What if

Whatever fi yu, caan be un fi yu. Negativity is killing our people. Dr. Dunn The course Professional, Ethical and Legal Implications of Computing Systems is FOR YOUR GOOD. Suppose this course could change how you think, act and feel today! suppose your ethical thinking could be improved (Be open-minded) What if this course will have a major impact on your life twenty (20) years from now, and you cant imagine it now?

Ethical Scenarios
I couldnt care less what happens today. A car splashes you as a pedestrian (intentionally) with water cause he doesnt care less. A driver cuts into you in heavy traffic (cause he is in a rush or out of habit) A bank employer transfers cents from banks accounts using software.

Newspaper Reports
Police uncover firms buying info about competitors from hackers (Paul Henry, Sunday Observer, Sunday, August 30, 2009) A number of corporate entities have been buying information stolen from competing businesses by computer hackers in an effort to gain or maintain market advantage

Newspaper reports
Sunday Gleaner August 30, 2009 Identity theft goes to jail Albert Gonzalez (28) to serve sentence 15-25 years. Charged with swiping credit and debitcard numbers of 170 million a/c Police nab Internet fraud king Italian police arrested Carlo Rao, 31, conned people by getting them to wire $ for vacations Had been conducting scam for 5-6 years, starting out by offering non-existent items for sale on Ebay.

Ethical Dilemmas
A ethical dilemma is a situation that will often involve an apparent conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in violating another. E.g. Someone enters a house asking for the whereabouts of a person they intend to kill. You ponder whether it is right to lie about where this person is located. There are two (2) conflicting ethical imperatives: do not lie and do not kill. This course spends time on ethical dilemmas, not much time on ethical imperatives. Crowdsourcing ethical dilemmas is an incredibly dumb idea. What do you think?

Think like Mr. E=mc2

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. (Sign hanging on Einsteins office at Princeton University) The aim (of education) must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, can see in the service to the community their highest life achievement. Albert Einstein

Are you educated?

An education isnt how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. Its being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you dont know. (Anatole France) A college degree is not a sign that one is a finished product but an indicator a person is prepared for life. (Rev. Malloy)

Ethics = Guides how you live

STOP IT! START IT!

Ethics = Win Win Win

Beliefs in life can move you forward or hold you back. Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change! Are you good for nothing? Or could you change your world? Do you want to see a difference in the world? Do you want the best? Lead the way!

Quotes by Voltaire
Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do. Virtue supposes liberty, as the carrying of a burden supposes active force. Under coercion there is no virtue Virtue debases itself in justifying itself. A witty saying proves nothing. Franois-Marie Arouet (1694 1778)

Ethics & Professionalism

According to http://www.legalspan.com, The most widely accepted definition is "ethics is what you must do and professionalism is what you should do". Elements of Professionalism
Certification (proof of education and experience) Competence (ability to perform and maintain quality) Character (ethics) Culture (ethos and etiquette) Citizenry (law-abiding)

Benefits of Professionalism
Moral reason able conduct Appropriate conduct (based on established mores) LEADS to REWARDS Tangible contribution to society Collective Status Elevated Renumeration

Is Business Ethics an oxymoron?

Do Profits & Ethics mix? Do you believe biblical sayings? The love of money root of all evil. Money itself is not evil! You make money helping others, e.g. sell shoes to help those without shoes. Reminder: You are responsible to not harm others. Challenge: Are you responsible to help others?

Bernoff who has convicted of running a 50 billion Ponzi scheme in happy and not-so-happy times. Does being unethical pay in the long run?

Distinctions: law & ethics

Draw a Venn diagram that represents the conceptual relationship between law & ethics

Three Trends
The general public does not know what ethics and morals are, The general public truly believes that it knows what ethics and morals are, The very whole of a persons life revolves around a system of ethics that controls each individuals logic, and yet the general public could not care less, and worse, the general public strongly opposes the knowledge. Source: Larry Neal Gowdy
http://www.angelfire.com/home/sesquiq/2007sesethics.html

Individual Attributes
Aptitude Achievement Attitude
Apathy: nuh care Arrogance: bossy (inaccurate high estimate of self or low estimate of others) Alienation nutting nah gwan fi mi Astute (whiz kid, filled with insight & solutions)

What is Ethics?
Study of what it means to do the right thing Assumes people are rational and make free choices Rules to follow in our interactions and our actions that affect others
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/giftfire/slides.html

Important Distinctions:
Right, wrong and okay Negative rights (liberties)
The right to act without interference

Positive rights (claim-rights)

An obligation of some people to provide certain things for others

Important Distinctions:
Difference between wrong and harm Personal preference and ethics Law and Ethics

Text Book: A Gift of Fire Sara Baase

More Definitions
Ethics Act of Creation: An ethic is a singular, logically deduced, self-created, self-chosen choice to think and behave as deemed most correct to the individual. Morals are the creation of ethics externally applied (logical-good or illogical-bad behavior). Virtue is the sum creation of good ethics applied (logical behavior in creative harmony). Depravity is the sum creation of bad ethics applied (illogical behavior not in creative harmony). Author: Larry Neal Gowdy

Why bother study ethics (if)

Thesis E : Degree in Computing without any ethics component is good. Rationale: No time wasted (on fluff courses) No resources wasted (since cant teach people ethics anyway)

War between Good & Great

Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien. Il meglio l'inimico del bene. Translation: The good is the enemy of the great. Why? Because of CONSTRAINTS. (We have limited time and resources.) Consider: 2 vendors for a software development project. Are they likely to be equally good? What criteria would you use to choose between them?

Why study ethics?

Thesis F: Degree in Computing with classes that discuss ethics is best. Part of professional standard, e.g. ACM Valued by SCIT staff & some SCIT graduates Ethics classes positively impact the thinking and/or behaviour of some students Highly intellectual mind game Serious Business

Course Outline
Week 1: Introduction Week 2: Principles of Ethical Decision Making Week 3: Consequentialist Ethical Theories Week 4: Deontological Ethical Theories Week 5: Past and Present Abuses of Computer systems Week 6: Intellectual Property Week 7: Test Week 8: Computer Crime Week 9: Privacy, Security, Anonymity Week 10: Computers & Work Week 11: Controlling Technology Week 12: Ethics on the Internet

Assessment
Individual Assignment Group Presentation Group Paper Test Individual Presentation Individual Participation Final Examination 10% 10% 10% 15% 5% 10% 40%

Are you a VIP?

Are you demonstrating your true value in a special way? Volunteerism Integrity Philanthropy

Jamaican Value
Is it possible for Jamaica to become not only an ideal vacation spot, but also an ideal vocation spot? Critical elements in Growth:
Ideas Ideals (values & vision) Impact Implementation

Win Win Win

The arm band of genuine champions test me implies I do not take banned substances Why be ethical? Why not you? Why not now? Can an ethics class provide mental coaching? How can we lose allocating 45 hours in a Bachelors degree in Computing and IT? How can we win back the hearts and minds of our young people and seasoned professionals?

Go for Gold!
Let us race for the gold in helping UTech make its mark! Can SCIT break a world record? Can we use our prowess to make Jamaica proud? On road to success, if as leader you have no one following you, you are only going for a stroll.

Get on track
Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. (Will Rogers) If you dont like something, change it. If you cant change it, change the way you think about it. For things to change, you have to change. For things to get better, you have to get better. (Jim Rohn)

Until we meet again

The secret of being a bore is to tell everything. Love truth, but pardon error.

Voltaire