Computer Ethics

What is Computer Ethics? Deborah G. Johnson: Respect for Proprietary Rights Richard Stallman: Sharing Eugene H. Spafford: Something irrelevant - the general public too uneducated Peter G. Neumann: Must be replaced by security John Weckert: A complex matter James H. Moor: A matter of privacy Swedish Banks: Good taste Krystyna Górniak-Kocikowska: Something global NSF–Ethics of Human Enhancements: Something that lags (far) behind Council of Europe: Computer ethics?

High speed computers- privacy Computers memory undercuts human fraility to assist privacy Greased information is available for any purpose Core values= a value humans and cultures need for survival. Privacy is not a core value, but it expresses a core value Normative privacy-protected by ethical, legal conventional norms Normative privacy often natural as well James H Moor

Views and principles Restricted access view:focuses what to concider when developing policies for protecting privacy The publicity principle:rules and conditions that govern private situations should be clear and known to the persons affected by them The adjustment principle: If the private circum stanses justify a change in parameters of a private situation, then the alteration should be an explicit and public part of rules and conditions that govers the private situation

Ethics is implicit in this paper: The harm caused by the discloser will be so much less than the harm prevented that an impartial person would permit breach in this and in morally similar situations Ethics in this paper- implicit and ends up in dilemman of what is best, right, wrong and so on

Human Enhancement [HE]- technology into our bodies Definitions of HE: Changes the structure and function of the body Discusses grey zones- when is it HE and when it is not? Questions what is morally problematic and what is not Uses the concepts ethic and moral without defining them Ethics in this paper-just uses, no defintions Ethics of human enhancements

Questions to discuss What are the concequences of differences in understandings of ethics? Can technology and technology design be used to increase ethical quality and reduce negative concequences of differences in conceptual interpretations?

Old and new ways of thinking With the virtualization of data, the way we are thinking and interacting with it changes. The question about harm that is done when “violating” virtual property/artifacts is much harder to answer. –Those authors that try to find analogies in the material world, struggle to make their argumentation coherent. Is a new ethical framework needed?

Perception of data Personal Information Creation The issue of privacy The issue of property