Week-6

Week-6 Understanding Ethics Related To Information Systems

9-1

Information Age Terms Computer Literacy Knowing how to use a computer to gather, store, organize, and otherwise process information. These are desirable and even required for many occupations today Digital Divide The gap developing in society between those that are computer literate and have access to computers and those that don’t and how it will affect them Computer Ethics The issues and standards of conduct as they pertain to the use of information systems including information privacy, accuracy, property, and accessibility Information Systems Today

9-2

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Ethics Concerns

Information Systems Today

9-3

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Privacy and Issues Information Privacy What information an individual must reveal to others in the course of gaining employment or shopping online Identify Theft The stealing of another person’s private information (SSN, credit card numbers, etc.) for the purpose of using it to gain credit, borrow money, buy merchandise, or otherwise run up debt that are never paid. This is especially problematic because it: • is invisible to the victim, they don’t know it is happening • is very difficult to correct…credit agencies are involved • can cause unrecoverable losses and legal costs

Information Systems Today

9-4

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Privacy - How to Maintain Choose Web sites monitored by independent organizations Use rating sites to identify merchant sites whose privacy policies conform to standards and are monitored (e.g epubliceye.com) Avoid Having Cookies Left on Your Machine Use settings in your browser to block cookies from being deposited on you machine by primary and third parties Visit Sites Anonymously Use online privacy services that provide total privacy by blocking all techniques used to identify you online (e.g. Anonymizer) Use Caution when Requesting Confirming Email Use a separate e-mail account from normal to protect information from your employer, sellers, and any one using your computer Information Systems Today

9-5

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Accuracy Information Accuracy Concerned with assuring the authenticity and fidelity of information, and identifying those responsible for informational errors that harm people Sources of Information Errors Errors in computer output can come from two primary sources. These are: • Machine Errors – errors in the computer program logic, communication and/or processing that receives, processes, stores, and presents information • Human Errors – errors by the person(s) entering data or information into the computer system

Information Systems Today

9-6

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Property Information Property Concerned with who owns information about individuals and how information can be sold and exchanged Information Ownership The organization storing the information owns it if it is given willingly…even if unknowingly by use of their sites (e.g. online surveys, credit card transactions, etc.) Privacy Statements Are stated policies from the organizations collecting the information and how they intend to use it. These are legally binding statements • Internal Use – used within the organization only • External Use – can be sold to outside parties Information Systems Today

9-7

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Property – Example of a Privacy Statement

Information Systems Today

9-8

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Property – Gathering and Uses Spam (see Chapter 4 for definition) This unsolicited e-mail can come from reputable sites selling your information. Possible problems from spam include: • Viruses in attachments or links • Added to other spam lists by responding • Slows systems by taking up resources disk space Cookies These files stored on a computer do have legitimate uses but they also can: • Store and transmit information about online habits including, sites visited, purchases made, etc. • Prevent accessing sites when cookies are refused • Collect and combine information with other information to build a personal profile to be sold Information Systems Today

9-9

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Property – Gathering and Uses Spyware These stealth computer applications are installed and then collect information about individuals without their knowledge. Currently this technology is not illegal Spyware Issues Spyware applications collect and transmit, or use, this information locally in several ways including: • Sale of information to online marketers (spammers) • Illegal uses such as identity theft • Modify user experience to market to the user by presenting ad banners, pop-ups, etc. (Adware)

Information Systems Today

9-10

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Accessibility Information Accessibility Concerned with defining what information a person or organization has the right to obtain about others and how that information is used Who has access? Besides personal access, other parties have the legal right to access and view private information including: • Government – using advanced software packages (e.g Carnivore), e-mail traffic and all online activity can be monitored in realtime or after the fact • Employers – they can legally limit, monitor or access activities on company-owned computers or networks as long as policy has been distributed to employees Information Systems Today

9-11

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Information Access – Example of Carnivore

Information Systems Today

9-12

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

The Need of Ethical Behavior Ethical Behavior Illegal versus unethical behavior is an information age concern. Though activities are not explicitly illegal, questions exist of whether they are unethical such as: • Photograph manipulation/modification – in this circumstance, the photograph not longer reflects absolute reality • Unauthorized use of computers – at work or at school, “stealing time” for personal business or use • Information collection – by companies compiling information to sell for profit

Information Systems Today

9-13

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Responsible Computer Use Guidelines In area of ethics, we rely on guidelines to guide behavior. These guidelines can come from many organizations The Computer Ethics Institute developed these guidelines for ethical computer use that prohibit the following behaviors: • Using a computer to harm others • Interfering with other people’s computer work • Snooping in other people’s files • Using a computer to steal • Using a computer to bear false witness • Copying or using proprietary software without paying for it • Using other people’s computer resources without authorization or compensation • Appropriating other people’s intellectual output Information Systems Today

9-14

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Responsible Computer Use The guidelines from the Computer Ethics Institute also recommend the following when creating programs or using computers: • Thinking about the social consequences of programs you write and systems you design (e.g Napster, or a piece of Spyware) • Using computers in way that show consideration and respect for others (e.g. proliferation of viruses, instant messaging, etc.)

Information Systems Today

9-15

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crimes Computer Crime The act of using a computer to commit an illegal act. The broad definition of computer crime can include the following: • Targeting a computer while committing an offense (e.g gaining entry to a computer system in order to cause damage to the computer or the data it contains) • Using a computer to commit and offense (e.g. stealing credit card numbers from a company database) • Using computers to support criminal activity (e.g. drug dealer using computers to store records of illegal transactions) Information Systems Today

9-16

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crimes and the Impact on Organizations

Information Systems Today

9-17

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crime – Unauthorized Access Unauthorized Access A person gaining entry to a computer system for which they have no authority to use such access THIS IS A COMPUTER CRIME!

Information Systems Today

9-18

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crime – Unauthorized Access Trends

Information Systems Today

9-19

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crimes – Who Commits Them?

Unauthorized Access 1998 Survey of 1600 companies by PricewaterhouseCoopers

82% come from inside the organization (employees)

Information Systems Today

9-20

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crimes – Who Commits Them? Unauthorized Access 2004 Survey by Computer Security Institute

Information Systems Today

9-21

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crimes - Hacking and Cracking Hackers A term to describe unauthorized access to computers based entirely on a curiosity to learn as much as possible about computers. It was originally used to describe MIT students in the 1960s that gained access to mainframes. It was later used universally used for gaining unauthorized access for any reason Crackers A term to describe those who break into computer systems with the intention of doing damage or committing crimes. This was created because of protests by true hackers Information Systems Today

9-22

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crimes – Cracker (Humorous)

Information Systems Today

9-23

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Computer Crime – Software Piracy Software Piracy This practice of buying one copy and making multiple copies for personal and commercial use, or for resale is illegal in most countries while others offer weak or nonexistent protections. This has become and international problem as shown below

Information Systems Today

9-24

(©2006 Prentice Hall)

Destructive Code that Replicates Viruses These programs disrupt the normal function of a computer system though harmless pranks or by destroying files on the infected computer. They come in several types: • Boot Sector – attaches to the section of a hard disk or floppy disk that boots a computer. • File Infector – attach themselves to certain file types such as .doc, .exe, etc. • Combination – viruses can change types between boot sector and file infector to fool antivirus programs • Attachment – released from an e-mail when an attachment is launched. Can also send themselves address book

Worms This destructive code also replicates and spreads through networked computers but does damage by clogging up memory to slow the computer versus destroying files Information Systems Today

9-25

(©2006 Prentice Hall)