Chapter 11: Codes of Conduct

Ethical Dilemma

Approximately, one year ago, an editor of this book carried out an informal survey among his academic colleagues who were members of BCS. He approached each and asked if they could state two points contained within the BCS Code of Conduct. Two of these people responded by indicating that they did not know that the BCS had a professional code of conduct. Two indicated that while they knew the code of conduct existed, they never had looked at it. The remaining two – who indicated their awareness of the code of conduct and recalled having looked at it – stated that they could not recall its content.

These were clearly dismal results, particularly as the question was asked of people who had been members for some time.

In this book, we have discussed the BCS Code of Conduct in some detail – to what extent do you believe this code of conduct is important and/or more relevant? Why would YOU join the BCS? If you are a student in a university department studying Computer Science or IT, have you been offered a BCS membership application form? Are you aware of the opportunities for networking, and for joining special interest group? These are certainly good reasons to join the BCS – but on the other hand, during your professional career, do you believe that the framework defined within the BCS Code of Conduct is likely to be relevant and/or useful?

• It is always necessary to know the code of conduct as being stated in the BCS. This will serve as guidelines as IT professionals. As student, even though were not ask to have a membership with BCS by  our university, we are obliged to follow standards like the BCS. Sooner or later, as we dwell ourselves in the field of work, we might need this BCS to our basis on doing our designated tasks, Hence it is useful.

CHAPTER 9: Ethical Dilemma on The use of artificial Intelligence and Expert System

A couple of years ago Patricia returned to the Uk to take up an academic position at British University. She had been out of the Uk for cover 20 years working at universities at numbers of countries, and had a good professsional employment record. She decided to open a bank account with one of the large banks that had a branch on the campus.

She met the bank manager, was given the necessary forms, and duly completed them. A few days later she returned to the bank to open her account. much to her surprise shw was told that she could only have a cash account. i.e she would not be given any cards, cheque book, or the like nor could she have any overdraft facility.

Patricia again met with the bank manager as she naturally felt there must have been some misunderstanding. Key points here are that she already had a bank account at the UK since her student days, she owed no money on credit cards or like, was a UK citizen and had a good track record with banks overseas.In addition, her salary from the university was to be paid into her account each month.

Patricia again met with the bank manager as she naturally felt there must have been some misunderstanding. Key points here are that she already had a bank account in the UK since her student days, she owed no money on credit cards or the like, was a UK citizen, and had a good track record with banks overseas. In addition, her salary from the university was to be paid into her account each month.

Despite her explaining these points, the bank manager was adamant that she could only have a cash account. When asked to explain this decision, the bank manager indicated that it was not in fact her decision, but a decision made by an expert system. The bank always used this computer technology when making decisions about opening accounts for new clients, and in fact the bank manager could not overrule the restrictions that the expert system imposed. In short, the expert system was empowered in the decision-making process to such an extent that it actually replaced the human decision-making process. The bank manager went to explain that the problem was the expert system had not previously encountered a person with Patricia’s particular background, and the key point to the computer was the extensive years of residency outside the UK.

To what extent do you think it is appropriate to replace the human decision-making process with computer technologies such an expert systems?

• It is not appropriate to do the decision making based on what was the program installed. There are a lot of things to be considered upon doing the decision making, like listening to others and understanding their thoughts. If we look onto Patricia's experiences on handling transactions she might be capable since she has a good feedback with tracking records overseas only with man to man transaction. But doing over the computer might be confusing for her since she don't have the full control over the transaction that might lead to business losses.

During the conversation Patricia asked the bank manager whether she felt that it was appropriate for the expert system to be empowered in this way. The response she obtained was that it was a great idea because computers do not make mistakes. What do you think about this comment?

• On the first thought, the manager might really believe that he is making more money using the expert's system; but in fact he's not. He is not actually minding the feedback of his clients with the services they were giving. Hence, if I were in Patricia's case, it not enough to just consider the the managers explanation only. Probably, I won't build a trust to a person who's only basis of explanation came from the expert system. 

Do computers make mistakes?

• No, computers cannot do any mistake unless they were manipulated to do so. If there were error with the transaction, one main reason is that the instruction being embedded in the system is not capable of doing the task right, or worst, the system was being intentionally manipulated to make the mistake. It's always the developer that must be blamed since he/she was the one who created the instructions being inputted on the computer system for manipulation.

Is any computerized system free from mistakes?

• No, there will be times that it can create mistake because of some instructions being manipulated.

Should we be educating people to believe that computers are infallible – are computers infallible?

• Computers are reliable to an extent, because it has its limitations. It's not always infallible since it sometimes commits error during deployment.

What do you think are the ultimate ramifications of believing in infallible computer systems?

• That computers were not always infallible since there is a possibility of malfunction. Having an expert system may be better, but being dependent to what it says must not always be considered that decision making must always dwell with critical analysis; hence it needs critical thinking of a human mind.

