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D2.3 · Promote ethical computing practices

Learn to promote ethical computing practices through clear examples and targeted practice.

Ontario Grade 12 Computer Science

Topics in Computer Science

Making responsible choices when designing, building, and using computer systems

In ICS3U, you used programming and problem-solving skills to create and test programs. In ICS4U, D2.3 asks you to promote ethical computing practices. This means more than avoiding obvious misconduct: it means noticing who may be affected by a computing choice, considering likely consequences, and encouraging responsible alternatives. An ethical choice may require asking questions, seeking permission, checking a result, changing a design, or explaining a concern. There is not always one answer that settles every situation, but a clear decision process helps you give reasons for your actions.

What you will learn

  • Explain what ethical computing practice means in a Grade 12 computer science context.
  • Identify ethical concerns involving privacy, fairness, accessibility, intellectual property, and potential harm.
  • Use a reasoned process to choose and explain a more responsible computing action.

1. From making a program to considering its effects

A useful starting point from ICS3U is to identify a program's inputs, processing, and outputs. For ethical computing, extend that review: consider who supplies the inputs, who can see or use the outputs, and who could be affected by the program. A program can work as intended and still be used in a way that creates unfairness, exposes information, or causes avoidable harm.
For example, a school club might collect names and contact details to organize an event. The technical task is to store and use the information. The ethical questions include whether people understand what is being collected, whether the club needs every detail, who can access it, and when it should no longer be kept. These are practical design questions, not reasons to assume that every data collection is automatically wrong.
Ethical practice also includes promoting good choices to others. If you notice a risk, state it respectfully and propose a workable alternative. The goal is not merely to label an action as bad; it is to help the people involved choose a more responsible action.
  • Review effects on people as well as whether the program functions.
  • Ask who provides information, who uses it, and who may be affected.
  • Explain concerns and suggest responsible alternatives.

2. A practical decision process

Use this four-part process when a computing decision raises an ethical concern. First, describe the situation without exaggeration: what information, system, or decision is involved? Second, identify affected people and the interests at stake, such as privacy, fair treatment, access, or ownership of creative work. Third, compare possible actions and their likely consequences. Fourth, choose a responsible action and explain the reason; if you lack information or authority, ask an appropriate person before proceeding.
The process is a guide, not a formula that guarantees a single answer. Two reasonable people may weigh consequences differently. What matters is that you do not ignore affected people, make unsupported assumptions, or treat convenience as the only consideration. If new information changes the situation, reconsider your choice.
Several recurring questions can make the review concrete. Privacy: is the information needed, and is access limited to an appropriate purpose? Fairness: could a rule or result disadvantage a person or group, and have relevant cases been considered? Accessibility: can intended users access and understand the system? Ownership: are you using another person's work with permission and appropriate acknowledgement? Harm: could the system or its output put someone at risk, embarrass them, or lead to an unjustified decision?
These questions are prompts for responsible judgment, not claims that every situation has the same solution. For instance, a feature that helps one group may create a barrier for another. Seek input from affected users where appropriate, and be willing to revise a design.
  • Describe the issue, identify affected people, compare actions, and justify a choice.
  • Ask about privacy, fairness, access, ownership, and possible harm.
  • Seek clarification when important facts or permission are missing.

3. Applying ethical practice during computer science work

Ethical practice applies to everyday student work, not only large systems. When collecting information for a project, explain its purpose and avoid requesting details that are not needed. Do not share personal information or project data beyond the intended audience without an appropriate reason and permission. If an example dataset contains real personal details, do not assume that having access makes every use acceptable.
When using code, images, text, or other creative work made by someone else, find out what use is permitted, follow the stated conditions, and acknowledge the creator as appropriate. Do not present another person's work as your own. If the terms are unclear, choose material you are permitted to use or ask before including it.
When a program produces a result about a person, do not treat that result as automatically correct or fair. Check whether the information and rules used are suitable for the task. Consider whether people have a reasonable way to question an incorrect result. For a classroom project, this may mean describing limitations and avoiding claims that the program can make a decision it has not been shown to support.
Promotion can be simple and specific: suggest collecting fewer details, recommend asking before sharing, point out an access barrier, or encourage a teammate to credit a source. Keep the discussion respectful and focused on the choice and its effects. If a concern is serious or outside your role to resolve, raise it with a teacher or another appropriate responsible person.
  • Use information only for a clear, appropriate purpose and handle it carefully.
  • Respect permission and ownership when using others' work.
  • Check program results and communicate limitations rather than overstating them.

