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1. Research the topic of Computer Ethics on the Internet. 2. In your own words,

ID: 3705234 • Letter: 1

Question

1. Research the topic of Computer Ethics on the Internet.

2. In your own words, write an report on Computer Ethics by addressing one of the questions below.

3. The report should be a Microsoft Word document with at least 300 words.

4. Use standard academic settings (one inch margins, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and no cover page).

5. The report should have page numbers and a different first page (no page number on the first page).

6. Include at least one citation. References should be in MLA style.

7. Submit your report file by clicking the "Word Capstone - Ethics Report Assignment" link above, and attaching the word document.

Situation 1:
You are hired to manage the network at a local business. Your boss hands you the latest upgrade for Microsoft Office and asks you to install it on all the computers in the business. When you ask if the business has a site license, your boss says “No, do you have a problem with that?”
What should you do?

Situation 2:
You are hired as programmer for a local school district. The Superintendent asks you to write software that will monitor online access and report online activities to the Superintendent. No permission has been given for this access to be monitored and the Superintendent feels that if people don’t know they are being monitored it won’t hurt them.
Should you write the program?

Situation 3:
You and your friends regularly download music and movies without paying for them. While you all know this is illegal and wrong, everyone does it.
What are the issues here? Because everyone does this does that make it okay?

Explanation / Answer

Answer)

Computer ethics are related to ethical practices regarding computer operations and working on a computer and doing any work on a computer. Thus any work on a computer will be related to computer ethics. It is a part of the best practices which are good and logical and should be followed by every user.

Computer ethics are how the software or comupter professionals should handle the computers and all realted information and data related to the work and what should they do and not do with such information. Ethics allow us to prevent or aware of unauthorized access or use of any data without the user permission. So ethics are important in computers. Not following ethics may or may not be illegal, but it is best for the computer professionals and also the customers for the professionals to follow the computer ethics.

Ethics include the individual's own personal code, any event which is unethical which exists or takes place at the workplace, and other ethical practices which may exist.

We have many ethical uses of computers which can be used for the well-being of individuals - such as - research of new technologies, solution to already existing problems, scientific research, advancement of a product, developing of a new product or anything that is done so that the individuals may gain from that.

Unethical uses of computers are - violating the copyright and downloading unauthorized and copyrighted material from the internet, not following the guidelines and performing unethical operations on a website, not respecting the privacy and intruding the privacy of computer users either physically snooping or remotely, unauthorized use of computer hardware and accessories and unauthorized software usage or installation on restricted systems. And many other unethical practices are there.


Situation 1:
You are hired to manage the network at a local business. Your boss hands you the latest upgrade for Microsoft Office and asks you to install it on all the computers in the business. When you ask if the business has a site license, your boss says “No, do you have a problem with that?”
What should you do?

Microsoft Office is not a free software and thus a valid license to install it into the systems should be there for a business purpose. Other than that the MS Office software should not be installed and used on the business systems. Polity decline the boss stating that the software cannot be installed as it does not have a site license. This maybe not strictly legal, unethical and also there can be performance issues for the software which is installed on business machines for business purposes and thus any loss on the business side because of such a thing will be unacceptable. Please consult your boss and ask for a site license.

Situation 2:
You are hired as programmer for a local school district. The Superintendent asks you to write software that will monitor online access and report online activities to the Superintendent. No permission has been given for this access to be monitored and the Superintendent feels that if people don’t know they are being monitored it won’t hurt them.
Should you write the program?

No, such a program without the authorization of those who are being monitored is illegal and can result into problems if people get to know about this. As a programmer for a local school district, when the Superintendent asks you to write software that will monitor online access and report online activities to the Superintendent, you can polity ask that it is only possible if the permission has been given for this access to be monitored. Without access by the school authorities and those who are being monitored, it would be unethical.

Situation 3:
You and your friends regularly download music and movies without paying for them. While you all know this is illegal and wrong, everyone does it.
What are the issues here? Because everyone does this does that make it okay?

You should not download copyrighted content from the Internet from free website which are not legal. Copyrighted contents are developed and made by people and companies and a lot of work and money go into them, so it would not be legal or ethical to just download the paid content from a free website and unethically accessing those contents. Nowadays, there are many websites which ethically and legally let you trial the content for a trial period and after that by paying a small free. This saves you from a lot of hassle and having a unethical feeling. Also, the websites which allow the download of such material illegally are not secure and can infect your system with virus, worms. So, it is not ethical or legal to download that content even if most people do it.