A.1. Which of the 10 commandments on computer use did Daan violate?
Daan violates “Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization”, “Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work”, Thou shall not snoop around in other people’s files”, “Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid,” “Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization,” and “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.
There’s no secret that cannot be revealed & there’s no problem that cannot be solved. How long will I kept the secret? The more I keep it, the more it will be hard for me to tell the truth and the more our friendship will be endangered. My conscience will be my enemy. I know the truth will set me free. That’s why I must tell the truth as soon as possible. I know he will understand me. If ever Kael hates me, even I say sorry, then it’s up to Kael. I have done my part. I know at the right time he will forgive me. I must wait for that time. Plus I need to be prepared on what he will say and what he will do to me. If he will mock me, then it’s alright. I understand it’s my fault. Plus I will tell him that I will buy new computer mother board for him for the replacement of the damage I’ve done.
3. If you were Kael and Daan told you the truth, what will you do?
If I was Kael and Daan told me the truth in that particular time, I will be disappointed and I will be mad at him. Maybe I’m going to release my punch and mocked him and say, “PARE” why did you do this to me. Why you don’t tell me about your discoveries before you installed it to my computer? You need my permission first before doing this. After that, I will go to my house and I will not talk to him until he finally knows that what he’s done is really wrong and unethical. Daan must see to it that he is really sorry for what happen. Well, that’s case to case basis. If I see that Daan is really sorry for what happen, I will hug and embrace him, then I will really forgive him instantly and say don’t do this again. But I will tell him that because of what he’s done, he must give me a share to buy new computer mother board, after all where friends. My 2nd impression is that I will be proud of him and I will say “you’re the man”. You’re so patient and intelligent in discovering new ideas. But I will tell my friend Daan that he must understand that everything here in the world has a limitation. Don’t do bad things that will cause him to be in trouble. What you do to my computer mother board is enough? Don’t install it to anybody again.
B. Pick three of the precepts on computer use discussed above and briefly explains each precept in terms of the theory of ethics and the ethical concepts (discussed in Modules 1-4) that underpin it.
“Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people”.
Pornography is a good example of this commandment. Nowadays, pornography in the internet is very common; abusing the rights of women, even you don’t browse the website of it and it will automatically appear. Indeed, pornography is bad under all circumstances. It violates the natural law, moral law and most of all the divine law. Users must not use the computer just to gain personal satisfaction and personal happiness and yet somebody will be harmed. Users must see to it that all his explorations and discoveries will not greatly affect or harm others.
“Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.” Stealing one’s property is bad under all circumstances. Again it violates the moral law, the natural law and the Divine law. Yes, you will be rich if you steal because you gain money from others. You can buy anything you want, just to gain personal happiness and satisfaction. But after that, are you satisfied? Do you find the true happiness? Impact, stealing ones property is dangerous. Wealth and richness is good, it makes us happy. But the love of money is the fruit of all evil. The love of money is the key for us to be in hell. Humans loved money so much, that’s why, even their soul will die and perish it’s alright with them. They don’t know that there will be a judgment when they die. My question is that why people are not satisfied to what they have right now? Why do they steal? Yes, you have the property, the money that you can buy, but your home is lost and no harmony at all. So what’s the point of having all the richness? It’s useless. “You can’t be with your money if you die”.
“Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization.”
Hacking is a good example of this commandment and at the same time the case of Daan. Daan loves to surf the Internet and try all available applications. One of his exploration, he discovered a virus that destroy computer mother board. To test his discovery he installed it to the computer of his friends without permission. This situation illustrates, that what he’s action is morally bad but good under certain circumstances. I don’t see bad things in explorations, in discovering new ideas and try all available applications if it works. For me it’s good, because it will increase your knowledge. There’s new innovation in exploring and surfing the net. But what is bad in this illustration is that Daan surreptitiously installed the virus in his friends PC. He does not ask permission to his friends which is morally bad under all circumstances. Hacking for me is not really bad if you will just use it for new idea, but if it is abusive and destructive, then, it is morally bad under all circumstances.
C. Cite two ethical issues in computing. Explain how they are ethical in nature.
Privacy in Computing such as email privacy, database privacy, software privacy and others are ethical in nature. Many laws and policies have created to protect the users, ones they entered in the computer world or ones they access the said website or the World Wide Web (WWW). See Privacy Act http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/5/552a.html. Privacy in computing is ethical in nature because they protect the user rights. The rights that the file, databases and others remain private. The law implies that the user must respect the rights of other users by not snooping around in others files. Privacy in computing is the same as you owned a house and someone, “a stranger” went to your house without informing you. We called that trespassing. Privacy in computing is a sense of ownership. One’s you have email address, files, website and others, it is yours. You’re the owner of it, and no one must bypass. It is your private property.
Integrity in creating computer programs is ethical in nature. Meaning all programmers can designed and create programs that will benefit the society. “Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.” Designer and programmers must design and create only program that will be useful, that it will not harm anybody else. That computer programmers will not create worms and viruses that really affect and damage ones property.
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? Defend your answer.
Actually my answer is no and yes. I’m in the middle. No because we have the freedom to do what we want to do, as long as we don’t infringe intellectual property of someone else and as long as were not violating any law. Plus the scope of legislation is too big; how come the system administrators will detect those people who violate the law in computing? I just think that the scope is too big and the task is too difficult to do.
Yes, so that the user will be informed that there is a law in the land. The user will have fear, that in their mind if ever you do this or do that, which is wrong, and then they trace you, you will be punishable. “You will be in jail”. So I just think it is also good to have an ordering principle in the form of legislation. So that abusing someone rights, infringement of intellectual property will be lessen.