4. Practice, review, and reflection

Before sharing a project or recommending a computing tool, pause for a short ethical review. Name the people affected. State what information or decisions are involved. Identify at least one possible benefit and one possible concern. Decide what you can change, what needs permission, and what should be discussed with someone responsible.
A responsible explanation connects an action to a reason. “I removed the optional contact field because the project can meet its purpose without it” is clearer than “I made it safer.” “I asked before posting the photo because the people shown should have a say in sharing it” identifies both the action and its ethical basis.
Ethical computing is an ongoing practice. A choice that seemed reasonable may need revision when users, purposes, or consequences change. Promote the practice by modelling careful decisions, inviting questions, and making responsible alternatives visible.
  • Give a specific reason for an ethical choice.
  • Revisit decisions when purpose or effects change.
  • Promote responsible practice through respectful, practical suggestions.

Worked example

Collecting information for a club project

A student team is making a sign-up form for a school coding club. The draft asks for a student's name, preferred meeting day, home address, and personal phone number. Decide what the team should do before sharing the form.
  1. Identify the purpose
    The form is meant to help plan club meetings. The team should check which details are actually needed for that purpose rather than treating every requested detail as necessary.
  2. Consider affected people
    Students submitting the form are affected because the information concerns them. A home address and personal phone number may not be needed to choose a meeting day, so collecting them creates an avoidable privacy concern.
  3. Choose and explain an action
    Remove details that are not needed, explain what the remaining information will be used for, and limit access to people organizing the club. If the team is unsure what information school procedures allow, ask the teacher before sharing the form.
Answer: Revise the form to request only details needed to plan the club, explain the purpose, and check with the teacher if the team is unsure. This respects students' privacy while still supporting the stated task.
Check: The decision is based on the form's purpose, the people affected, and a practical way to reduce unnecessary collection. It does not assume that all information collection is wrong.

Worked example

Using an image in a class project

A student finds an image online that would improve a presentation. The page does not make the permitted uses clear. What is a responsible next step?
  1. Recognize the concern
    Finding an image online does not by itself explain whether it may be reused. The creator's ownership and the conditions for use are relevant.
  2. Check before using
    Look for clear permission and any conditions, including how the creator should be acknowledged. If the permitted use remains unclear, do not assume that the image is available for this project.
  3. Choose a responsible alternative
    Ask the creator or teacher for clarification, or select an image whose permitted use is clear. Follow the applicable conditions and acknowledge the creator as appropriate.
Answer: Do not include the image until its permitted use is clear. Seek permission or use an alternative that the student is allowed to include, following its conditions and acknowledging its creator as appropriate.
Check: The response respects ownership without claiming that every online image is prohibited or that attribution alone always grants permission.

Worked example

A project gives an unexpected result

A student team's program sorts volunteers into roles using answers to a short questionnaire. A teammate notices that a result seems unsuitable for one volunteer. How should the team respond before presenting the program as useful?
  1. Pause the claim
    A program output is not automatically a fair or correct judgment about a person. The team should avoid presenting the assignment as reliable while the concern is unresolved.
  2. Review the decision
    Check the answers, the rules used to assign roles, and whether the questionnaire reflects the task. Ask whether the volunteer can explain or question the result. Do not assume the volunteer is at fault because the program produced the output.
  3. Revise or describe limitations
    Discuss the concern with the teacher and make an appropriate change, or present the program as a limited classroom example rather than a dependable way to decide a person's role. Explain what the program does and what remains uncertain.
Answer: Pause the claim, review the information and rules, and take the concern to the teacher. Revise the program if appropriate and clearly describe its limits; do not treat its output as a final judgment about the volunteer.
Check: This response addresses fairness and potential harm, checks the basis for the result, and avoids claiming more than the project supports.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Assuming that a program is ethical whenever it works correctly.
Correction: Consider how it is used, who may be affected, and whether its results or information handling could create concerns.
Collecting extra information because it might be useful someday.
Correction: Start with the stated purpose and request only information needed for it; explain the purpose and handle the information carefully.
Assuming that anything found online can be reused if the creator is named.
Correction: Check the permitted use and follow its conditions; seek permission or choose a suitable alternative when unclear.
Treating a program's result about a person as automatically fair or correct.
Correction: Review the information and rules, consider who may be disadvantaged, and communicate limits or seek help.

