Learning Outcomes 2

Topic : 1.2 Computer Ethics and Legal Issues

1.2.1 Definition

1.2.1.1 Define Computer Ethics ,Code of Ethics ,Intellectual Property ,Privacy ,Computer
Crime and Cyber Law.

Computer ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing
professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct.

A code of ethics is a set of principles of conduct within an organization that guide

decision making and behavior.

Intellectual Property means that can be protected under federal law, including
copyrightable works, ideas, discoveries, and inventions. Such property would include
novels, sound recordings, a new type of mousetrap, or a cure for a disease.

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information

about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively.

Computer crime generally refers to criminal activity where a computer or network is the
source, tool, target, or place of a crime.

Cyber Law means the rapidly evolving area of civil and criminal law as applicable to the
use of computers, and activities performed and transactions conducted over internet and
other networks.
1.2.1.2 Differentiate between ethics and law.

A)Ethics

Guideline As a guideline to computer users

Moral Standards Ethics behavior is judged by moral standards
Free To Follow Computer uses are free to follow /ignore the
code of ethics
No Punishment No punishment for anyone who violates
ethics
Universals Universal can be applied anyway ,all around
the world
Produce Ethical Computer Users To produce ethical computer users
Immoral No honouring computer ethics means
ignoring the moral elements (Immoral)

B)Law

Control As a rule to control computer users

Judicial Standards Law is judged by judicial standard
Must follow Computer users must follow the regulations
and law
Penalties ,Imprisonments ,And Other Penalties ,imprisonments ,and other
Punishments punishment for those who break the law
Depends On Country Depends on country and state where the
crime is committed
Prevent Misusing Of Computer To prevent misusing of computer
Crime Not honouring the law means committing
the law
1.2.1.3 State the need for intellectual property laws

Respecting Ownership

We must respect ownership by not stealing other people’s work either by duplicating or
distributing it. Duplicating and distributing copies of audio tapes ,video tapes and
computer programs without permission and authorization from the individual or company
that create the program are immoral or illegal.

Respecting Privacy And Confidentiality

We should respect other people’s privacy and confidentiality by refraining ourselves

from reading their mails or files without their permission. If we do so ,this is considered
as violating an individuals rights to privacy and confidentiality.

Respecting Property

Property here means ownership. Since an individual data and information are considered
as property .Therefore ,an act of tempering and changing electronic information is
considered as vandalism and disrespect for other people’s property.
1.2.2 Privacy

1.2.2.1 List ways to protect privacy

Use anonymous Identity

Anonymity is essential to privacy and free speech. It protects whistle blowers and writers
of controversial material; most simply, it may enable one to publish without a forwarding
address. The e-mail technology creates problems for the right to anonymous
communication since the sender of a message can be traced back through digital paths.

Make sure that online forms are secure

Online forms may be digitally transported in ways that leave them vulnerable to
undesired access. Alternatively, online forms may be encrypted so that only the intended
recipients can readily translate the information. Ensuring that your information is stored
and transferred in secure ways is one of the keys to protecting your privacy.

Turn on cookie notices in your Web browser

"Cookies" are tidbits of information that Web sites store on your computer, temporarily
or more-or-less permanently. In many cases cookies are useful and innocuous. They may
be passwords and user IDs, so that you do not have to keep retyping them every time you
load a new page at the site that issued the cookie. Other cookies however, can be used for
"data mining" purposes, to track your motions through a Web site, the time you spend
there, what links you click on and other details that the company wants to record, usually
for marketing purposes.

Establish an alternate email account.

If you need something more permanent, like an email address that you can associate with
one of your social networking identities, create an account with one of the many free
web-mail services.

Make stuff up

Whenever possible avoid giving your real contact information. Obviously you need to
give your name, address, credit card number when ordering a book from Amazon. The
same is not true when you’re registering to read the New York Times online. When asked
to provide personal information you should never give away any more information than
you have to. When in doubt, make something up.

1.2.2.2 State authentication and verification methods/technologies

There are two commonly used authentication methods ,which are biometric device and
call back system.

Biometric device is a device that translates personal characteristics into a digital code
that is compared with a digital code stored in the database.

Call back system refers to the checking system that authenticates the user.

A)Biometric device
Finger print recognition

In order to prevent fake fingers from being used ,many biometric fingerprint systems also
measure blood flow/check for correctly arrayed ridges of at the edges of the fingers.

Facial recognition

Facial recognition analyses the characteristics of an individual’s face image captured

through a digital video camera. Facial recognition is widely used ,touted as a fantastic
system for recognizing potential threats.

Hand geometry scanning

Hand geometry scanning involving the measurement and analysis of the shape of one’s
hand .Unlike fingerprints ,the human hand isn’t unique. Individual hand features are not
descriptive enough for identification.

Iris scanning

Iris scanning analyses the features that exist in the coloured tissue surrounding the pupil
which has more than 200 points that can be used for comparison ,including rings ,furrows
,and freckles.