Chapter 8

Ethical Dilemma


What are your views on this situation?

• Basically, videoconferencing are very rampant. It helps to construct a good communication medium between the employers and the employee, particularly those who are involved with outsourcing. It enables flexibility in communications. Being applicants, it will be better for us to follow our employers instructions even before using videoconferencing during the interview.

Do you feel that this highlights (even in a small way) the opportunity to reduce environmental damage by using technologies to support communication and therefore avoid unnecessary travel?

• The employer may save money for Alice' fare for flying to UK from New Zealand. But since the flight schedule is fix, it is impossible for him to save money because the plane will still fly to UK with or without Alice. Instead of flying her to UK, videoconferencing is quite best alternative way for the employer to save money.

Do you believe that people should be willing to adapt to the use of such videoconferencing technologies - is this an ethical issue? Given a willingness to adapt, is it possible that the interview process can be carried out in such a way as to overcome the possible deficiencies of the technology-so that the candidate is not disadvantaged by not being physically present, and also provide the interview committee with the opportunity  to gain a clear impression on Alice?

• Considering the use of technology like videoconferencing which gives an almost real-time events, employers may not still be fully satisfied to recruit an employee over the line. It is because they follow standards for recruitment, like considering hand gestures of the interviewee during the interview. These standards give the employers a hint on choosing the right employee. Since videoconferencing is more likely to become only a pure conversation, it generates hesitations for many employers to recruit. On the other way around, this is beneficiary for employees since it can give confidence to communicate  to the employers because they were not really on actual or physical conversation.

Do you feel that if members of a workforce are expected to adapt to the deployment of such technologies, then members of a management team should be willing to do likewise (in the above discussion, we have demonstrated an example of the unwillingness of a management team to employ even videoconferencing facilities)? 

To what extent to you think senior management is generally willing to accept the introduction of computer-based technologies to monitor their own activities during working day?

Chapter 7: Computer Technology and accessibility issues

Ethical Dilemma

So far in this chapter we have not paid any particular attention to the impact of ICT on older people – people who have previously lived in a fairly stable environment. Today the momentum of change (in which computer – based technologies play a pivotal role) is ever increasing. Consequently, older people are becoming ever more concerned and bewildered by the constant alterations that are occurring in practically every aspect of their daily lives. Stability is being replaced by instability. As younger people embrace e-mail, cellular phones, text messaging and the like, the older generations see their post offices closing, no longer is there any personal contact at the bank, and who knows for how much longer they will able to use a chequebook?

How do you perceive the ramifications of computer-based technologies and the current pace of change impacting on older people?

• It's alarming for those people who were not used to do things along with computers. Another impact is that with computers, people may learn how to become more tardy since everybody are dependent with computers. Hence for those people who were not used with computers will call for help from people who knows to operate the computer to do their tasks, since they were  not still familiar with it. This will generate inferiority to people who were not used with computers since their services as manual contractors will no longer be needed during the operational works because of computers.

To what extent are they becoming increasingly isolated?

• Definitely people who can't cope with the use of computer will be isolated. One main reason is that younger people of today's generation exceeds the learning capacity of the older ones in terms of computer manipulation. 

Is direct personal contact being gradually eroded?

• No, because there are limitations with computer. 

Perhaps discuss these issues with older person that you know, such as a family member. Identify the issues.

• Upon having a chat with the older ones, according to them one factor why we use computer is to make things easy, fast, efficient and comfortable for daily living. Just like communicating people through internet chatting which makes it more convenient for people abroad to keep in touch with their love ones.

Have these people gained as a consequence of the proliferation of and reliance we place upon computer- based technologies and the pace of change that has ensued?

• Yes

Chapter 6

Ethical Dilemma

Consider the scenario in which a group of your fellow students approach you to see whether you are interested in participating in a project that is intended to be a commercial venture. The group has become up with a novel approach to obtaining large numbers of e-mail addresses. This requires the development of some software, and once this is used it will be possible to develop a very extensive e-mail address list. Subsequently, this information is to be sold to companies involved in spam advertising. Your voice some initial reservations based upon your concern that this may not be entirely legal/ethical. However, you are assured that the software will only be used to obtain e-mail addresses for people who are normally based overseas- specifically in third world countries. Since the team is to be based in the UK and the software is going to be used to locate e-mail addresses that are normally based outside the UK, you are assured that you will be breaking no UK law.

How would you proceed?

Asking for further information is necessary to justify what is the commercial enterprise is all about. In addition, consulting a higher personnel is also necessary to gather more significant information. Proper analysis on the data gathered should be done to insure that there is no misuse of privacy rights.

Do you consider that this is a legal/ethical undertaking?
              
On the first place, spam is threat to privacy rights which makes it not ethical undertaking. Even though the act spamming is to only gather people's email addresses outside from the UK, still it's un-ethical to break the law. 

