Skip to main content

Unit 3 - Ethics

UNIT 3

Cyber Ethics

Learning Objectives

  • Students will understand:​

    • What ethics are
    • Why ethics are important
    • How to act ethically
    • The responsibility that comes with knowing cybersecurity principles
    • How to apply ethics in the real world

Principles of Cyber Ethics

DoDo Not
Do think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.Do not use a computer to harm other people.
Do always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.Do not interfere with other people's computer work.
Do not snoop around in other people's computer files.
Do not use a computer to steal.
Do not use a computer to bear false witness.
Do not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
Do not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
Do not appropriate other people's intellectual output.

Introduction

  • Ethics is about right and wrong
  • What is right?
  • What is wrong?
  • How do we know?

Why Ethics?

We all need ethics because they help us determine what is right and wrong.​

  • Promotes a sense of fairness
  • Creates a set of rules or acceptable behaviors
  • Ethical practices help us identify what unacceptable behavior “looks” and “feels” like
  • They help us determine how to act in a given situation.
  • They can help us identify unethical behavior

What is Ethics?

Standards for right and wrong​

  • What we should do in different situations
  • Can be both written and unwritten
    • Written: company mission statements, school policies on academic dishonesty
    • Unwritten: don’t “cut” in a line, opening doors or holding elevators for people

Sources of Ethics

  • Laws
  • Feelings
  • Socielat Norms
  • Religion
  • Philosophy
  • Family

Ethical Behavior

  • Do people make good decisions?
  • Do people always make good decisions?
  • Do YOU make good decisions?
  • Do YOU always make good decisions?
  • Does a bad decision mean you’re unethical?

Understanding vs. Behavior

  • Knowing right from wrong doesn’t automatically mean we DO the right thing

Ethical Behavior Requires

  • Courage​

    • See something, say something
    • Be willing to go against your friends/peers
    • Stand up to bullies

  • Humility​

    • Even you can make a wrong decision
    • Are you a better than the average driver?
    • Are you more ethical than the average person?

Questions

  • Does the Internet make it easier or harder to act ethically?
  • Is it easier or harder to do the right thing when others are watching?
  • Is it easier or harder to do the right thing when it means that you have to choose between friends?

ETHICS ACTIVITY

Hack, No Hack?

Scenerio Hack, No Hack

Emily posted a picture of your friend Jayden on Instagram. The picture makes it look as if Jayden is consuming alcohol, but you know that he wasn’t. Your friend Jayden is very upset, and Emily refuses to take the picture down. Jayden asks for your help in getting into Emily’s Instagram account to remove the picture.

What should you do?

  1. You don't want Jayden to get into trouble. So, you tell him that you're only going to help this once. Then you use a tool that you found on the Internet to help Jayden get into Emily's Instagram account and remove the picture.
  2. You let Jayden know that Instagram allows people to report images that violate their rules. You help Jayden contact Instagram to have them remove the picture and you let him know that it may take a few days to get an answer.
  3. You don't want to be a bad friend, so you help Jayden remove the picture. Then, you change Emily’s password so she can't repost the picture. Later, you borrow Emily’s phone and delete the picture, so that this situation will be over.
  4. You explain to Jayden that it's his fault for being in the picture in the first place and Emily shouldn’t have to take down the picture. You also explain how things can stay on the Internet forever and that you don't want to be friends with people who don’t make good decisions

Summary

  • Understand what ethics are and why they are important
  • Understand how to act ethically
  • Understand the responsibility that comes with knowing and using cybersecurity principles
  • Understand how to apply ethics to real-world situations

End of Unit 3