Tutorials: Ethics

Recommended Week

Year 1 : Weeks 1 - 12

Henk Muller

To give you guidance into what you should and should not do.

Understand the issues behind ethics.
Understand examples how ethics in computer science are related to every day life ethics.

Passwords.: Snooping passwords (watching a keyboard, network), Trojan horses are a no. Comparable to taking a wax print of someone's key. get a discussion going (why do you need a password? Who are you trying to keep out of your house with your front door lock?)
Reading other peoples files.: Things that are readable to you should not necessarily read by you (compare to papers on someone's desk, or with a diary). Some files are to be read (for example startup files, source code of handy hacks that people intend to be used by others). Discussion, what is it that you think you can read? Suppose you become a system manager, can you read everyones e-mail and private files? Should you?
Plagiarism.: What is plagiarism? Where is the line between plagiarism and your own work?
Breaking into systems.: Breaking into systems is a definite no. The victim is left with the task of finding out where the burglar has been. The theory of breaking cryptosystems and security is fine. It is an exercise that is intellectually stimulating, and it improves understanding of how systems are to be designed.
Data Protection Act.: The other way around. You are responsible for keeping correct data, and allowing people to see and correct personal data. You are also responsible to guard the privacy of data (ie, not give it to anyone else).