Moral, Ethical, Legal and Cultural Issues

• There has been considerable major innovations over the last 30 years
• With the introduction of 4G we are now living in an 'always connected society'
• The internet of things

• Moral Issue- one that concerns our own individual behaviour and our own personal concept of right and wrong
• We learn these from a range of influences
• Ethical Issues- factors that define a set of moral values by which society functions
• These are both a matter of personal opinion
• One of the main issues you need to consider is the widespread collection and use or misuse of personal data.

• Personal Privacy- Have we consented to all of the data that is being collected about us
• Data Security- How secure is the data from unauthorised users?
• Misuse- Data collected for one purpose then used for/sold for another
• 'Big Brother'- Government using this data and this is breaching our human rights
• Online Profile- All the data you leave online builds a 'profile' of you. This can then be used by third parties to make decisions such as employment
• Profiling- Large organisations often accumulate data in order to build up a profile of individuals. This could have a negative impact on the individual.

Around 30 years ago, if you wanted to carry out any banking transaction you had to do it between the hours of 9am and 3pm on a weekday as this was when banks used to open. The invention of cash machines in the 1980s was a tchnological revolution giving customers access to their money 24 hours a day. The invention of online banking in the 1990s meant that all transactions could be done at any time on any day of the week, including payment bills, setting up direct debits and moving money from one account to another. Some estimates suggest that as many as half of all web users now do their banking online.

According to some sources there are as many as 250,000 phising attacks every year. This is where fraudsters attempt to get bank account details by sending emails that appear to be from your bank. An estimates £20 million worth of online frauds are carried out on an annual basis using this and other methods. Some customers have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in individual attacks that use sophisticated software to emulate the online banking websites.

• Unauthorised Access- Where computer systems or data are used by people who aren't the intended users
• Hacking- For the purposes of commiting fraud is wrong
• Ethical Hackers- Hack in order to expose weaknesses in system security
• Unauthorised use of Software- downloading etc.
• Inappropriate Behaviour- Evidence shows people's behaviour changes when they are online. This can lead to bullying, trolling etc.
• Inappropriate Content- p0rnography, violence, religious or ethical hatred. Can have a profound effect on society and particularly younger people.
• Freedom of Speech- People can basically say what they want
• Unemployment- Changes in technology means certain jobs are no longer needed but it also creates jobs
• Access to the Internet- Many people (even in the UK) don'e have access to the internet. Does this cause a disadvantage?

• A voluntary set of rules that define the way in which individuals and organisations behave,
• The British Computer Society (BCS) have produced a code of conduct and a code of ethics that guide individuals and organisations
• These are not legally enforceable but could feature in an employment contract

Main principles of code of conduct are that members should:

• Always operate in the public interest
• Have a duty to the organisation that they work for, or the college they attend
• Have a duty to the profession
• Maintain a professional competence and integrity

• Legal Issues- factors that have been made into laws by the government

There are a number of laws you need to learn but there are two major issues with them:

• Geogrpahical Limitations
• Constant Change

• Introduced in 1984 but has been updated
• Personal data- any data on an individual where the person (data subject) is alive and can be individually identified
• Any person or organisation storing personal data must register with the Information Comissioner
• This is an independent organisation set up by the government to oversee data protection and freedom of information

8 Main Principles:

• Fairly and lawfully processed
• Processed for limited purposes
• Adequate, relevant and not excessive
• Accurate
• Not kept longer than necessary
• Processed in accordance with the data subject's rights
• Secure
• Not transferred to countries without adequate data protection

• Gives the data subject the right to have access to data held about them by public authorities
• There are exceptions (e.g. people under investigation)

• Data Misuse- using data for purposes other than for which it was collected

Stages:

• 1. Unauthorised access to computer programs or data
• 2. Unauthorised access with further criminal intent
• 3. Unauthorised modification of computer material

• This act ws actually introduced before the widespread use of the internet, which is now causing problems with enforcement.

• Brought in to regulate/clarify the powers that government agencies have when investigating crime or suspected crime

5 main parts but most relevant to computing are:

• Part 1- This relates to the interception of communication, including electronic data
• Part 3- C0nvers the investigation of electronic data protected by encryption

• Basically, it gives police and other law enforcement agencies the right to intercept communications where there is suspicion of criminal activity
• They can also decipher this data if it is encrypted
• It also allows employers to monitor the computer activity of their employees

• This act gives rights to the creators

The law covers all types:

• Original works including instruction manuals, computer programs and some types of database
• Web Content
• Original Music
• Sound Recordings
• Films and Videos

• Copyright- the legal ownership that applies to software, music films and other content and is for all formats
• DRM (Digital Rights Management) controls a user's access to software
• Licensing- provides paper based or digital proof that the user has purchased it

• The ofiicial secrets act
• The defamtion act
• The obscene publications act and the protection of children act
• The health and safety act
• The equality act

Factors that have an impact on the ways in which we function as a society

There are elements of computer use that have a cultural impact in that they can change our attitudes, beliefs and actions:

• Over-use of data: fears that we are becoming completely dependent on data.
• Invasive technologies: a lot of data is collected without our consent.
• Over-reliance on computers: What happens when computer systems fail?
• Over-reliance on technology companies: According to some sources, two thirds of all Internet searches are done through Google.
• 'Big Brother' Culture: the government is watching everything we do and we have to modify our behaviour to meet expected behaviours.
• Globalisation: As we become more connected to other cultures, we are more likely to be influenced by them.