Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public.

All professionals should be held to standards and rules to govern their conduct. With advances in computer technology, and due to the growth of the Internet, many professionals are required to utilize computer systems in the workplace.

The need for computer ethics has evolved due to many of the topic we have studied so far:

• Privacy issues
• Computer crime
• Computer abuse
• Intellectual property
• Professional responsibility

The definition of computer ethics would include the proper use of computer systems and data storage devices.

1 Ethical behaviors

From http://piotech.wsd.wednet.edu/techtwounits/02ComputerEthics/Task1/01ethicsnew/01ethicsnew.html

• Promote the general health of society

• Maintain or increase individual rights and freedoms

• Protect individuals from harm

• Treat all human beings as having an inherent value and accord those being proper respect

• Uphold religious, social, cultural, and government laws and norms

2 The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

From http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ten-commandments-of-computer-ethics.html

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

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

• Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s files.

• Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.

• Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.

• Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid.

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

• Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.

• Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.

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

3 So, how ethical are you?

1. Do you ever connect your computer to a network? Do you use e-mail? Do you own a smart phone?

2. Do you legitimately own all of the software, games, and programs you have or use? Where are the manuals, boxes, and license agreements for these programs?

3. Where did the contents of your homework come from? If you copied text and images from another source, did you get permission?

4. Do you ever use other people’s computers or look at or copy their files without their knowledge or permission?

5. Do you have any newsletters, plans, guidelines, or “how-to” files or documents about making bombs, breaking into systems, stealing computer access, or stealing passwords?

6. Do you have any prank programs, computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, or other malicious software? Do you access sites or systems that contain these things, or do you have friends or acquaintances who do?

7. Who do you associate with when you are on the Internet?

8. Do you have any computer graphics files that you would be embarrassed about? Are they things you would be comfortable showing me? Showing your grandmother?

9. Do you ever use an assumed name, a handle, or an alias instead of your real name? What are you trying to hide by not using your real name? Are you trying to pretend to be something or someone you’re not?