Computer Ethics. Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the behavior of a group or individual. Therefore, computer ethics is set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers.
The SACE Board have the following outcomes:
· considering the ethical implications of digital solutions on individuals, groups, and/or societies now and in the future
· considering ethical strategies for working with individuals and groups
· evaluating the ethical issues surrounding the collection, storage, and use of data
· making ethical decisions based on evidence
· using data and reporting the outcomes accurately and fairly
· recognising the importance of responsible participation in social, economic, environmental, scientific, and/or ethical decision-making
· increasing critical understanding of the appropriate and ethical uses of digital technology
· understanding the implications of data use for personal, social, and ethical participation in the wider community
· evaluating the reliability of information for accurate decision-making.
Ethics in Digital Technologies can be broken down into these broad areas:
collection of personal data
Organisations collect data about personal details through a range of ways including forms, photos etc. There are Australian laws that make recommendations for organisations collecting data.
data security and storage
Data is stored on electronic servers on hard drives around the world. Organisations need to take measures to ensure data stored is protected physically (locked doors, climate, secure log access etc) and virtually from cyber attacks through firewalls, software and monitoring.
data protection and backup
Data needs to be protected from being lost/deleted. Organisations should have measures put in place to prevent loss of data through hardware failure, natural disaster etc. Storage devices should be backed up (which can be done in many different ways) so data can be recovered for an organisation
privacy and anonymising data
When data is collected about somebody, how the data is used, shared and accessed by who is very important. Organisations need to have policy and strategies in place to prevent data being stolen or used in ways that are inappropriate. This may be through passwords and different levels of account access. Encrypt data so that its cant be read by the wrong people. When data is shared, every effort is put in place to hide the identity of individuals etc. There are range of laws that companies and developers must adhere too.
cyber security
Cyber-security is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. Developers and organisations need to try and prevent users from accessing private information by using security software and other strategies to prevent attack on data and systems.