MikeChen's Blog

Accountability in Computing Content Importance of Accountability To define accountability and explain its importance for morality, ethics and professionalism Barriers for and maintenance of accountability To explain some of the perceived barriers for accountability in software development To reflect and take a stance about maintaining accountability in software development Moral Responsibility in Computing To explain proposed criteria and rules for moral responsibility in computing To reflect on the perceptions(by other disciplines)of moral responsibility in computing What is accountability? Accountability is answerability, i.e., a state of being compelled to or called to account for one’s action. A is accountable to B when A is obliged to inform B about A’s (past or future) actions and decisions, to justify them, and to suffer punishment in the case of eventual misconduct. Why is accountability important? Issue: We have improved standards of reliability for comp

Ethics for Safety and Reliability Content Failure of Computing Systems To reflect on the effect of computer systems failure on people To compare various causes of software failure in the past To identify potential causes of software system failure Ethics and Software Vulnerability To define fundamental concepts about software safety and reliability To determine attributes of dependable software To explain role of software development practice in producing dependable software To explain the concept of machine ethics To reflect on ethics and moral responsibility in respect of software development How and why do computer systems fail? Computers are only as good as we humans make them. Computing system errors stem from(起源于) human errors Errors are typically traceable but moral and legal responsibility is not always easy to establish Causes of Failure in Computing Systems Hardware errors Software errors Solving the wrong problem Misuse of the system Human communi

Cyber-behaviour and Ethics Content Some forms of Cyber-crime To discuss the assumptions of legitimate and illegitimate use of computers systems. To describe some forms of cyber-crime and cyber behaviour Hackers and Online Deception(骗局) To reflect on the contentious(有异议的) issues arising in some forms of cyber-behaviour To reflect on the moral and ethical implications of some forms of cyber-behaviour Cyber-behaviour, Self-concept and Crowdwork To describe the role of the self-concept in relation to cyber-behaviour To describe some of the concerns in relation to cyber-behaviour What online activities are considered criminal activities? Cyber-crime and cyber-assisted crime are done or facilitated by individuals skilled in IT and computing. Such individuals do not follow the code of ethics conduct. Cyber-crime vs. Cyber-related Crime Cyber-crime: Cyber-piracy Cyber-trespass(网络侵权) Cyber-vandalism(故意破坏) True Cyber-crime can be carried out only through the use of

Intellectual and Intangible Property(知识产权与无形财产) Content Protecting Intellectual and Intangible Property To explain aim and value of intellectual property protection Trademarks, Copyright, Patents To explain the scope of trademarks, copyright and patents for intellectual property protection To explain key concepts such as limitation on rights, fair use and infringement IP Protection of Software To discuss the applicability of various intellectual property protection mechanisms for computer software What is intellectual and intangible property? Products of creativity and invention Intellectual property is any unique product of the human intellect that has commercial value Issue: Computing technologies and the Internet Give rise to new types of intellectual properties Affect the use and protection of intellectual properties Intellectual property(IP) protection The purpose of intellectual property law is to ensure that people profit from ideas after the idea is kn

Privacy and Computing Technologies Content Perspectives on Privacy To describe the multi-dimensional nature of privacy To identify threats and principles related to privacy To reflect on trade-offs in privacy and the right to privacy conception Theories of Privacy To describe different definitions, views and opinions about privacy To explain Solove’s taxonomy of privacy problems To explain the effect of legal and cultural settings on privacy To explain panopticism main ideas What’s privacy? Access vs. Disclosure Access means physical proximity to a person or a knowledge about the person. In a society there is a tension between the desires, rights and responsibilities of a person who wants to restrict access to himself/herself and the desires, rights and responsibilities for outsiders to gain access Is there a natural ‘right’ to privacy? Privacy rights evolved from property rights. Most societies agree that individual have natural rights, such as the right to life

Professionalism in Computing Content The meaning of professionalism To compare various definitions of professionalism To identify common requirements of professionalism Professional Codes in Computing To identify different professional codes in computing To explain various aspects, issues and purpose covered in professional codes To build arguments in respect of a given ethical scenarios based on professional codes. What is a profession? Informally, profession is a vocation that requires a high-level of education and practical experience in the field. What does it mean to act professionally? Professionals have an obligation to ensure their actions are for the good of those who depend on them. Their actions and decisions can have more serious consequences than choice of those holding less responsibility in the society. Academically, a profession is a number of individuals in the same occupation voluntarily organised to earn a living by openly serving a certain moral id

Ethics Theories Contents Why ethics theories To describe what is ethics and ethics theories To discuss some common approaches to practical ethics Insight into ethics theories To describe some of the main concepts related to ethics theories Relativism Divine Command Theory Ethical Egoism Social Contract Theory To describe the main types of ethics theories To differentiate between different ethics theories and to use them to build arguments on ethical issues Society, Morality and Ethics Society is an association of people organized under a system of rules designed to advance the good of its members over time. Morality is a set of rules of conduct describing what people ought and ought not to do in various situation. Ethics is the philosophical study of morality and a rational examination into people’s moral belief and behaviour. Scope of Ethics and Ethics Theories Ethics is focused on the voluntary and moral choice people make when they must make decisions an

Need for Critical Thinking To motivate critical thinking and identify risks of ‘non critical thinking’ Developing Critical Thinking What is critical thinking? Abilities to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe Abilities to engage in reflective and independent thinking Understand the logical connections between ideas Identify, construct and evaluate arguments Detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning Solve problems systematically Identify the relevance and importance of ideas Reflect on the justification of one’s own beliefs and values Critical thinking is the foundation of Science and Democracy Process Analyze-> Evaluate-> Conclude Rationality Rationality is the quality or state of being reasonable, based on facts or reason Rationality implies that one’s beliefs are aligned with one’s reasons to believe or one’s actions are congruent with one’s reasons for action Logic and reasoning Logic is concerned with the pri