3.409 computer ethics (100)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Tue, 29 Aug 89 20:07:43 EDT


Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 409. Tuesday, 29 Aug 1989.


(1) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 89 21:31:18 EDT (52 lines)
From: amsler@flash.bellcore.com (Robert A Amsler)
Subject: Computer Ethics

(2) Date: Monday, 28 August 1989 2342-EST (14 lines)
From: TREAT@PENNDRLS (Jay Treat, Religious Studies, Penn)
Subject: Computer ethics

(3) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 89 08:20:40 CDT (8 lines)
From: "Kevin L. Cope" <ENCOPE@LSUVM>
Subject: The Essence of Computer Ethics

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 89 21:31:18 EDT
From: amsler@flash.bellcore.com (Robert A Amsler)
Subject: Computer Ethics

Since computers are the most general devices we have ever created and
clearly computer software is really more like an extension to prior
systems of writing (computer code is just writing that in addition to
being able to say something can also cause an arbitrary machine or
series of machines to do something), the question of what computer
ethics should consist of is much like the question of what a theory
of ethics should be for authors?

What is it unethical to write? This seems to depend on what skills
you are purporting to possess. For instance, it is unethical for
certain professionals such as doctors or lawyers to write some things
which go against their clients interests. A journalist has another
set of ethics which seem to try to allow them to have either their
publication's or the public's interests at heart--and writing which
goes against either could compromise their ethics. (Writing which
goes against some of society's ethics, but not their publication's
ethics is of course a delicate matter of debate).

I fear, faced with the general utility of software, the issue of
what it is unethical to write is very thorny indeed. For instance,
suppose you work for the military and are asked to write a program
which will select targets for nuclear warheads in the event of war.
It is probably quite ethical to write such a program in the service
of your own country. However, in the interests of mankind it might
be seen as unethical to create such a program.

In these circumstances, I believe the answer I am driven toward is
that it is largely only possible to equate unethical (yet legal)
behavior of computer scientists in an employee role with plagerism or
fraud, that is, claiming to have written software they did not write
or writing software which they know will not perform as they claim it
will perform.

If it is written solely for personal goals, then the issue becomes
largely a matter of whether the software's operation would violate
any laws. While our society allows much freedom of speech, it
doesn't allow as much freedom of action. These freedoms overlap in
software, which is both an act of writing and an at least a possible
instance of action should the writing execute. Does an author bear
the responsibility for the acing out of his works, perhaps without
his knowledge and by other entities outside of his control? Is it
unethical to write instructions on how to do something unethical
without yourself carrying through those instructions? Probably the
law would say it is unethical if one had reason to believe that it was
likely the writing of those instructions would lead to their
execution--and not unethical if one didn't have such a belief.


(2) --------------------------------------------------------------17----
Date: Monday, 28 August 1989 2342-EST
From: TREAT@PENNDRLS (Jay Treat, Religious Studies, Penn)
Subject: Computer ethics

Don Weinshank asks, "who is teaching computer ethics?" My first class
in computer science dealt with ethics. We used the following text:
David G. Kay, _Programming for People_ (Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield
Publishing Company, 1985). Each chapter had generous listings of Pascal
code--and ended by posing an ethical question relating to the use of
computers. We discussed some of the ethical questions in class, and
were encouraged to read all of them. This was the introductory class in
computer science at Northern Arizona University, 1985.

Regards, Jay Treat, Penn
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------12----
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 89 08:20:40 CDT
From: "Kevin L. Cope" <ENCOPE@LSUVM>
Subject: The Essence of Computer Ethics

A recent grammo re-raises the question of computer ethics. Perhaps I
missed the first discussion, but I'm afraid I don't know what this
subject might be (nor does the grammo in question clarify this matter).
What are the issues and problems being discussed? What are computer ethics?