IT ethics.(14 nädal)

In the most general sense, computer ethics is engaged in researching the behavior of people using a computer, on the basis of which appropriate moral prescriptions and a kind of etiquette norms are developed. The very use of the expression "computer ethics" is very conditional, this discipline is very young, it appeared in the 70-80s of the XX century, and along with it such terms as "information ethics", "cyberethics" are used.The most vivid embodiment of computer ethics was in the development of moral codes. The adoption of the code was dictated by the understanding that engineers, scientists and technologists, by the results of their activities, determine the quality and conditions of life of all people in the information society.The content of individual codes differs from each other, but they are based on some invariant set of moral guidelines that can be conditionally reduced to the following:

1. Do not use the computer to harm others;
2. Do not interfere with and interfere with the work of other users of computer networks;
3. Do not use files that are not intended for free use;
4. Do not use the computer for theft;
5. Do not use the computer to spread false information; 
6. Do not use stolen software;
7. Not to assign someone else's intellectual property;
8. Do not use computer equipment or network resources without permission or appropriate      compensation;
9. Think about the possible social consequences of the programs you write, or the systems that you develop;
10. Use a computer with self-restraints that show your courtesy and respect for other people.

In the framework of computer ethics, a special area is designated, called "hacker ethics", the foundation of which was laid by hackers, pioneers, who were at the source of modern information technologies. And with the development of the Internet, the notion of "network ethics" or "netiquette" (derived from net-network and etiquette-etiquette), which denotes the set of rules that have developed among users of the global network, also comes into use.It's no secret that spending most of your life in front of the monitor - both leisure and working hours - has long become the norm for many. Computerization of society has acquired a grandiose scale. IT professionals - as people who create software and hardware that support the operation of the entire computer infrastructure of society - must be aware of the importance of their activities and their responsibilities. Many people neglect this, not reflecting on the fact that sometimes the welfare of tens, hundreds of thousands of people depends on them.

When you master a new culture - and cyberspace, of course, has its own culture - you can make some mistakes. On the Internet, as in normal life, certain rules of communication are adopted, and very specific. Internet - there is a system, and there is no single unified code of rules (laws) for using the network for it. There are, however, generally accepted standards of work on the Internet, aimed at ensuring that the activities of each user of the network does not interfere with the work of other users.
Remember the main! Do not forget that even through the dead network and computer-stuffed computer you communicate with a living person. And often - with many people at the same time ...
Most of all, the rules of virtual etiquette apply to e-mail. For this you need:

• Regularly check the contents of your mailbox;
• Respond immediately to every letter addressed directly to you. Observe brevity, sometimes quite a few words are enough. Lack of response is equivalent to saying that if you ignored the greeting, you would refuse to shake the outstretched hand or turn your back to your interlocutor;
• In the electronic message always it is necessary to specify its basic theme. This rule did not appear immediately, it was developed gradually, being the result of certain practical requirements. It is necessary to take into account that letters that do not have a clearly formulated theme can be ignored;
• By sending a letter to an unknown addressee, use the usual text code, otherwise it is possible that he simply can not receive it, and communication services will cost less;
• at the end of each electronic message, you must indicate your name, surname, position and place of work, your email number, as well as your phone number and usual mail address, this information should not exceed four lines;
• Do not overload the electronic message with additional materials (photographs, drawings, etc.); Correctly choose the format of the text (the text format will take a hundred times less space than the document of any application); A large number of supplements should be sent only with the consent or at the request of the addressee. Specify whether his mailbox has restrictions on the information received;
• Messages with attached executable files, as well as Microsoft Office documents can carry computer viruses, usually destroying the contents of the destination computer; For a quick response to an e-mail, you just need to use the "Answer" button to get a letter ready for dispatch;
• Answering the letter, you should not repeat all the correspondence entirely, it is enough to reproduce only those fragments that you want to refer to (such citation is not necessary, but it is a certain gesture of politeness to your virtual correspondent who could forget the essence of his Messages or individual arguments in the discussion); Every electronic message from one correspondent to the other is private, that's why each user must follow the rule on the privacy of correspondence, (ie before transferring its contents to other persons, it is necessary to obtain permission from the author); 
• For correspondence not addressed personally to you and not from the author of the message, you should not answer, most often you are being imposed unnecessary commercial information.

Unfortunately, we have to state that in our country there is practically no special research on the problems of computer ethics. Almost all problems of computer ethics are of an "open" nature. The most acute and urgent problems can be regarded as those related to the evaluation of hackers' activities, the protection of copyright and the rights of the individual in the information space. But even in those areas of computer ethics, where a theoretical foundation for the analysis of moral problems has been developed and specific norms, principles and recommendations have been worked out, such as in computer codes, such dilemmas arise that do not have an obvious correct solution.

