System Administration Ethics

Use of Copyrighted Materials
  • See the text "A Gift of Fire" by Sara Baase published by Prentice Hall for interesting commentary.
  • The purpose of copyright laws
    The stated purpose of copyright laws is to encourage the production of useful work.
  • User rights
    • The right to one backup copy
    • Rights granted by manufacturers often vary
    • "Fair Use" determined by
      • The purpose and nature of the use (commercial, educational, nonprofit, )
        Is the user profiting from the use?
      • The nature of the copyrighted work (novel, newsstory, )
        How much of this belongs to the author?
        Is this a creative work, a reporting of facts, ... ?
      • The amount and significance of the portion used
      • The effect of the use on the profitablility of the work.
    • A related example - Banning VCRs?
      In 1995 the US Supreme Court ruled that VCRs could be used to copy TV shows for later viewing in a 5-4 decision.
  • By Sys Admins
    • Copying copyrighted material
    • Making copyrighted materials accessible, locally, globally
    • Knowing and adhering to the terms and conditions; e.g. for distribution of site license software.
  • By Users - Policing vs privacy
  • A policy statement on "Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials" can help users determine whether their use of a copyrighted work is a fair use or requires permission.
  • Penalities are potentially severe for making multiple copies
    Multiple copies may be only 10 copies - even of different works - up to 1 year in jail and $250,000
  • How far should the corporation/ the sys admin go toward enforcing the rules.
    Some companies have gone so far as to remotely inventory every users' files?
    • Job Responsiblities
  • The corporation's/institution's view of the sys admin's job.
  • Important questions to consider
    • How does the sys admin role differ for corporations, service bureaus, educational institutions, other nonprofits?
    • Who is the customer?
    • How do obligations to employees differ from obligations to customers?
    • What are the responsibilities of a "monopoly"?
  • Delivery of Services - services "under contract", effectiveness of delivery,
  • Resource Allocation
  • Protecting the System vs User Rights
  • Personal Use for Users and Sys Admins
      Types of Personal Use, Compensation and What Should be Allowed
    • Convenience
    • Commercial
    • email
    • Using the company's resources - "Fair Use" in another context?
    • Compensation to the company
    • The Contract between employer and employee
  • Protecting Data
      Categories of data and responsibilities
    • Company data
    • Employee data
      • Company data in the care of the employee
      • Personnel employee data such as medical records
    • Customer data
      • Customer data with market value such as web sites visited, number of children, etc.
      • Customer payment information
      • Data covered under contractual agreements
  • Obligations
    • To your supervisor, company president, ...
    • To The Company/Institution (Stockholders, Board of Trustees, ...)
    • Higher obligations? - What does the Enron, MCI, etc. scandals tell us about obligations?
  • Data Responsibilities
    • Access Control
    • Disaster Prevention and Recovery Plans
    • Backups
      • Incremental and Full Backups
      • Offsite Storage
    • Employing the User Contract
    A user "contract" specifies responsibilities and obligations for users and system managers.
    These responsibilities may include the following A System Manager should keep up with current computer management law. In larger organizations he or she may need to maintain a relationship with a company attorney.
    Privacy
  • email and ownership
  • Files
  • Printouts
  • Responsibity to the Institution/Company vs. Constitutional and Human Rights
  • Access Control
  • Security of Backup Media
    • Encryption
  • A right to privacy?
  • Investigations
  • Backdoors - known and sureptitious
    • The Importance of a Code of Ethics, Laws and Rules
  • The SAGE Code of Ethics from the System Administrators Guild.
  • Creation of a Set of Rules in different environments such as Corporate, Academe, etc.
    • Other Related Links
  • Code of Ethics of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
  • Mark Burgess, Oslo College
  • A course by J.A.N. Lee of Va. Tech


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