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Ethical computing

ICSE Class 9 · Computer Applications · Chapter 11

What this chapter covers

Key definitions

Ethics is the branch of thought that deals with what is right and wrong in human conduct.

Computer ethics is the set of moral principles that guide how a person should use computers, software, data and networks so that the rights of others are respected and no one is harmed.

An ethical issue in computing is a situation in which the use of a computer or the internet raises a question of right and wrong, such as who owns a piece of work, who may see a person's data, or whether an action causes harm to others.

Intellectual property is any original creation of the human mind, such as a literary or artistic work, a computer program, an invention, a design or a brand name, over which its creator can claim ownership.

Intellectual property rights are the legal rights given to the creator or owner of intellectual property that allow them to control how their creation is used, copied, sold or shared, for a limited period of time.

Copyright is the legal right of the creator of an original literary, artistic, musical, dramatic or cinematographic work, including a computer program, to decide who may copy, publish, perform, adapt or distribute that work.

The public domain is the collection of works whose copyright has expired or that were never protected, which anyone may use, copy and share freely.

A software licence is a legal agreement in which the copyright owner of a program states the terms on which another person may install and use it.

A patent is an exclusive right granted by the government to an inventor for a new, useful and non-obvious invention, which allows the inventor to stop others from making, using, selling or importing the invention for a fixed period, in return for publicly disclosing how it works.

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's words, ideas, code or creative work as your own without giving them credit.

Privacy is the right of an individual to keep their personal life and personal information to themselves and to decide who may collect, see, use or share that information.

Personal data is any information that identifies a particular person or can be linked to them, such as their name, address, phone number, date of birth, photograph, Aadhaar number, bank details, fingerprints, location or school records.

Key points

Questions answered

Define computer ethics.
Computer ethics is the set of moral principles that guide how a person should use computers, software, data and networks so that the rights of others are respected and no one is harmed.
What are intellectual property rights? Name the two forms the syllabus asks you to study.
Intellectual property rights are the legal rights that let the creator or owner of an original creation of the mind control how it is used, copied, sold or shared for a limited period. The two forms are copyright and patent.
Give two differences between copyright and patent.
Copyright protects the expression of an idea, such as source code or a song, while a patent protects an invention. Copyright arises automatically when the work is created, but a patent must be applied for and granted by the Patent Office. (Also: copyright in India usually lasts for the author's lifetime plus 60 years; a patent lasts 20 years from filing.)
Can a programmer patent the idea of a quiz app? Give a reason.
No. A bare idea cannot be protected, and under Indian law a computer program by itself is not patentable. The programmer's actual source code is protected by copyright.
What is plagiarism? Why is it unethical even when no law is broken?
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words, ideas or work as your own without giving credit. It is unethical because it is dishonest: it takes credit for another person's effort and deceives the reader or teacher.
State four safety measures an individual can take to protect their privacy online.
Any four: share the minimum personal information; set social media accounts to private; give apps only the permissions they need; lock devices and log out on shared computers; never share OTPs, PINs or photos of identity documents; read privacy policies.
What is the difference between privacy and data protection?
Privacy is a person's right to decide who may collect and use their information. Data protection is the set of practices, technical measures and laws used to keep data safe from unauthorised access, theft and loss, so that the right to privacy is actually upheld.
Explain encryption and two-factor authentication.
Encryption converts readable data into a coded form using a key, so only someone with the correct key can read it. Two-factor authentication requires a user to prove their identity in two different ways, such as a password and a one-time code, before logging in.