goes with it is to steal information, illegally transfer funds, destroy files, or jeopardize national security; however, hacking becomes ethical if the intention is to protect the welfare of people from threats of terrorism or any act that would endanger national security.




4. D. As a computer user, do you approve of an ordering principle, in the form of legislation, being formulated and enforced to govern computer use. Why? Why not? Defend your answer.



Yes, I approve of a legislation that will govern the use of computer. With these, computing actions can be controlled and computer abuses can be reduced if not totally eradicated.