questions 1-9
Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective (Custom Edition eBook) ETHICS IN ICT An Australian Perspective EDITED BY DONALD MCDERMID This book is for students studying the Ethics of Information and Computer Technology (ICT) and explores how the potential consequences of our actions can affect user communities. It addresses the topics of ethics, social implications, professional practice and interpersonal communications outlined in the Australian Computer Society (ACS) guidelines for professional accreditation of ICT courses. No one questions the pervasiveness of ICT at work, in schools or in the home, yet the social responsibilities accompanying technological change are often not fully considered. The authors of this wholly Australian text encourage students preparing for a career in the exciting and ever-changing ICT industry to consider ethical issues and social responsibility. Ethics in ICT contains background, history, facts and tools to analyse options that help the student think through possible actions and their implications. Experts in ICT from all over Australia have contributed chapters on computer crime, Australian law, professionalism, privacy, the Internet and intellectual property. FEATURES OF THE BOOK INCLUDE: • case studies • questions • student activities • summaries • links to relevant websites. The book is accompanied by instructor resources for lecturers, available at www.pearsoned.com.au/9780733993879. ET H IC S IN IC T A n A ustralian Perspective E D IT E D B Y D O N A L D M CD E R M ID ISBN 978-0-7339-9387-9 9 7 8 0 7 3 3 9 9 3 8 7 9 ETHICS IN ICT An Australian Perspective PEA RSO N PREN TIC E H A LL Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective ETHICS IN ICT An Australian Perspective McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page i Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective Ded i ca t i on This book is dedicated to the memory of Sue Bolton who sadly is no longer with us. Sue had the inspiration for this book and as authors we all appreci- ated the hard work, diligence and organisational effort she put in. Sue, we hope this book lives up to your aspirations, makes a difference and results in a better world for us all. McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page ii Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective ETHICS IN ICT An Australian Perspective EDITED BY DONALD MCDERMID McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page iii Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective Copyright © Pearson Education Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2008 Pearson Education Australia Unit 4, Level 3 14 Aquatic Drive Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 www.pearsoned.com.au The Copyright Act 1968 of Australia allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be copied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that that educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited, telephone: (02) 9394 7600, email:
[email protected] All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Acquisitions Editor: Michelle Aarons Project Editor: Katie Millar Editorial Coordinator: Angela Peters Copy Editor: Jennifer Coombs Proofreader: Jo Rudd Indexer: Mary Coe Copyright Editor: Emma Gaulton Cover design by Nada Backovic Typeset by Midland Typesetters, Australia Printed in Malaysia 1 2 3 4 5 12 11 10 09 08 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data McDermid, Donald Ethics in ICT: an Australian perspective. 1st ed. Includes index. ISBN 9780733993879 (pbk). VitalSource ISBN 9781442552159 1. Information technology — Moral and ethical aspects — Australia. 2. Computer networks — Moral and ethical aspects — Australia. 3. Telecommunication — Moral and ethical aspects — Australia. I. Title. II. Title. Ethics in information communication technology. Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright. However, should any infringement have occurred, the publishers tender their apologies and invite copyright owners to contact them. Due to copyright restrictions, we may have been unable to include material from the print edition of the book in this digital edition, although every effort has been made to minimise instances of missing content. An imprint of Pearson Education Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) McDermid PRELIMS 15/2/11 11:40 AM Page iv Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective C O N T E N T S ❙ v Preface ix Contributors xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Oliver Burmeister 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Ethical thinking 4 1.3 Goals of ICT ethics education 13 1.4 Defining ethics 16 1.5 The Australian perspective 20 Summary 23 Student activities 24 References 25 Chapter 2 The study of ethics 27 Stephan Millett 2.1 Introduction: Why bother with ethics? 