QUESTION
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CODESOFETHICS
The PART OF THE PICTURE: Ethics and Computing section in Chapter 1 noted
that professional societies have adopted and instituted codes of ethics for its members.
In this appendix we present summaries of these codes of conduct for computing
professionals published by three major organizations:
the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM),
the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers
(IEEE), and the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA). These codes
describe the computer professional’s obligations to: (1) society, (2) employers, (3)
clients, and (4) coprofessionals and professional societies. In a 1990 article, C. Dianne
Martin and David H.
Martin identify seven common themes in these codes:
1. Dignity and worth of other people
2. Personal integrity and honesty
3. Responsibility for work
4. Confidentiality of information
5. Public safety, health, and welfare
6. Participation in professional societies to improve standards of the profession
7. The notion that knowledge and access to technology is equivalent to social
power
ACM CANONS OF CONDUCT
Preamble: Recognition of professional status by the public depends not only on
skill and dedication but also on adherence to a recognized Code of Professional
Conduct. The following Code sets forth the general principles (Canons) followed by
professional ideals (Ethical Considerations)…applicable to each member . . .
An ACM member shall:
Canon 1. Act at all times with integrity:
EC1.1….properly qualify expressed opinions outside the member’s areas of
competence.
EC1.2….preface any partisan statement about information processing by in-
dicating clearly on whose behalf they are made.
EC1.3….act faithfully on behalf of employers or clients.
YYYYY
1
C. Dianne Martin and David H. Martin, “Professional Codes of Conduct and Computer Ethics Education,”
Computers and Society 20 (1990), 18–29. (Reprinted from Social Science Computer Review, vol.
9, Duke University Press, 1990)
1
1
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2CODESOFETHICS
Canon 2. Strive to increase competence and prestige of the profession:
EC2.1. . . . encouraged to extend public knowledge, understanding, and appre-
ciation of information processing, and to oppose any false or deceptive
statements relating to information processing of which the
member
is aware.
EC2.2 . . . . not use professional credentials to misrepresent the member’s
competence.
EC2.3 . . . . undertake only those professional assignments and commitments
for which the member is qualified.
EC2.4 . . . . strive to design and develop systems that adequately perform the
intended functions and that satisfy employer’s or client’s operational
needs.
EC2.5 . . . . maintain and increase competence through a program of continuing
education encompassing the techniques,
technical standards,
and practices in the member’s field of professional activity.
EC2.6 . . . . provide opportunity and encouragement for professional development
and advancement of both professionals and those aspiring to
become
professionals.
Canon 3. Accept responsibility for own work:
EC3.1. . . . accept only those assignments for which there is a reasonable ex-
pectancy of meeting requirements or specifications, and shall perform
assignment in a professional manner.
Canon 4. Act with professional responsibility:
EC4.1. . . . not use ACM membership for professional advantage or to misrep-
resent the authority of the member’s statements.
EC4.2. . . . conduct professional activities on a high plane.
EC4.3 . . . . be encouraged to uphold and improve professional standards of
the Association through participation in their formulation, establishment,
and enforcement.
Canon 5. Use special knowledge and skills for advancement of human welfare:
EC5.1. . . . consider health, privacy, and general welfare of public in perfor-
mance of work.
EC5.2. . . . whenever dealing with data concerning individuals, always
consider the principle of the individual’s privacy and seek
the following:
8 to minimize the data collected
8 to limit authorized access to the data
8 to provide proper security for the data
8 to determine the required retention period of the data
8 to ensure proper disposal of the data
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IEEE CODE OF ETHICS
Preamble: Engineers, scientists, and technologists affect the quality of life for all
people in our complex technological society. In the pursuit of their profession,
therefore, it is vital that IEEE members conduct their work in an ethical manner so
that they merit the confidence of colleagues, employers, clients, and the public. This
IEEE Code of Ethics represents such a standard of professional conduct for IEEE
members in the discharge of their responsibilities to employees, to clients, to the
community, and to their colleagues in this Institute and other professional societies.