Andmeturveː tehnoloogia, koolitus ja reeglid. Nädal 13

In today's article, it's about IT risks.

Throughout the world, there is a tendency to underestimate IT risks (only 1% of the surveyed experts estimate this area as the most exposed to risks). In reality, a violation of the functioning of IT systems - caused by hacker attacks or imperfection of internal processes - immediately entails multi-million losses.
Ensuring information security is one of the main tasks of a modern enterprise. The threat can be presented not only by technical failures, but also by the inconsistency of data in various accounting systems that almost every second company meets, as well as unlimited access of employees to information.
IT-risks can be divided into two categories:

• Risks caused by information leakage and use by competitors or employees for purposes that could  damage business;
• Risks of technical failures in the operation of information transmission channels, which can lead to losses.

Work to minimize IT risks is to prevent unauthorized access to data, as well as accidents and equipment failures. The process of minimizing IT-risks should be considered in a complex way: first possible problems are identified, and then it is determined by what methods they can be solved.
So how to minimize IT risks?
As the experience of many companies shows, the most successful strategies for preventing IT-risks are based on three basic rules.

1. The access of employees to the information systems and documents of the company should be different, depending on the importance and confidentiality of the contents of the document.
2. The company must control access to information and protect the vulnerabilities of information systems.
3. Information systems, on which the company's activity directly depends (strategically important communication channels, document archives, computer network), should work smoothly even in case of a crisis situation.

In conclusion, I add that these rules will not do any good if the company's staff is not trained in the basic rules for using the system and do not understand the importance of their work.

The principle and logic of work should be clear to everyone. Every employee must understand their responsibilities and fulfill the basic requirements for the preservation of personal data and data of the organization. If these requirements are not met, then sooner or later an attacker will be able to find a loophole and take advantage of the employee's incompetence.

Peace to all and a minimum of IT risks :)

Suport solution. 3D technology. 12 nädal.

Hello again, my dear friends. This week, let's talk probably on my most favorite topic, the topic of technologies that make life easier for a each person. Although many of us afraid of everything new,but  I of myself an ardent fan of all new technologies. I try to try all possible new things that come to light, for me it's like a drug :)Today I want to talk about a solution like 3d printers and 3d pens. For me, this is truly a unique and unusual technology  of which it is possible to recreate the shape of any objects that exists and which the human imagination can come up with. A 3D printer is a peripheral device that uses the method of layer-by-layer creation of a physical object on a digital 3D model. As a material for creating 3D objects, printers and pens can use different materials, such as metal powder, thermoplastic, photopolymer and other similar materials. Dense ceramic mixtures are also used as a self-curing material for 3D printing of large architectural models. Ie with the help of such printers it is possible to build a house.

By the way, in Moscow this technology of building houses is already being applied. The local craftsman came up with a 3D printer and suggested not to build houses, but to print it. This allows you to erect a concrete box under a small house on a plot with any relief in just a day. You can save money on the brigade with a foreman. Only 2 people work at the site. One watches the computer, the second - for the supply of building materials. Ie, the printed blocks are not brought to the site but are erected directly on the desired plot of land.Along with printers printing physical objects, biological printers have also developed. These are experimental installations in which the 3D structure of the future object (organ for transplantation) is printed with droplets containing living cells. Further division, growth and modification of cells ensures the final formation of the object.Along with serious, complex and large 3D printers ordinary people are also available with 3d handles. These handles also work with different materials, both with thermoplastic and photopolymer curing under ultraviolet light. Incidentally, photopolymers have often been used to glue two transparent surfaces, for example glass (used this technology when replacing the glass on my phone). Back to the pens .. For someone it will be a toy, and for someone a tool for creating real three-dimensional objects with your own hands and not with the help of a machine.

For example, the child who possessed this device can create a toy for himself, which he can only come up with (of course if it's not a mechanized robot, although who knows :)). The adult person will be able to realize his idea not on paper or 3d programs on the computer, but in a real three-dimensional object.

I think that 3d printers have a very promising future: as in the military industry (for example, Defense Distributed company already created a gun and made the drawings public, but the US State Department demanded to remove instructions from the website), both in medicine and the general commodity market. Perhaps in the near future many necessary works will be replaced by this technology, so it will perform the work more accurately than human hands.

I want to believe that this technology will serve the benefit of humanity, I want to believe that it will help people to stand on their feet, but as the saying goes, time will show who is who and what it is =)