Explain computer ethics including intellectual property, copyright, plagiarism and acceptable use, and the difference between legal and ethical

What this dot point is asking

SEAB wants you to explain computer ethics: intellectual property and copyright, software licensing, plagiarism and acceptable use, and to distinguish what is legal from what is ethical. The central idea is that using computers responsibly means respecting others' work and rights, and that laws set the minimum rules while ethics ask what is morally right, which is not always the same thing.

The answer

Intellectual property and copyright

Intellectual property is a creation of the mind, software, music, writing, art or designs, that belongs to its creator. Copyright is the legal right that protects such work, so others cannot copy, share or use it without permission. Copyright applies automatically when a work is created.

Software licensing and piracy

Software is sold with a licence stating how it may be used. Software piracy is copying, sharing or using software without a valid licence, which breaks copyright law. Examples include downloading paid software for free or installing one licence on many machines against its terms.

Open-source versus proprietary software

• Open-source software makes its source code freely available, so anyone may use, study and modify it (under a licence that permits this).
• Proprietary software is owned by a company that keeps the source code private and controls its use, usually for a paid licence.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without crediting them. It is unethical because it is dishonest and takes credit the creator deserves, it can breach copyright, and in school or exams it counts as cheating. Citing your sources avoids it.

Acceptable use policies

An acceptable use policy (AUP) is a set of rules stating how users may and may not use a computer system or network, for example at a school or workplace. It typically forbids accessing inappropriate content, sharing passwords or damaging the system, and users agree to it before gaining access.

Legal versus ethical

• Legal: does not break the law.
• Ethical: is morally right.

These are not always the same. An action can be legal but unethical (for example reading a colleague's open emails may invade their privacy), or seen as unethical even where no law forbids it. Good computer use considers both.

Examples in context

Example 1. Downloading music. Copying paid songs without buying them breaches copyright (illegal) and is unfair to the artists who created them (unethical). Using a licensed streaming service respects both the law and the creators, which is the responsible choice.

Example 2. A workplace AUP. An employee's company forbids installing unlicensed software and accessing personal social media on work systems. Following the acceptable use policy keeps the network secure and the company within the law, while breaking it risks disciplinary action even where no law is broken.

Try this

Q1. State what copyright protects. [2 marks]

• Cue. The creator's intellectual property (such as software, music or writing), so others cannot copy or use it without permission.

Q2. Explain what plagiarism is. [2 marks]

• Cue. Presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without crediting them, which is dishonest.

Q3. Give an example of something that may be legal but unethical. [2 marks]

• Cue. Reading a colleague's emails left open may not break a law but invades their privacy, so it is unethical.