Article I. Members shall maintain high standards of diligence, creativity, and productivity
and shall:
a. Accept responsibility for their actions;
b. Be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates from available data;
c. Undertake technological tasks and accept responsibility only if qualified by
training or experience, or after full disclosure to their employers or clients
of pertinent qualifications;
d. Maintain their professional skills at the level of the state of the art, and recognize
the importance of current events in their work;
e. Advance the integrity and prestige of the profession by practicing in a dignified
manner and for adequate compensation.
Article II. Members shall, in their work:
a. Treat fairly all colleagues and co-workers, regardless of race, religion, sex,
age or national origin;
b. Report, publish and disseminate freely information to others, subject to le-
gal and proprietary restraints;
c. Encourage colleagues and co-workers to act in accord with this Code and
support them when they do so;
d. Seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of work, and properly credit the con-
tributions of others;
e. Support and participate in the activities of their professional societies;
f. Assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development.
CODESOFETHICS3
Article III. Members shall, in their relations with employers and clients:
a. Act as faithful agents or trustees for their employers or clients in profes-
sional and business matters, provided such actions conform with other parts
of this Code;
b. Keep information on business affairs or technical processes of an employer
or client in confidence while employed, and later, until such information is
properly released, provided that such actions conform with other parts of
this Code;
c. Inform their employers, clients, professional societies or public agencies or
private agencies of which they are members or to which they make presentations,
of any circumstance that could lead to a conflict of interest;
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4CODESOFETHICS
d. Neither give nor accept, directly or indirectly, any gift payment or service of
more than nominal value to or from those having business relationships
with their employers or clients.
e. Assist and advise their employers or clients in anticipating the possible consequences,
direct or indirect, immediate or remote, of the projects, work or
plans of which they have knowledge.
Article IV. Members shall, in fulfilling responsibility to community:
a. Protect safety, health, and welfare of the public and speak out against
abuses in these areas affecting the public interest;
b. Contribute professional advice, as appropriate, to civic, charitable, or other
nonprofit organizations;
c. Seek to extend public knowledge and appreciation of the profession and its
achievements.
DPMA CODE OF ETHICS
I acknowledge:
1. That I have an obligation to management, therefore, I shall promote the un-
derstanding of information processing methods and procedures to management
using every resource at my command.
2. That I have an obligation to my fellow members, therefore I shall uphold the
high ideals of DPMA as outlined in its Association Bylaws. Further, I shall
cooperate with my fellow members and shall treat them with honesty and
respect at all times.
3. That I have an obligation to society and will participate to the best of my
ability in the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to the general development
and understanding of information processing.
Further, I shall not use
knowledge of a confidential nature to further my personal interest, nor shall
I violate the privacy and confidentiality of information entrusted to me or to
which I may gain access.
4. That I have an obligation to my employer whose trust I hold, therefore I
shall endeavor to discharge this obligation to the best of my ability, to guard
my employer’s interests, and to advise him or her wisely and honestly.
5. That I have an obligation to my country, therefore, in my personal business
and social contacts, I shall uphold my nation and shall honor the chosen way
of life of my fellow citizens.
I accept these obligations as a personal responsiblity, and as a member of this Association,
I shall actively discharge these obligations and I dedicate myself to that end.
SOLUTION
Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives today and along with it, has brought numerous advantages along with a couple of issues as well. One gets to hear words like spam, hacked accounts, privacy breach, virus attacks, and phishing emails more often than we used to a decade ago.
A study of online articles suggests that the most common and the biggest security threat is the spam where unwanted mails are sent daily without user consent in bulk. There are laws which safeguard the rights of the individuals, but often these are not universal and vary from country to country. A report in SC Magazine (2011) states that more than 50% of the zombie IP addresses responsible for generating spam originate in India followed by Brazil, USA and Netherlands in other regions which are difficult to track and cause nuisance since they clutter mailbox and at times may contain malicious content. The only weapon to counteract this threat is to have a strong spam filter in place which email service-providers like Google, Yahoo, Hotmail have in place.
