Ethical Issues in Computing

Hello students, welcome to Kwickprep. Downloading a paid movie for free is easy. But is it right? And if nobody catches you, is it still wrong? Today we will learn what makes an action ethical online. We will study privacy, piracy and AI decisions, see how legal differs from ethical, and discuss real case studies.

First, a new word. Ethics means the moral rules of right and wrong that guide how we behave. Computer ethics applies these same rules when we use computers, phones and the internet. Ethics is not about whether someone is watching you. It is about doing the right thing even when nobody would ever find out.

How do we decide if an online action is ethical? Ask five simple questions. First, does it harm anyone, even a little? Second, did the owner or the person agree to it? This agreement is called consent. Third, is it honest and fair? Fourth, would you be comfortable if your parents or teachers saw it? Fifth, would you accept it if someone did the same thing to you?

Let us apply these questions to four everyday actions. Posting a friend's photo is fine only if the friend agrees. Copying from a website and giving credit is honest, so it is ethical. Using a password you happened to see is wrong, because you have no permission. Reporting a fake news message stops harm, so it is ethical.

Now the big ethical issues, starting with privacy. Privacy means your right to control who sees your personal data, like your phone number, photos or location. Many apps collect your location, contacts and habits, often more than they need. Sharing someone else's data or screenshots without consent breaks their privacy. An ethical company collects only what it needs and keeps it safe.

The second issue is piracy. Software piracy means copying, sharing or using software, films, music or books without the owner's permission. Examples are cracked software, leaked movies on messaging groups and paid e-books shared as PDF files. Piracy takes income away from the people who worked hard to create that content. The ethical choice is to buy it, use a free legal version, or use open source software.

The third issue is decisions made by AI, which means artificial intelligence. Today AI systems help decide who gets a loan, a job interview or even extra checks. If the AI learned from unfair old data, it can repeat that unfairness, and this is called bias. People affected should be told why a decision was made, which is called transparency. And a human or company must stay responsible for the result, which is called accountability.

Your syllabus may list a few more issues too. Plagiarism means presenting someone else's work, or AI written text, as your own. Hacking means entering a computer system without permission, even just to look around. Cyberbullying and spreading fake news hurt real people. The digital divide means some people lack devices or internet, and that is a question of fairness.

Now a key exam point, legal versus ethical. Laws are made by the government, while ethics come from society and our own conscience. Laws are written down, but ethical rules are often unwritten. Breaking a law can lead to a fine or jail, while unethical behaviour mostly costs trust and reputation. For example, copyright law protects a book, and giving credit to a writer is ethical good practice.

Legal and ethical do not always match, so there are four combinations. Buying an app is both legal and ethical. Posting a joke that mocks a friend may be legal, but it is unkind and unethical. Downloading a pirated film is both illegal and unethical. A whistleblower may leak secret files to expose a danger. That can break a rule, yet many see it as ethical, so it is debated.

Many countries have turned some ethical rules into laws. In India, the Information Technology Act of 2000 deals with hacking and other cyber crimes. The Copyright Act of 1957 protects creative work, including software, against piracy. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 protects personal data. In the United Kingdom, students study the Computer Misuse Act and the Data Protection Act.

Now let us discuss some case studies, which are short real life situations. Riya takes a screenshot of her friend's private chat. She shares it in the class group as a joke, and the friend feels humiliated. Pause and think. Is this illegal? Is it unethical? Most would say it may not break a law, but it clearly harms and breaks privacy, so it is unethical.

Here is the second case study. A loan app uses AI to decide who gets a small loan. It starts rejecting most people from villages, even those who repay on time. The reason is that the AI learned from old data with very few village borrowers. Discuss this. The company is responsible, and it should check for bias, explain decisions and let a human review rejections.

The third case study is about piracy. Aman needs expensive video editing software for a school project. A website offers a cracked copy for free. He has three options: download the pirated copy, pay for it, or use free and open source software. Pirating is illegal and unethical, and cracked copies often hide malware, so paying or choosing free software is the ethical choice.

Let us revise what we learned today. Ethics means doing right even when nobody is watching. To test an action, check harm, consent, honesty, publicity and the golden rule. The key issues are privacy, piracy and fairness in AI decisions. Legal rules are set by law, while ethical rules come from our conscience. And remember, something legal is not always ethical. Try discussing the three case studies with your classmates.