CHAPTER 7: ETHICS AND OWNERSHIP

7.1 ETHICS AND OWNERSHIP 

 7.1.1 Ethics 

 Definition: A system of moral principles that guide behaviour based on philosophical views. 

 Computer Ethics: 

 

 Regulates how computing professionals should make decisions 

 Professional and social conduct 

 

 Professional Bodies: 

 

 BCS (British Computer Society) 

 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 

 Provide codes of conduct for members 

 

 7.1.2 Ownership 

 Data Ownership: 

 

 Legal rights and complete control over data 

 Can determine who accesses, modifies, shares 

 

 Copyright: 

 

 Gives creators rights to control use and distribution 

 Protects intellectual property 

 

 Need for Legislation: 

 

 Competitors can steal programming ideas 

 Software can be easily copied 

 Bootlegging (illegal selling) 

 

 7.1.3 Software Licensing 

 

 

 

 

 Type 

 Description 

 

 

 

 

 Free Software Foundation 

 Users have freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, improve; copyleft (modified versions must also be free) 

 

 

 Open Source Initiative 

 Source code available; users can review and redistribute 

 

 

 Shareware 

 Free trial period; payment expected after evaluation 

 

 

 Commercial 

 Requires payment; includes all features 

 

 

 

 

 

 7.1.4 Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

 Definition: The ability of computer to perform tasks conventionally associated with human intelligence. 

 AI Capabilities: 

 

 Learn from past mistakes 

 Adapt to prevent problems recurring 

 Predict what might happen and raise alerts 

 Learn to work more efficiently 

 

 AI Applications: 

 

 Autonomous vehicles 

 Machine learning through data sets 

 Natural language processing 

 Robotics 

 

 AI Impacts: 

 

 

 

 

 Area 

 Impact 

 

 

 

 

 Social 

 Replacement of manual labour; unemployment; increased leisure time 

 

 

 Economic 

 Lower manufacturing costs; increased innovation 

 

 

 Environmental 

 Detrimental impact; robot manufacture; waste disposal