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The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

By Rosie Perera | March 16, 2009 at 10:22 pm

Written by the Computer Ethics Institute (whose website is now defunct), posted on the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) site:

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s computer files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

[Rosie’s response] Those (in my opinion) should be a very basic minimum of computer ethics for Christians. Other things could be added, such as “Thou shalt not esteem thy computer as a god, neither shalt thou consider it to be thy salvation, nor expend all thy wealth towards it and its peripherals,” “Thou shalt not use a computer in ways that harm the environment” and “Thou shalt not use a computer in ways that cause you or a fellow human to sin.”

Most of the items on that list are pretty clear and uncontroversial, and need not be qualified. However, #2, #3, and #6, could be open to some discussion.

#2) This hinges on the definition of “computer work.” If someone else is using a computer for nefarious purposes, and you are in a position to stop it, especially if someone is in imminent danger, then yes you should interfere with their computer work! For most people, though, this would mean merely that you should contact the appropriate authorities who could do something about it. But if you’re a sysadmin, then yeah, by all means, kick the b***ards off! And then contact law enforcement if it’s something really serious like child porn or terrorism or securities fraud.

#3) Suppose you have good reason to believe your child is being stalked by an child pornographer online (she has expressed things to you that make you think this might be the case). You darned well better look in her computer usage trails to find out, with proper explanation to her about why you’re doing it and her implicit permission to let you protect her thusly. Incidentally, for young enough children, it should never get to this stage, as you should be supervising their online use at all times. I’m not clear on how you determine when your child has reached the age of computer responsibility when you should trust her with a bit of privacy in her own use of it, while still being available to project them if necessary. But it’s a gradual letting go accompanied by training in safety. Just as you eventually let your kid walk unaccompanied to a friend’s house once you trust he knows well enough how to avoid being hit by a car. (At least you did back in the good old days when cars were all you had to worry about for your kids.)

#6) I agree with this one, but at the same time I decry the pricing policies of software companies that make it nearly impossible for the poor to have access to their proprietary goods. (The Open Source movement is beginning to change this in some places like India, but it is still a problem worldwide.) While I don’t condone people copying software, I know that the economic reality in Third World countries is such that a lot of people are using pirated software because to buy the legitimate stuff would cost several years’ wages. I have chosen to look the other way, even when I was working at Microsoft and we were supposed to report known cases of software piracy to a special hotline.

I think Christians in Technology need to be at the forefront of a discussion on how to change this reality for poor countries. In our advanced world of North America, Europe and high-tech parts of Asia, access to computers and online information is becoming a necessity for work and life. It is going to one day be the case in Africa and South America as well.

According to Scripture, we will always have the poor with us, but perhaps we should treat them as the Bible would have us treat them. What would it mean to leave the technological “gleanings” for them, for example (cf. Lev 19:9-10 and Deut 24:19-20)? Maybe instead of selling used software on eBay or destroying outdated versions of Microsoft products that can no longer be sold, we should give it away for free to those who can’t afford the latest greatest. And perhaps companies like Microsoft should provide support for older versions of their software for more than 2-3 years, so the poor won’t be left in the dust when they come late to the table.

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One Response to “The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics”

  1. Week in Review: Friends of Computers and Animals Edition at The Emerging Scholars Blog Says:
    April 9, 2010 at 6:50 am

    […] series 2010-2020, New Challenges-New Possibilities:  Technology & Social Networking, e.g.,  Rosie Perera’s thoughts on The 10 Commandments of […]

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