Module 6: Computer Ethics

QUESTION:

    If you are to choose your top 3 difficult-to-follow computer ethics commandments, what are these? Explain why.

ANSWER:

Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid

      Now days, having a computer are very expensive, thus it cost a lot money just to invest a certain gadget; it needs Operating System to be able to use the said gadget. Crisis is the main reason why  we may tend to use a  computer software which have not paid. Thus, human in nature loves to use a certain thing for free, and they are very excellent on finding ways just to make their lives easy.  
Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.
       This commandment for me is also hard to follow, thus we only pursue on our self perception. And having this is not easy, since we are not God or maybe a psychic to know what other may people think and what would happened next after you made a certain program.

Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.

      Yes, it is very important to show consideration and respect to others on having a computer in order to have peace and happiness in every single person. However, there are those people who are very keen on finding errors and all they want is perfections.  

QUESTION:

     Suppose you are to add 2 more commandments to the existing 10 commandments of computer ethics, what are these? Are these 2 new commandments of equal importance to the existing ones? Discuss.             

ANSWER:  

Thou shalt not create a website to harm  other people.

        It is important commandment, thus we computer users may able to know that creating a simple website can harm other people. For example, pornographic website, this website contains an explicit videos, photos, and information. That  could harm other  people such as their dignity and mind.

Thou shalt use computer to be more productive. 

       Computers are created in order to help poeple in different aspects of their lives, and not to harm. Thus having this commandment may enlighten every single person's perceptive, and it could help to us. It also increases the standard of living since more and more products can be purchased, if product production is more.

QUESTION: 

        What is ransomware? Which of the 10 computer ethics commandments is/are violated by ransomware? 
ANSWER: 

      Ransomware is a type of malicious computer software that threatens the user to take some destructive or harmful actions. Ransomware demands the victim to pay up in order to stop it from running a payload or restore modified or stolen information. Typical parasites are usually trojans, malicious computer programs, which are disguised as harmless applications. Such pests get secretly installed to the system (http://www.freetechexams.com/computer-networking/security/ransomware.html). This malicious software violates on the following computer ethics commandments:

[2] Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work. 

[3] Thou shalt not snoop around other people’s files.]

[4] Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. 

[7] Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization. 

[10] Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.

      It violates with these commandments because, the  intruder creates a malicious code just like they would to create other types of malware. The code is specifically designed to take control of your computer and then hijack all of your files. Following encryption of your files, you will most likely receive a demand for monetary compensation or other similar threat in return for your hijacked files. Some times the monetary amount is small and other times it can amount to hundreds of dollars. The intruder profits even if the amount is small due to the number of computers they are infecting with ransomware.

       The demand for money is often requested to be paid through an online service such as PayPal and some intruders even go as far as asking for a money order to be sent to an address where you are unable to track them down. If you fail to pay, the intruder is capable of creating additional malicious code that will destroy the content of your PC a little bit at a time until you pay up (http://www.spamlaws.com/how-ransomware-works.html).