Computer Crime

Computer crime can broadly be defined as criminal activity involving an information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of non-public transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or suppression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (ID theft), and electronic fraud.

A computer can be :
#attacked
#used to attack
#used as a means to commit crime

Computer crime is hard to prosecute because:
#low computer literacy (lack of understanding)
#no physical clues (lack of physical evidence)
#intangible forms of assets
#considered as juvenile crime
#Lack of political impact

Examining a Case for Ethical Issues
1. Understand the situation. Determine the issues involved.
2. Know several theories of ethical reasoning
3. List the ethical principles involved
4. Determine which principles outweigh others.

Summary
Laws are formally adopted rules for acceptable behavior in modern society. Ethics are socially acceptable behaviors. The key difference between laws and ethics is that laws carry the sanction of a governing authority and ethics do not.
Organizations formalize desired behaviors in documents called policies. Policies must be read and agreed to before they are binding.
Civil law represents a wide variety of laws that are used to govern a nation or state. Criminal law addresses violations that harm society and are enforced by agents of the state or nation. Tort law is conducted by means of individual lawsuits rather than criminal prosecution by the state.