Would you still be willing to participate if the level of remuneration is sufficient?
           

Probably, it is better to inform others that, as a group, we are not in favor on participating the commercial venture.  One good reason is that it violates the privacy since it involves spam advertising, which is not even good even if the remuneration level is sufficient. 

  
At what point would personal remuneration override any ethical reservations that you may have?

When remuneration overrides the ethical issues, that is the time that we could consider it as a benefit of the total compensation to what we will receive as an exchange of performing the service. But beforehand, it is better to consider that the work is for the good of everybody, that everybody should benefit. 

Does this compromise your legal position?Yes by involving on certain scenarios like creating a software that violates the privacy of the users through obtaining email addresses in a form of spam advertisements. Upon being involved on this kind of situations, as developers, we are threatened because we can be considered as criminals. Hence it is un-ethical.

Chapter 5: Regulating Internet Content

Ethical Dilemma

Let us suppose that you are employed by a company that develops websites for clients. One day your boss presents you with a new project. In brief, your company has obtained a contract from a law enforcement agency to develop several websites. These are to act in line with the ‘honeypot’ scenario mentioned in the previous chapter. The project being undertaken by the law enforcement agency is to gather information in relation to people who peruse the site.

What is your ethical position?

• From the first place, 'honeypot' is not good since it is an act of gathering a person's information without the owners permission. It is relatively deals with threats in an unusual way since it serves as flexible tools to collect information on how an attack affects the network.

Do you think this is an appropriate agenda in terms of invisibly policing the internet?

• Yes since they can invisibly gather information without hurting other people.

Since your boss has presented you with this brief, in the case that you do not agree with the ramifications of policing the internet in this way, do you have any practical alternative but to undertake the work?

• There is no other options but to do the task and do it in a right way.

Are your views influenced by the nature of the content of the websites? For example, would your views be any different if the websites related directly to terrorism or other forms of political extremism?

• The appearance of certain websites play an important role in the views and opinions of the viewers. It generates influence by nature since the content seem to be believable. In cases like website appears to be factual and genuine on its content, there is a big possibility that it will affect our opinions as viewers.

To what extent do you think that the internet is currently policed-not only in terms of monitoring those who enter particular websites or who enter contentious chat rooms areas or the like?

• The internet is said to be policed if it imposes restrictions on allowing users, particularly younger people,  to visit un-appropriate sites like pornography.

Chapter 4: Intellectual Property Rights

Ethical Dilemma

Consider the case of Alice who was writing a textbook. She wishes to include in her book material from various resources- particularly a few key diagrams that have previously been published in other books. Some of these books are quite old, dating back to 1930s and 1940s.

In the intervening years, the original publishers of these books have been taken over several times but, following some fairly extensive research, she is finally able to track down the names of companies who currently own the rights to the books from which she wishes to reproduce diagrams. Following this exercise, she contacts these companies and asks for permission to reproduce diagrams from these works.

The majority of companies respond and indicate that she can reproduce the diagrams- providing that she pays a fee (ranging from £40 through £2,000 per diagram reproduced). Payment is deemed necessary because, although the diagrams are quite old, the copyright has not expired (typically, copyright for material that is published in a book continues for 70 years after the death of the book’s author). Alice decides that she cannot afford the permissions cost (these total an amount which is far in excess of the revenue that she will get from her book once it is published).

Although copyright serves to reward people for their creative work, in practice this does not always happen. For example, only relatively recently have author’s contracts with publishers contained clauses to the effect that they will receive royalty payments for materials reproduced from their work. Consequently, in the case of old books, there is little, if any, chance that an author (or rtheir estate) will receive any remuneration when original material from their book is reproduced.

With this in mind, Alice decides to scan the relevant diagrams, make a few alterations to them- so they look a little different- and then use them in her book without having obtained any permissions to reproduce them.

Ethical Issues:

• In  the case of the older book, should publishers require significant fees to be paid to them if material from one of their books is reproduced elsewhere?
• To what extent should this be underpinned by consideration of fair use?
• Is it reasonable for publishers to require significant amounts of money to be paid in relation to the reproduction of material from an old book- particularly when they know that this will not be passed on to the author, or their estate?
• To what extent is it appropriate to simply make modifications of diagrams, and therefore avoid the payment of permission fees?

• To what extent is Alice is guilty of plagiarism?

Reaction:

The book should be paid since Alice will be using some of its diagrams to produce another textbook. The company who's reproducing the book should give a fair discount to Alice since according to the Fair Use Act, but if it is used for educational purposes it has no charge at all. It will be better if Alice will just get some of the ideas written in the book and come up into another idea from her own instead of copying that will lead to plagiarism. Alice will be subjected to plagiarism if she has edited the diagram that was quite similar to its original form. It is because plagiarism is the close imitation of someone's language, idea, and expression.