Information Systems and Computer Ethics PDF

# People - Information systems consist of people, procedures, software, hardware, data, and the Internet. - Technology has both positive and negative impacts on people. - Effective implementation of computer technology involves maximizing its positive effects while minimizing its negative effects....

# People - Information systems consist of people, procedures, software, hardware, data, and the Internet. - Technology has both positive and negative impacts on people. - Effective implementation of computer technology involves maximizing its positive effects while minimizing its negative effects. ## Privacy - Privacy concerns the collection and use of data about individuals. - Three primary privacy issues: - **Accuracy:** Ensuring data is correct. - **Property:** Determining who owns data. - **Access:** Controlling who can access data. ### Large Databases - Large organizations compile vast amounts of data about people, daily. - Examples include: - **Telephone companies:** Call logs, locations from GPS-enabled smartphones. - **Credit card companies:** Purchase history, payment records, credit scores. - **Supermarkets:** Purchase history, prices paid. - **Financial institutions:** Account balances, transactions. - **Search engines:** Search history, websites visited. - **Social networking sites:** User posts, interactions. ### Information Resellers - A vast industry gathers, analyzes, and sells personal data. - These "information resellers" create electronic profiles, detailed descriptions of individuals, often using publicly available databases. ### Public vs. Private Information - Concerns exist about collecting and distributing public but personally identifying information. - Examples: Google's Street View project, which provides images of homes and vehicles in public areas. ### Spreading Information Without Consent - Concerns exist about employers using social networking profiles to make decisions about employment. ### Risks of Social Networking - Sharing private information online can have unexpected consequences. - Examples: - A tagged photo on a social networking site may become public knowledge. - Errors in a credit history, resulting from incorrect data entry may have significant consequences. ### Private Networks - Employer monitoring of employee emails and computer activity is common. - Laws may require employers to inform employees about their monitoring practices. ## The Internet and the Web - People assume privacy when using personal computers online but forget that every computer on the Internet is identified by an **IP address**. - IP addresses can be used to trace internet activities, meaning anonymity is an illusion. ### Browser Information - Browsers store information on user activity, such as history, temporary Internet files, and cookies. - **Cookies** are small data files websites deposit on user's computers to store information about preferences and browsing habits. - Examples: - **First-party cookies**: Created and accessed only by the website you are currently visiting. - **Third-party cookies**: Created by advertising companies and track user activity across websites. - Most browsers allow users to delete browsing history files and cookies, and many offer **privacy modes** that disable information storage on hard drives. - Browsers can also be used to block cookies. ### Web Bugs - Web bugs are invisible images or HTML code that transmit information back to the source without user knowledge. - Common web bugs are used by companies that sell email lists to spammers. ## Spyware - Spyware programs secretly record and report user activity on the Internet, potentially making changes to browser settings. - Examples: - **Keyloggers**: Records keystrokes, passwords, credit card information. - Antispyware or Spy removal programs can help detect and remove spyware. # Ethics - **Ethics** are standards of moral conduct that guide the use of computers. - Three important ethical issues: - **Copyright and Digital Rights Management**: Protects content creators' rights to control use and distribution of their work. - **Cyberbullying**: The use of internet and technology to harass, intimidate, or embarrass others. - **Plagiarism**: Representing someone else's work as your own. ## Security - **Computer security** involves protecting information, hardware, and software from unauthorized use, damage, and theft. - **Cybercrime** is any criminal offense involving a computer and a network. - Forms of cybercrime include: - **Identity theft**: Assuming someone's identity for financial gain. - **Internet scams**: Schemes using the internet to defraud victims. - **Data manipulation**: Unauthorized access to computer systems to copy or alter data. - **Ransomware**: Malware that encrypts data, demanding a ransom for access. - **Denial of service (DoS) attacks**: Bombarding a computer system with requests to overload it and make it unavailable. ## Measures to Protect Computer Security - **Restricting access**: Preventing unauthorized users from accessing data. - **Encrypting data**: Encoding data to make it unreadable to unauthorized users. - **Anticipating disasters**: Developing disaster recovery plans to minimize data loss and downtime. - **Preventing data loss**: Taking measures to ensure the safe and secure storage of data. - **Strengthening passwords**: Creating complex and difficult-to-guess passwords. - **Using security software**: Employing anti-virus, spyware, and firewall programs to protect against threats. - **Being aware of common cybercriminal techniques**: Understanding how cybercriminals operate to identify potential threats. ## Major Techniques Used by Cybercriminals - **Social engineering**: Manipulating people into revealing sensitive information. - **Malicious software**: Programs designed to damage computer systems. - **Malicious hardware**: Devices used to steal information, infect computers, or disrupt networks. ## Common Types of Malware - **Viruses**: Programs that attach themselves to other programs or files and can cause damage when activated. - **Worms**: Replicate themselves over a network, potentially overloading systems. - **Trojan Horses**: Appear to be legitimate software but actually contain malware. ## Common Types of Malicious Hardware - **Zombies**: Infected computers controlled remotely by hackers to form botnets. - **Rogue Wi-Fi Hotspots**: Fake Wi-Fi networks that collect user data. - **Infected USB flash drives**: Devices containing malware that can spread when accessed by other computers. ## Anti-cybercrime Laws - The **Computer Fraud and Abuse Act** makes it a crime to access unauthorized computer systems. - Other federal laws protect financial information (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act), medical records (HIPAA), and educational records (FERPA). # Concept Check - **The illusion of anonymity**: The belief that privacy is maintained online even though IP addresses can be tracked. - **History files**: Browsers store a list of websites visited. - **Temporary Internet files**: Stored instructions for displaying web pages. - **Privacy mode**: A browser setting that prevents information from being stored on a hard drive. - **Cookies**: Small data files that websites place on user computers to store information about preferences. - **First-party cookies**: Generated and accessed only by the current website. - **Third-party cookies**: Generated by advertising companies to track user activity across websites. - **Web bug**: An invisible image that transmits information back to the source without user knowledge. - **Spyware**: Programs that secretly record user internet activity. - **Keylogger**: Software that records keystrokes. - **Antispyware**: Software that detects and removes spyware. - **Online identity**: Information that people voluntarily post about themselves online. # Three Federal Laws Protecting Privacy - **Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act**: Protects personal financial information. - **HIPAA**: Protects medical records. - **FERPA**: Restricts the disclosure of educational records.