Integrating Computer Ethics into the Computer Science Curriculum**

Keith Miller

• Introduction
• Can Computer Ethics Be Taught in the Computer Science Curriculum?
• Technical Concerns, Ethical Questions
  • CS 1: Computer Programming I
  • CS 2: Computer Programming II
  • CS 3: Introduction to Computer Systems
  • CS 4: Introduction to Computer Organizations
  • CS 5: Introduction to File Processing
  • CS 6: Operating Systems and Computer Architecture I
  • CS 7: Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis
  • CS 8: Organization of Programming Languages
• Sources of Information
  • Books
  • Collections of Articles
  • Periodicals
• Conclusions
• Acknowledgment
• References

CS 1: Computer Programming I

• Technical concept: Garbage in•garbage out

CS 1 begins an emphasis on good programming style, an emphasis that continues through the entire curriculum. One element of good programming style is checking input data. In even the simplest programs, students are taught to test for validity before using data in further processing. The increasingly interactive environments used by CS 1 students underscore the importance of the GIGO concept.

• Example case: The FBl’s National Crime Information Center

The FBI’s National Crime Information Center is a database system that includes criminal history records, including outstanding warrants. A 1983 Office of Technology Assessment study (Laudon, 1983) claims that less than half the records in this database are complete, accurate, and unambiguous.

• Ethical question: Who is responsible for the accuracy of stored information?

Hardware and software developments have made information a commodity in demand. Machine readable information is reasonably priced and readily available in mailing lists, credit bureaus, and numerous data bases. However, society has yet to deal effectively with difficult questions about the quality of information in databases (Burnham, 1985; Davis, 1987). Here are some questions specifically about the FBI database:

What are the potential benefits of a system such as the National Crime Information Center? If the information included in the database were more accurate, could there still be objections to its use? How many different databases include your name? How many of these databases include your social security number? Is all the information in those databases accurate? How do you know? To what extent is a computer programmer responsible for the accuracy of information in a database? Does inclusion in a database lend authority to information that may be unwarranted? What kind of automatic data checks might help reduce erroneous information in the FBl’s files? What kind of manual data checks might help? What economic and political factors will encourage and discourage additional data checking in this and other databases?

If students seem mystified about why someone innocent of a crime might object to aspects of the FBI database, the professor can include case studies about people victimized by incorrect or misleading information in large databases (Rosenberg, 1986). However, if students have concluded that such databases are uniformly evil, the professor can introduce cases in which law enforcement officials use computers to catch otherwise elusive criminals (Shannon, 1987).

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