Computer Ethics is a new branch of ethics that is growing and changing rapidly as computer technology also grows and develops.

·       Computers are involved to some extent in almost every aspect of our lives.

·       They often perform life-critical tasks

·       Computer science is not regulated to the extent of medicine, air travel, or construction zoning

·       Therefore, we need to carefully consider the issues of ethics.

Ethics?

Ethics refers to the standards and rules; be followed and it helps us to regulate our conduct in a group or with a set of individuals. Since the term Ethics is a relative term, it is branched under philosophy, which states how users of World Wide Web should make decisions regarding their conduct.

·       Standards of right and wrong behaviour.

·       A gauge of personal integrity

Computer Professionals:

n  Are experts in their field,

n  Know customers rely on their knowledge, expertise, and honesty,

n  Understand their products (and related risks) affect many people,

n  Follow good professional standards and practices,

n  Maintain an expected level of competence and are up-to-date on current knowledge and technology, and

n  Educate the non-computer professional

Four primary issues

Privacy – responsibility to protect data about individuals

Accuracy - responsibility of data collectors to authenticate information and ensure its  accuracy

Property - who owns information and software and how can they be sold and exchanged

Access - responsibility of data collectors to control access and determine what information a person has the right to obtain about others and how the information can be used.

Computers are often far more efficient than humans in performing many tasks. In the industrialized world many workers already have been replaced by computerized devices -- bank tellers, auto workers, telephone operators, typists, graphic artists, security guards, assembly-line workers, and on and on. Even professionals like medical doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants and psychologists are finding that computers can perform many of their traditional professional duties quite effectively.

 Why do we need computer ethics?  The growth of the WWW has created several novel legal issues The existence of new questions that older laws cannot answer Traditional laws are out dated/anachronistic in this world a more coherent body of law is needed to govern Internet and computers.

 Cyber Ethics

The most common problem isn't hacking (illegally accessing Web sites) or cracking (vandalizing Web sites); It's the unauthorized downloading of games and software.

The average hacker is likely to be a teenager and given that most homes now have at least one computer.

 Code of Ethics

Information stored on the computer should be treated as seriously as written or spoken word.

Privacy should not be violated. In case of academic use, it is known plagiarism.

Information from public viewing should not be modified or deleted or inaccessible since these are considered as destructive acts.

Intrusive software such as & worm; and viruses; which are destructive to the computer system is also illegal.

Congesting somebody’s system with a lot of unwanted information is also unethical.

Sending obscene and crude messages through mail or chat is also forbidden.

Sending sexually explicit content, message or pictures is also forbidden.

Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern individual or a group on what is acceptable behaviour while using a computer. Computer ethics is set of moral principles that govern the usage of computers. One of the common issues of computer ethics is violation of copyright issues. Duplicating the copyrighted content without the authors approval, accessing personal information of others are some of the examples that violate ethical principles.

Complain about illegal communication and activities, if found, to Internet service Providers and local law enforcement authorities.

   Users are responsible f or safeguarding their User Id and passwords. They should not write them on paper or anywhere else f or remembrance.

   Users should not intentionally use the computers to retrieve or modify the information of others which may include password information, files etc.

Technologies Impact to Piracy in the Philippines

THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY

Section 3. The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law.

Any evidence obtained in violation of this or the preceding section shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding.

Read:

NOTE: Applicable provisions of the Human Security Act/Anti-Terrorism Law, Republic Act No. 9372, Approved on March 6, 2007 and effective on July 15, 2007 (This Law shall be automatically suspended one (1) month before and two (2) months after the holding of any election).

Please observe the procedure in obtaining the “The Warrant [or Order] of Surveillance”, not found in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

SURVEILLANCE OF SUSPECTS AND INTERCEPTION AND RECORDING OF COMMUNICATIONS OF SUSPECTS OR CHARGED OF TERRORISM

Section 7. Surveillance of suspects and interception and recording of communications. The provisions of RA 4200 (Anti-Wiretapping Law) to the contrary notwithstanding, a police or law enforcement official and the members of his team may, upon a written order of the Court of Appeals, listen to, intercept and record, with the use of any mode, form or kind or type of electronic or other surveillance equipment or intercepting and tracking devices, or with the use of any other suitable ways or means for that purpose, any communication, message, conversation, discussion, or spoken or written words between members of a judicially declared and outlawed terrorist organization, association, or group of persons or of any person charged with or suspected of the crime of terrorism or conspiracy to commit terrorism.