28 2.2 What ethics is not 31 2.3 What ethics is 32 2.4 Some key concepts 33 2.5 Ethical theory and the 6C model of building an ethical culture 40 2.6 Ethical decision making 46 Case study 48 Summary 51 Student activities 52 References 53 Endnote 53 Chapter 3 The law and legal framework 55 Bruce Gordon 3.1 Introduction 56 3.2 Legal systems 56 CONTENTS McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page v Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective 3.3 How Australia became a common law country 59 3.4 The development of the sources of law in the common law system 62 3.5 The creation of Australia 71 Summary 80 Case study 81 Student activities 87 References 88 Chapter 4 Privacy 89 Martin Gibbs 4.1 Introduction 90 4.2 Privacy – a difficult concept 91 4.3 Privacy – a definition 94 4.4 The benefits of privacy 95 4.5 Privacy and technology 103 4.6 Privacy and the law 111 Summary 118 Case study – Game playing 119 Student activities 120 References 121 Endnotes 123 Chapter 5 Cyberspace 125 Patricia Thomson 5.1 Introduction 126 5.2 Regulating cyberspace 128 5.3 Freedom of speech and civil liberties 134 5.4 Internet regulation 135 5.5 Specific issues in Internet regulation 137 Case study 140 5.6 Legislation in other countries 144 5.7 Regulating illicit and illegal material 146 5.8 Global and regional environments 151 Summary 153 Student activities 154 References 157 Chapter 6 Computer crime 163 Matthew Warren 6.1 Introduction 164 Case study 164 6.2 The security question 166 vi ❙ C O N T E N T S McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page vi Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective 6.3 Viruses, worms and trojan horses 170 6.4 New types of computer crime 170 6.5 Combating cyber crime – national and global 174 Summary 175 Student activities 176 References 176 Chapter 7 Systems reliability 179 Sue Bolton and Donald McDermid 7.1 Introduction 180 7.2 What can go wrong? 180 7.3 Software quality 188 7.4 Issues for ICT professionals 189 Summary 190 Student activities 191 References 192 Further reading on cases 194 Chapter 8 Computer law, ethics and intellectual property 199 Judith Thomson 8.1 Introduction 200 8.2 What is intellectual property? 201 8.3 Is there an ethical basis for making intellectual property the subject of ownership rights? 201 8.4 Problems of perception with intellectual property rights 203 8.5 Copyright and the Internet 206 8.6 Trademarks, domain names and the Internet 216 8.7 Patents and the Internet 220 Summary 226 Student activities 227 References 228 Endnotes 228 Chapter 9 Employment and work 231 Donald McDermid 9.1 Introduction 232 Case study – A local government IT department 232 Case study – The consulting company 241 Summary 247 Student activities 247 References 248 C O N T E N T S ❙ vii McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page vii Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective Chapter 10 Computers and society 249 Marian Quigley 10.1 Introduction 250 10.2 Identity, computers and cyberspace 251 10.3 Quality of work life 260 10.4 Equity and access 264 Summary 270 Student activities 271 References 272 Endnotes 276 Chapter 11 Professional ethics and responsibilities 277 Jo Coldwell 11.1 Introduction 278 11.2 Characteristics of a professional 278 11.3 Is information technology a profession? 279 11.4 Professional relationships 282 11.5 Professional ethics and codes of conduct 285 11.6 Comparison of codes 288 11.7 Moral responsibilities, legal liability and accountability 296 Summary 297 Student activities 298 References 301 Chapter 12 Communication skills 303 Karen Nelson and Glen Thomas 12.1 Introduction: Why communication skills? 304 12.2 Communication in practice 305 12.3 Models and theories of communication 305 12.4 Communicating with your audience 310 12.5 International aspects of communication 314 12.6 Communication problems and how to fix them 316 12.7 Common types of business communication 317 Summary 325 Student activities 325 References 326 Appendix A Australian Computer Society Code of Ethics 329 Appendix B Introduction to the ACS Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice 335 Appendix C ACM Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice 339 Index 349 viii ❙ C O N T E N T S McDermid PRELIMS 19/11/07 1:04 PM Page viii Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2011 – 9780733993879 - McDermid/Ethics in ICT: An Australian Perspective [prelim]Preface This book is a first for the Australian information and communications tech- nology (ICT) industry. Previously, researchers, practitioners and students in Australia had to content themselves with ethics texts typically written in America for an essentially American readership – for example, often referring to law in America as it pertains to American citizens. While some important aspects of ICT ethics in Australia are affected by American issues and law and while there is no doubt that America has led the world in many aspects of ICT, especially technologically, such texts do not provide a sufficiently focused or relevant perspective for students and practitioners in Australia who wish to be informed about how ICT ethical issues affect