Evaluate the use of computing based on legal and ethical factors.
Learning Objective:
Explain how the use of computing can raise legal and ethical concerns
Material created on a computer is the
intellectual property of the creator or an
organization.
IOC-1.F.2
Ease of access and distribution of digitized
information raises intellectual property
concerns regarding ownership, value, and use.
IOC-1.F.3
Measures should be taken to safeguard
intellectual property.
IOC-1.F.4
The use of material created by someone
else without permission and presented as
one’s own is plagiarism and may have legal
consequences.
Some examples of legal ways to use materials
created by someone else include:
Creative Commons—a public copyright
license that enables the free distribution
of an otherwise copyrighted work. This is
used when the content creator wants to give
others the right to share, use, and build upon
the work they have created.
open source—programs that are made
freely available and may be redistributed and
modified
open access—online research output free of
any and all restrictions on access and free of
many restrictions on use, such as copyright
or license restrictions
IOC-1.F.6
The use of material created by someone other
than you should always be cited.
IOC-1.F.7
Creative Commons, open source, and open
access have enabled broad access to digital
information.
IOC-1.F.8
As with any technology or medium, using
computing to harm individuals or groups of
people raises legal and ethical concerns.
IOC-1.F.9
Computing can play a role in social and political
issues, which in turn often raises legal and
ethical concerns.
IOC-1.F.10
The digital divide raises ethical concerns
around computing.
IOC-1.F.11
Computing innovations can raise legal and
ethical concerns. Some examples of these
include:
the development of software that allows
access to digital media downloads and
streaming
the development of algorithms that include
bias
the existence of computing devices that
collect and analyze data by continuously
monitoring activities