Ethics in Digital Technology Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing key concepts in Ethics in Digital Technology.

What are Ethics?

Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity

What are Morals?

What, at any given time in a given society, is generally considered to be good and desirable, or evil and forbidden, in terms of action, condition or attitude.

What is Law?

A system of positive compulsory norms legitimised by a more or less democratic process, including the sanctions associated with these norms.

What are Ethics?

The science or philosophy of morals, i.e. of human action which is guided by the difference between good/morally right and evil/morally wrong.

What is Virtue Ethics?

Focuses on character and virtues rather than rules or consequences; emphasizes moral character and practical wisdom.

What is Deontology/Duty Ethics?

Focuses on duties and principles over outcomes; utilizes the categorical imperative and universal moral laws.

What is Utilitarianism?

Focuses on outcomes and consequences; key principle is the greatest good for the greatest number.

What is Contractarianism (Social Contract Theory)?

Focuses on agreed societal norms and mutual cooperation; morality emerges from the social contracts individuals agree to for mutual benefit.

What is Rights-based Ethics?

Focuses on protecting individual rights regardless of outcomes; includes rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information.

What is Ethics of Care?

Focuses on relationships, responsibilities, and care for others; ethical decisions should consider context, empathy, and the needs of those impacted.

What does 'Good Faith' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Treat people with dignity, good faith and equality, without discrimination, and have consideration for the values and cultural sensitivities of all groups within the community affected by their work.

What does 'Integrity' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Act in the execution of their profession with integrity, dignity and honor to merit the trust of the community and the profession.

What does 'Community-focus' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Members' responsibility for the welfare and rights of the community shall come before their responsibility to their profession, sectional or private interests or to other members

What does 'Skills' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Members shall apply their skills and knowledge in the interests of their clients or employers for whom they will act without compromising any other of these Tenets

What does 'Continuous Development' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Members shall develop their knowledge, skills, and expertise continuously through their careers

What does 'Informed Consent' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Members shall take reasonable steps to inform themselves, their clients or employers of the economic, social, environmental or legal consequences which may arise from their actions

What does 'Managed Conflicts of Interest' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Members shall inform their clients or employers of any interest which may be, or may be perceived as being, in conflict with the interests of their clients or employers

What does 'Competence' mean in the context of the ITP Code of Ethics?

Members shall follow recognised professional practice, and provide services and advice carefully and diligently only within their areas of competence.

Who is John Locke?

Laid the groundwork for personal privacy rights through his ideas on natural rights (life, liberty, and property).

Who is Immanuel Kant?

Emphasized human dignity and autonomy, influencing the idea that individuals should control their personal information.

What is Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948)?

States that 'No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home, or correspondence.'

What is the 'Purpose of Collection' privacy principle?

Collect data for a lawful purpose.

What is the 'Source of Information' privacy principle?

Obtain directly from the individual where possible.

What is the 'Collection Requirements' privacy principle?

Be transparent about data collection.

What is the 'Manner of Collection' privacy principle?

Collect in a fair and non-intrusive way.

What is the 'Storage and Security' privacy principle?

Protect data from misuse and unauthorised access.

What is the 'Access to Information' privacy principle?

Individuals have the right to access their data.

What is the 'Correction of Information' privacy principle?

Individuals can request corrections to inaccurate data.

What is the 'Accuracy' privacy principle?

Ensure data is up-to-date before use.

What is the 'Retention' privacy principle?

Keep data only for as long as necessary.

What is the 'Use of Data' privacy principle?

Use personal data only for the collected purpose.

What is the 'Disclosure' privacy principle?

Only share personal information when legally permitted.

What is the 'Cross-border Data Protection' privacy principle?

Ensure safeguards for international data transfers.

What is the 'Unique Identifiers' privacy principle?

Limit the use of unique identifiers to prevent tracking and profiling.

What are autonomous systems?

Systems capable of performing tasks without human intervention.

What is Automation?

The technology to perform tasks with minimal or no human intervention

What are Robotic systems?

Physical devices designed to perform physical tasks

What does Human Rights mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS shall be created and operated to respect, promote, and protect internationally recognized human rights.

What does Well-being mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS creators shall adopt increased human well-being as a primary success criterion for development.

What does Data Agency mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS creators shall empower individuals with the ability to access and securely share their data, to maintain people’s capacity to have control over their identity.

What does Effectiveness mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS creators and operators shall provide evidence of the effectiveness and fitness for purpose of A/IS.