The next most important issue is phishing wherein imposter sites or messages which look just like actual sites request personal information and financial details. Unsuspecting users without looking at the encryption or SSL may often fall prey to such activities which can result in total loss of online identity and may have negative financial impact. Websites like ebay and bank websites, continually inform and educate users about the phishing menace so that the users take appropriate actions. The latest versions of browsers also have in-built phishing detection system in place to notify users when they visit such sites. But still many people get caught in phishing scam as the deals and services are tempting enough for individuals to key in the details which the site or email requested according to an article published in Consumer Reports (2008).
Malware or malicious software are a set of programs like spyware, adware, virus, Trojan, worm, botware which infect computers and then either compromise the system or relay critical information to the server from which the infection is directed. A Study conducted by Australian Institute of Criminology (Feb 2012) identified that 65% of small businesses in Australia are malware infected and more than 50% of these have cause financial losses in some way or other. This is a serious threat and can be avoided by not opening suspicious emails, have an anti-malware program in place and updating its definition regularly. Consumer Reports 2008 study says that most common reason for such attacks is due to antivirus software not in installed or updated, 36% of the users not having an anti-spyware in place and 75% of the users do not use anti phishing toolbar in browsers.
Social Networking sites are also increasingly becoming tools to spread malware by posting ads or URLs which take users to infected sites and result in automatic download of malware. According to a report published in Channel Insider (2011), Twitter Facebook and You-Tube are the three biggest web-based social media which pose threats especially to business. URL shortener used in Twitter to save character limit often hides malicious links and allow hackers to takes it advantage. Also it has other web 2.0 and API related vulnerabilities which allow hackers to advantage of and propagate worms. Sites like LinkedIn and Facebook are built on the inherent qualities of trust and transparency. Hackers take advantage of this underlying trait to trick unsuspecting individuals to divulge information resulting in identity theft.
With growing use of technology and convergence of internet on multiple wireless devices, there has been a rise in hacking of these devices wirelessly. Recently there has been news of phones been hacked wirelessly of various actress leaking their private photos and other information. This can equally happen to anyone and to protect such information, there has to strong encryption system in place along with password protection.
Throughout human history, mankind has been in search of eternal challenges. Hackers in particular have strengthened this belief and are more adventurous since breaking and stealing online identities and personal information after penetrating multiple layers of security gives them a false sense of pride. As the security systems are beefed up and are made tougher, it becomes a new challenge for them to overcome. This in due course of time have given rise to ethical hackers, whose job solely is to find and plug loopholes which otherwise will be exploited by others.
The menace of online security threats are here to stay and cannot be eradicated overnight. This requires a change in basic human approach which is difficult to change. Strong universal laws need to be enacted to take actions against the culprits. It is the responsibility of all individuals who surf online to take care of basic precautions which can vastly reduce the incidences of identity thefts, malware infection, phishing and spams. Having taken simple steps like installing antivirus and updating it regularly, ensuring that all details are entered in a secured SSL encrypted website with https, not divulging personal information and having passwords for computers can vastly improve the status of the online security. We as responsible citizens should ensure that these simple steps are taken and the awareness is spread amongst the newest members of the online community so that they do not fall victims of such activities.
The main mantra of the overall study is that online safety starts with us. It should be our responsibility to have basic security systems in place and should be aware of the latest challenges and upcoming issues in internet security. As the security gets tightened, more innovative ways are being devised by the hackers to break into the security. The more aware we are, more difficult it becomes for the hackers to challenge those who stand united against the menace of online security threats. It supports the adage “United we Stand, Divided we Fall”; since such a threat can be countered only if all of us stand together against such unethical activities and fight hard.
References:
Eddy, N 2011, Social media applications a threat to businesses: Report, channelInsider.com
Hutchings A, 2012, Computer security threats facedby small businesses in Australia, in Australian Institute of Criminology, issue 443, pp 2-5.
Loganathan M, Kirubakaran E, (2011), A Study on Cyber Crimes and protection, in International Journal of Computer Science, Issues, Vol. 8, Issue 5, No 1.
Protect yourself online: The biggest threats and best solutions, Consumer Reports, 2008, Consumerreports.org.
Stomping Sypware, PC Magazine, April 2007, pp 66-67
Threat Report, 2011, scmagazineus.com.
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