---
title: '01 Intro to Ethics & Law'
disqus: hackmd
---

:::info
ST2502 Computer Law and Investigation
:::

CLI Lecture 01 Intro to Ethics & Law
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## Table of Contents
[TOC]

Law & Ethics
---
### Background
- info tech & media industries are dynamic, vibrant and ever-changing
- laws enacted to keep up with changes
- Eg. Electronic Transaction Act (1998), Personal Data Protection Act (2012)
- due to scarcity of resources & high dependency on computer-related apps & tech, SG adopted a __comprehensive regulatory framework__ consisting of
- law & regulations
- Computer Misuse Cybersecurity Act, Electronic Transaction Act, Personal Act, Data Protection Act, IMDA's Internet Code of Practice
- ethics
- Codes of conduct/ethics of orgs

### Law
- collection of rules
- regulates affairs of community & conduct of members
- enforcable by authority
- created by
- parliament-made laws __(statues)__
- judge-made laws __(case law)__
- creation & classification of laws
- __statues__
- laws passed by parliament
- more important source of law for IT businesses
- faster way of updating law to cope with rapid changes
- __case law__
- decisions made by judges in cases
- new law made on case to case basis
- case law may be reversed by Parliament
- Eg. SG fake news law came into effect 2 Oct
- protection from online falsehoods & manipulation act
- minister can order piece of falsehood on internet to be taken down/corrected
- criminal sanctions for non-compliance
- people who intentionally spread fake news against public interest can be jailed & fined
- Eg. Fake new collapsing jewel changi airport ceiling caught on vid but actually taken in Shanghai
- Eg. infringing code of conduct - joseph schooling & 2 other swimmers warned by SNOC after late night drinking after Incheon Asian Games

### Morality & Ethics
- ethics & morals both relate to right & wrong conduct by an individual
- __morality__ - indiv's principles/habits with respect to right/wrong conduct
- is set of objectively derived values based on what's deemed right/wrong
- instilled by society
- formulated through time & influenced by religion, culture, tradition and custom
- based on our beliefs
- Eg. integrity, filial piety
- __ethics__ - rules of conduct
- defines how things are according to rules governed by professionals & legal guidelines
- comes from social system
- done because society says its right - might face peer/soecietal disapproval/fired if we don't do it
- is subjective
- ea person responsible for deciding what to do in specific situation
- based on reason not emotion
- Eg. legal profession (professional conduct) rules, Singapore medical council ethical code etc.
- Eg. surgery to separate Laleh and Ladan Bijani
- WRONG
- twins suffering from life-threatening condition & many thingd wrong with their quality of life they coped for 29 years
- docs have duty to act in best interests of patients
- surgery misguided
- RIGHT
- docs guided by twins' wishes - Laleh and Ladan wanted to be separated under all circumstances
- their determination to lead separate lives

__Comparison between law and ethics__

Ethical Reasoning
---
- reasoning about right/wrong
- consequence-based
- rule-based
- when studying case for ethical justifiability
- understand situation
- list ethical reasonings
- determine which outweigh others
- ethical pluralism - 2 people may have equally justifable ethical views
- Ethical Example - Murder of Adolf Hitler
- rule-based states that its ethically wrong
- against law to commit murder
- consequence-based states its ethically correct
- good of many outweigh his murder

### Consequence-Based Reasoning
- focuses on consequences of action
- 2 forms
- egoism
- utilitarianism

__Egosim__
- based on positive benefits to person taking the action
- weighs outcome of all possible acts & chooses one that produces most personal good to oneself
- effects on others irrelevant

__Utilitarianism__
- based on positive benefits to entire universe
- choose action that bring greatest collective good for all people

### Rule-Based Reasoning
- founded in person's sense of right or wrong - based on fundamental ethical rules
- that certain things are good in themselves, no need higher justification
- Eg. truth, equal distribution, honour
- 2 forms
- personal moral rules
- universal natural rules

#### Example
- should ambulanced by legally allowed to beat red lights emergencies
- was it right for sg team to go ahead with surgery to separate Laleh and Ladan Bijani


__Personal Moral Rules__
- rules derived by ea indiv
- indiv's environment & personal experience will lead him to formulate set of principles - a duty to act
- Eg. good to give to the poor (Koran 2:271), tell the truth (John 8:32), do not boast (Tao Te Ching 24)

__Universal Natural Rules__
- belief of certain universal rules that prescribe proper conduct
- people generally agree on these principles
- Eg. right to privacy, right to free speech


Ethics and IT
---
- common ethical issues
- software piracy
- inappropriate use of computing resources
- inappropriate sharing of info
- perpetrators of computer crime
- 10 commandments for computer users
- in Washington DC
- an attempt to apply some notion of ethical principles to environment characterised by philosophy of "anything goes"

Not by Legislation Alone
---
- cannot legislate every aspect of human behaviour
- ethical behaviour where we are considerate to welfare of others must be internalised
- motivated by self-interest is okay, but selfishness w/o regard of reasonable interest of others is unethical but not illegal
- ethical behaviour is hallmark of a gracious & caring society

###### tags: `CLI` `DISM` `School` `Notes`