Provided, That surveillance, interception and recording of communications between lawyers and clients, doctors and patients, journalists and their sources and confidential business correspondence shall not be authorized.

Section 8. Formal Application for Judicial Authorization.- The written order of the authorizing division of the Court of Appeals to track down, tap, listen, intercept, and record communications, messages, conversations, discussions, or spoken or written words of any person suspected of the crime of terrorism or the crime of conspiracy to commit terrorism, shall only be granted by the authorizing division of the Court of Appeals UPON AN EX-PARTE written application of a police or law enforcement official who has been duly authorized in writing by the Anti-Terrorism Council created in Section 53 of this Act to file such ex-parte application, and upon examination under oath and affirmation of the applicant and the witnesses who may produce to establish:

That there is probable cause to believe based on personal knowledge of facts and circumstances that the said crime of terrorism or conspiracy to commit terrorism has been committed, or is being committed, or is about to be committed;

That there is probable cause to  believe based on personal knowledge of facts and circumstances that evidence which is essential to the conviction of any charged or suspected person for, or to the solution or prevention of any such crimes, will be obtained; and

That there is no other effective means readily available for acquiring such evidence.

Sec. 9. Classification and Contents of the Order of the Court. The written order granted by the authorizing division of the Court of Appeals as well as its order, if any, to extend or renew the same, the original application of the applicant, including his application to extend or renew, if any, and the written authorizations of the Anti-Terrorism Council shall be deemed and are hereby declared as classified information: Provided, That the person being surveilled or whose communications, letters, papers, messages, conversations, discussions, spoken or written words and effects have been monitored, listened to, bugged or recorded by law enforcement authorities has the right to be informed of the acts done by the law enforcement authorities in the premises or to challenge, if he or she intends to do so, the legality of the interference before the Court of Appeals which issued said written order. The written order of the authorizing division of the court of Appeals shall specify the following:The identity, such as name and address, if known, of the charged of suspected persons whose communications, messages, conversations, discussions, or spoken or written words are to be tracked down, tapped, listened to, intercepted or recorded and, in case of radio, electronic, or telephone (whether wireless or otherwise) communications, messages, conversations, discussions, or spoken or written words, the electronic transmission systems or the telephone numbers to be tracked down, tapped, listened to, intercepted, and recorded and their locations if the person suspected of the crime of terrorism or conspiracy to commit terrorism is not fully known, such person shall be subject to continuous surveillance  provided there is reasonable ground to do so;

The identity (name and address, and the police or law enforcement organization) of the members of his team judicially authorized to track down, tap, listen to, intercept, and record the communications, messages, conversations, discussions, or spoken or written words;

ZULUETA VS. CA, February 10, 1996

The wife forcibly opened the drawers at the clinic of her doctor-husband and took diaries, checks and greeting cards  of his alleged paramours. Thereafter, she used the same in their legal separation case. Said documents are inadmissible in evidence. This is so because the intimacies of husband and wife does not justify the breaking of cabinets to determine marital infidelity.

OPLE VS. TORRES, July 23, 1998

Puno, J.

Facts:

          On December 12, 1996, then President FIDEL V. RAMOS issued Administrative Order No. 308 entitled “ADOPTION OF A NATIONAL COMPUTERIZED IDENTIFICATION REFERENCE SYSTEM”.

The AO seeks to have all Filipino citizens and foreign residents to have a Population Reference Number (PRN) generated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) through the use of BIOMETRICS TECHNOLOGY.

Further, the AO does not even tell us in clear and unequivocal terms how these information’s gathered shall be handled. It does not provide who shall control and access the data and under what circumstances and for what purpose. These factors are essential to safeguard the privacy and guaranty the integrity of the information. The computer linkage gives other government agencies access to the information. YET, THERE ARE NO CONTROLS TO GUARD AGAINST LEAKAGE OF INFORMATIONS. WHEN THE ACCESS CODE OF THE CONTROL PROGRAMS OF THE PARTICULAR COMPUTER SYSTEM IS BROKEN, AN INTRUDER, WITHOUT FEAR OF SANCTION OR PENALTY, CAN MAKE USE OF THE DATA FOR WHATEVER PURPOSE, OR WORSE, MANIPULATES THE DATA STORED WITHIN THE SYSTEM.

AO No. 308 is unconstitutional since it falls short of assuring that personal information gathered about our people will be used only for specified purposes thereby violating the citizen’s right to privacy.