1University of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20021Tutorial notes:Ethics and Professionalism Professional Conduct ACM/IEEE code of Ethics Intellectual Property Copyright laws When to seek permission to use information Case studies… Discuss the ethics - what would you do in these situations?University of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20022Professionalism What are the responsibilities of the systems analyst? Uphold the law Behave in an honest and ethical manner Areas of concern: Confidentiality respect confidentiality of employers and clients irrespective of whether or not aformal confidentiality agreement has been signed. Competence do not misrepresent your level of competence do not knowingly accept work which demands skills beyond your competence. Intellectual property rights be aware of local laws governing use of intellectual property (patents, copyright) ensure that the intellectual property of employers and clients is protected. Computer misuse do not use your technical skills to misuse other people’s computers computer misuse ranges from relatively trivial (e.g. game playing on an employer’smachine) to extremely serious (dissemination of viruses).University of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20023ACM/IEEE code of ethicsFor full version, see:http://www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm1. PUBLIC Software engineers shall actconsistently with the public interest.2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER Software engineers shall act in amanner that is in the best interestsof their client and employer,consistent with the public interest.3. PRODUCT Software engineers shall ensure thattheir products and relatedmodifications meet the highestprofessional standards possible.4. JUDGEMENT Software engineers shall maintainintegrity and independence in theirprofessional judgment.5. MANAGEMENT Software engineering managers andleaders shall subscribe to andpromote an ethical approach to themanagement of software developmentand maintenance.6. PROFESSION Software engineers shall advance theintegrity and reputation of theprofession consistent with the publicinterest.7. COLLEAGUES Software engineers shall be fair toand supportive of their colleagues.8. SELF Software engineers shall participatein lifelong learning regarding thepractice of their profession and shallpromote an ethical approach to thepractice of the profession.University of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20024Copyright Law All information is subject tocopyright law copyright protection arises as soon asoriginal work is fixed in a “tangiblemedium” Lack of an explicit copyright notice isirrelevant! The internet and the webdon’t negate copyright law The web and the internet makes iteasier to violate these protections: many people equate “available on theweb” as “in the public domain”. …in general this is wrong! You need permission of the copyrightowner to make copies of original work Includes putting copies on your ownwebsite. Note: a webmaster for a site is rarelycopyright owner for content at that siteUseful rules The doctrine of “Fair use” A small amount of copying withoutpermission is okay, if it: Is only used for education, review, etc. Only includes a small portion of thework (e.g up to 1 chapter of a book) Copying is not “fair use” if itdiminishes the market for the item. The doctrine of “ImpliedConsent” It is legal to view copyrightedmaterial if it is on a publiclyaccessible website Includes holding transient copies in yourbrowser’s cache Does not include making further copies2University of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20025What is okay to use? Information for your report: Copies of documents you have collected? Diagrams, tables, from other people’s work? Short quotations (e.g. a few sentences)? Long quotations (e.g. a few paragraphs/pages)? Photographs or images collected from the web? Photographs of other people that you have taken yourself? Transcripts of interviews, conversations, etc. Summaries of questionnaire data Putting Information on the web: Links to material on other sites (“href” links)? Local use of images from other sites (“img” links)? Links to main (home) pages of other sites? Links to content deep inside other sites? Framing (I.e. wrapping your frame around content fromother sites)?OkayGet permissionNot okayUniversity of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20026Case Study IThree years ago Diane started her own consulting business. She has been so successful thatshe now has several people working for her and many clients. Their consulting work includesadvising on how to network microcomputers, designing database management systems, andadvising about security.Presently she is designing a database management system for the personnel office of amedium-sized company. Diane has involved the client in the design process, informing theCEO, the director of computing, and the director of personnel about the progress of thesystem. It is now time to make decisions about the kind and degree of security to buildinto the system. Diane has described several options to the client. Because the system isgoing to cost more than they planned, the client has decided to opt for a less securesystem. She believes the information they will be storing is extremely sensitive. It willinclude performance evaluations, medical records for filing insurance claims, salaries, and soforth.With weak security, employees working on microcomputers may be able to figure out ways toget access to this data, not to mention the possibilities for on-line access from hackers.Diane feels strongly that the system should be much more secure. She has tried to explainthe risks, but the CEO, director of computing and director of personnel all agree that lesssecurity will do. What should she do? Should she refuse to build the system as theyrequest?Retrieved Oct 1, 2002 from the World Wide Web:http://onlineethics.org/privacy/scene3.htmlUniversity of TorontoDepartment of Computer Science© Mylopoulos and Easterbrook 20027Case Study IIYou have been asked to observe how junior management use new
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