The scans use a regular video camera and can be done from further away than a retinal
scan. It will work perfectly fine through glasses and in fact has the ability to create an
accurate enough measurement that it can be used for identification purposes.
The accuracy of this method is excellent while the cost is high.

Signature Verification System

Signature verification system uses special pen and tablet .After re-processing the
signature ,several features are extracted.

The authenticity of a writer is determined by comparing an input signature to a store

reference set (template) consisting of three signatures.

The similarity between an input signature and an reference set is computed using string
matching and the similarity value is compared to threshold.

The accuracy in signature verification system is high and the cost involved is fair.

A. Call back system

The call back system is commonly used in the bank operation and the business
transaction .For example ,when you book for the taxi service ,the operator will ask
you to hang up and she will call you back to confirm for the service required.

Verification
Verification is the act of proving or disproving the correctness of a system with
respect to a certain formal specification.

Method of verification

User identification and processed object is the two common methods used in
verification.

User identification refers to the process of validating the user.

Processed object refers to something the user has such as identification card ,security
token and cell phone.

A. User identification

The examples of validating process using user identification are:

-Key in the username to log into a system and the system will verify the user is valid
or invalid user.

-Show the exam slip to verify that you are the valid candidate of the exam.

-Show a passport before departure.

B. Processed object

The examples of processed object are:

-The policeman will check on the driver’s license to identify the valid driver.

-Employees have to swipe their security card to enter the building.

-Buy blouses at the mall using the credit card.

1.2.3 Controversial Contents and Control

1.2.3.1 List effects of controversial contents on society

Controversial contents is information that causes disagreement in opinions and may

cause the disruption of peace because different people or culture will have different
views about the content.

The definition of Pornography is any form of media or material that depicts erotic
behaviour and is intended to cause sexual excitement.

Slander is a legal term for false and malicious statement about someone.

Effects of pornography

-can lead to criminal acts such as exploitation of women and children

-can lead to sexual addiction or perversion

-can develop low moral value toward other man ,women or children

-can erode good religious ,cultural and social beliefs and behaviour

Effects of slander

-can develop into a society that disregards honesty and truth

-can develop bad habit of spreading untruths and rumours

-can lead to unnecessary argument

-can cause people to have negative attitudes towards another person

1.2.3.2 Describe the process of filtering to control access to controversial contents

The current preferred method of choice to limit access to controversial contents is to
filter content neither by:

Keywords blocking

One of the strategies is by using the keywords blocking method. This method uses a
list of banned words or objectionable terms.

As the page is downloading ,the filter searches for any for these words .If found ,it
will block the page completely ,stop downloading the page ,block the banned words
and even shut down the browser.

Site blocking

-software company maintain a list of “dubious internet site”

-the software prevents any access to any sites on this list

-“denial list” regularly updated

-some software provides control over what categories of information user block

-filter can use both site blocking and word blocking

Web rating system

Websites are rated in terms of nudity ,sex ,violence and language. The Recreational
Software Advisory Council (RSACI) is responsible for the rating of the websites of
the content of the internet.
-rating done either by the web page author or by the independent bureau

-browser set to only accept pages of certain levels of ratings

1.2.4 Computer Crimes

1.2.4.1 Explain the need for Cyber Law

Cyber law refers to any laws relating to protecting the Internet and other online
communication technologies.

In the recent years ,many concerns and issues will raise on the integrity and security
of information ,legal status of online transaction ,privacy and confidentiality of
information ,intellectual property rights and security of government data placed on
the Internet.

1.2.4.2 Explain briefly the computer crimes below:

-Fraud

-Copyright Infringement

-Theft

-Attacks

A Computer Crimes is defined as any criminal activity that is related to the use of
computers.

Computer Fraud

Computer fraud is defined as having an intention to take advantage over or causing

loss to other people ,mainly on monetary basic through the use of the computers.
There are many forms of computer fraud which including e-mail hoaxes, programme
fraud ,investment schemes ,sales promotions and claims of expertise on certain field.

Copyright Infringement

Copyright Infringement is defined as a violation of the rights secured by a copyright.

Copyright Infringement involves illegal copy or reproduction of copyrights material
by the black market group. The open commercial sale of pirated item is also illegal.
With the current technology ,the most perfect copy of the original copy can be
downloaded from the internet.

Computer Theft

Computer theft is define as unauthorized use of another person’s property with the
intension to deny the owner the rightful possession that property or its use.

Examples of computer theft include:

-transfer of payment to the wrong account

-tap into data transmission lines at database at no cost

-divert goods to the wrong destination

Computer attacks

Computer attacks may defined as any activities taken to disrupt the equipment of
computer systems ,change processing control or corrupt stored data.

Computer attacks can be in the forms of:

-physical attack that disrupt the computer facility or its transmission lines.

-an electronic attack that uses the power of electronic magnetic energy to overload
computer circuitry.

-a computer network attack that uses a malicious code to exploit a weakness in

software ,or in the computer security practices of a computer user.
 Extra Input

1. Intellectual property has 4 types:

Patents
Trade marks
Designs
Copyright