Lesson summary

  • Promoting ethical computing means considering people and consequences as well as technical function.
  • Use a reasoned process: describe the issue, identify affected people, compare actions, and explain a responsible choice.
  • Pay attention to privacy, fairness, accessibility, ownership, and potential harm.
  • Raise concerns respectfully, ask for clarification when needed, and suggest workable alternatives.

Check your understanding

Question 1

A project form asks for a personal detail that is not needed for its stated purpose. What is the strongest next step?
  1. Keep it because more information is always useful.
  2. Remove it or justify why it is needed, explain the purpose, and check with a responsible person if unsure.
  3. Share the completed form publicly so everyone can review it.
  4. correctIndex": 1, "explanation": "The team should connect collection to purpose, reduce unnecessary information, and seek guidance if the appropriate choice is unclear."
Show answer and explanation
Remove it or justify why it is needed, explain the purpose, and check with a responsible person if unsure.
The team should connect collection to purpose, reduce unnecessary information, and seek guidance if the appropriate choice is unclear.

Question 2

A teammate wants to reuse an image, but its permitted use is unclear. Which action is most responsible?
  1. Use it because it appeared in a search result.
  2. Use it and leave the creator unnamed.
  3. Check the conditions, seek permission if needed, or choose an image with clear permitted use.
  4. correctIndex": 2, "explanation": "Online availability does not establish permission. Checking conditions or choosing a suitable alternative respects ownership."
Show answer and explanation
Check the conditions, seek permission if needed, or choose an image with clear permitted use.
Online availability does not establish permission. Checking conditions or choosing a suitable alternative respects ownership.

Question 3

A program assigns a role that seems unsuitable for a volunteer. What should the team do?
  1. Accept the output because a computer made the decision.
  2. Pause the claim, review the information and rules, and discuss the concern before treating the result as dependable.
  3. Blame the volunteer for giving answers the program did not expect.
  4. correctIndex": 1, "explanation": "A program output is not automatically fair or correct. Review its basis and avoid making unsupported claims about a person."
Show answer and explanation
Pause the claim, review the information and rules, and discuss the concern before treating the result as dependable.
A program output is not automatically fair or correct. Review its basis and avoid making unsupported claims about a person.

Key terms

Ethical computing practice
A responsible approach to creating or using computing systems that considers affected people, choices, and likely consequences.
Privacy
A person's interest in appropriate collection, use, and sharing of information about them.
Accessibility
The extent to which intended users can access and use a system.
Intellectual property
Creative work and related ownership interests that should be respected when work is reused.

Continue through ICS4U

View the complete ICS4U Ontario Grade 12 Computer Science curriculum and lessons

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برای مبحث D2.3 · ترویج شیوه‌های اخلاقی رایانش در درس ICS4U، سؤال و تلاش خود را همراه بیاورید. در جلسه می‌توانید یک مثال کوچک را دنبال کنید و نخستین گامی را که خروجی با انتظار شما فرق دارد پیدا کنید. راهنمای معلم برنامه‌نویسی را ببینید یا جلسهٔ معارفهٔ رایگان ۳۰ دقیقه‌ای درخواست کنید. زمان جلسه پس از پذیرش معلم قطعی می‌شود.

About this lesson and its review

Published by DoAssignment. This reviewed lesson follows Ontario Grade 12 Computer Science (ICS4U), expectation D2.3. It is a study resource, not an official curriculum publication.

Before publication, content is checked for structure, mathematical or chemical notation, calculations, course boundaries, and readability. Errors can still occur, so corrections are welcomed.

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