What does Transparency mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

The basis of a particular A/IS decision should always be discoverable.

What does Accountability mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS shall be created and operated to provide an unambiguous rationale for all decisions made.

What does Awareness of Misuse mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS creators shall guard against all potential misuses and risks of A/IS in operation.

What does Competence mean for IEEE General Principles for Autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS)?

A/IS creators shall specify and operators shall adhere to the knowledge and skill required for safe and effective operation

What is Ethical Hacking?

Legally breaking into computers and devices to test an organisation's defences.

Who are White Hat hackers?

Ethical hackers who work for organisations.

Who are Grey Hat hackers?

Hackers who may violate laws or ethical standards but without malicious intent.

Who are Black Hat hackers?

Malicious hackers breaking laws for personal gain.

What is Crimes Act 1961, Section 252?

Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years who intentionally accesses, directly or indirectly, any computer system without authorisation

What is the first core value of The Hacker Ethic?

Access to computers—and anything that might teach you about how the world works—should be unlimited and total.

What is the second core value of The Hacker Ethic?

All information should be free

What is the third core value of The Hacker Ethic?

Mistrust authority—promote decentralisation.

What is the forth core value of The Hacker Ethic?

Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not criteria such as degrees or age, race, or position.

What is the fifth core value of The Hacker Ethic?

You can create art and beauty on a computer.

What do Cybersecurity professionals do?

Cybersecurity professionals protect not just data but the lives and well-being of people who rely on systems

What does Cybersecurity impact?

Cybersecurity failures impact privacy, property, autonomy, and justice

What are best ethical practices in cybersecurity?

Promote transparency, accountability, and fairness in cybersecurity actions.

What happened in the 1950s regarding AI?

Turing proposes the idea of a machine that can simulate human intelligence (Turing Test).

What happened in 1956 regarding AI?

AI becomes a formal field of study at the Dartmouth Conference.

What happened in the 1970s-80s regarding AI?

AI research slows due to technological limitations (AI Winter).

What happened in 1997 regarding AI?

IBM’s Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

What happened in the 2010s-Present regarding AI?

Explosion of AI due to advances in deep learning, big data, and computing power.

What is Bias and Discrimination?

AI learns from data, and if that data is biased, the AI can reinforce unfair discrimination.

What is Job Displacement?

Automation could replace many human jobs.

What are Privacy Concerns?

AI-powered surveillance and data tracking raise ethical concerns about personal privacy.

What is Misinformation and Deepfakes?

AI-generated deepfakes can create hyper-realistic fake videos or news, leading to potential misinformation and manipulation

What are Autonomous Weapons & Security Risks?

The use of AI in military applications (killer robots, drone warfare) poses ethical and existential risks.

What is Lack of Transparency and Accountability?

Many AI systems function as 'black boxes,' meaning humans don’t fully understand how they make decisions

What is Existential Risk?

Highly advanced AI could surpass human control, leading to unintended consequences

Who is the author for Authorship and Ownership?

The prompter, or the AI

What is Privacy & Surveillance in the context of social media?

How platforms collect and monetise user data.

What is Misinformation & Fake News in the context of social media?

The ethical responsibility of platforms.

What is Algorithmic Bias in the context of social media?

How AI-powered recommendation engines reinforce inequalities.

What are factors that cause the Digital Divide?

Cost – devices, data plans, internet access. Location – rural areas, limited infrastructure causing poor or unreliable internet access

What is THE CODE in the context of social media?

An agreement by social media companies to be prevent harm and be accountable.

What is Big Data?

Datasets too big for traditional methods

What is Volume in the context of Big Data?

amount

What is Velocity in the context of Big Data?

speed of data creation

What is Variety in the context of Big Data?

types, e.g. data, images, sensors etc

What is Veracity in the context of Big Data?

reliability

What is Sustainability?

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

What is Environmental in the context of the 3 pillars of sustainability?

energy use, pollution, biodiversity

What is Economic in the context of the 3 pillars of sustainability?

long-term profitability, efficient resource use

What is Social in the context of the 3 pillars of sustainability?

community impact, equity, working conditions

What are the three principles of Circular Economy?

Eliminate waste and pollution, Circulate products and materials (at their highest value), Regenerate nature

What is Tech Colonialism?

How powerful technology companies and wealthy nations exploit resources, data, and labour from less wealthy or historically colonised regions

What is emerging tech?

Technologies that are still developing but have the potential to significantly alter the social, economic, or political landscape.