---
# System prepended metadata

title: 01 Intro to Ethics & Law
tags: [School, Notes, DISM, CLI]

---

---
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__
![](https://i.imgur.com/eEfNgre.png)




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

![](https://i.imgur.com/DZkObo6.png)
![](https://i.imgur.com/Ye6YAcN.png)


__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

![](https://i.imgur.com/4aHfs4e.png)



Ethics and IT
---
- common ethical issues
    - software piracy
    - inappropriate use of computing resources
    - inappropriate sharing of info
- perpetrators of computer crime
![](https://i.imgur.com/T1PDLaA.png)
![](https://i.imgur.com/fOYAgN3.png)
- 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"
![](https://i.imgur.com/XjwNvfr.png)
![](https://i.imgur.com/KTneeAw.png)


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`