8-2 Personal Code of Technology Ethics PDF

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Running head: PERSONAL CODE OF TECHNOLOGY ETHICS

Personal Code of Technology Keith Oliver Southern New Hampshire University

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PERSONAL CODE OF TECHNOLOGY ETHICS

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Police are being tasked with increasingly complicated challenges as the state of technology evolves. New technologies have offered police many useful methods for combating criminal activity. Now, what was once unimaginable has become reality. And there's no slowing down with the creativity when it comes to the tools used to stop or deter criminals. From microcomputers in our glasses or drones in the sky, technological advancements continue to flourish. Having the proper tools and knowledge to assist them, law enforcement can use this ever-expanding channel of communication against suspected or potential criminal offenders. This same expansion of technology is forcing police to quickly adapt setting the stage for innovative tools that help officers better protect and serve their communities. Advances in technology have come with a mixed blessing for law enforcement agencies. On one hand, everyday technologies like social media and other applications are a benefit to law enforcement but they have also made it possible for gangs and even terrorist organizations to coordinate like never before, creating an entirely new digital space that is in need of policing. ("How Technology is Changing Law Enforcement," 2015) With the explosion in internet access over the past two decades, there has been an increase in cybercrimes. The past decade has led to a new type of ‘performance’ crimes, where people create accounts of their law-breaking through text, images and video, which are then digitally distributed to the public on a large scale. (Surette, 2016) You have crimes that use dirty money which is harder to track. Criminals have begun to use electronic money, such as Bitcoin, which is hard to trace. You have no one person or place such as a bank which tracks the customer by name. There are also the underground marketplaces found online which have also gotten smarter. They too have changed their methods where no one person is in control. They have eliminated the use of a single computer server so there’s no shut down or head to chop off.

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Criminals have made it difficult for police to eavesdrop on them, because they have the ability to encrypt any of their conversations through email or online chats. Nothing has been left without being encoded. The speed at which society and crime 'cyberize' exceed the speed at which law enforcement can adapt. (Pagliery, 2015) Identity theft has increased along with ransomware and other online extortion attacks. There are many others such as looting of bank accounts, fraudulent credit card charges, investment schemes as well as sexual exploitation conducted online. You also have those using phishing tactics and other similar schemes impersonating legitimate banks or other financial institutions to gain personal information. To combat this new age criminal, law enforcement agencies have to increase their capacity when investigating cybercrimes and manage more complex online investigations. Police agencies have now developed partnerships with other local, state, and federal agencies. Everything from federal task forces to regional cooperatives has allowed police to combine resources and expertise. It’s also enabled them to expand their ability to manage these same complex cases. Predictive analytics uses software dedicated to providing insight into criminal patterns and all legally warranted personal information, analysts are able to recognize connections between various activities and cases, even potentially predict where the next threat will emerge. ("How Technology is Changing Law Enforcement," 2015) There are numerous technological tools available that assist the police in solving crime. National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is an agency utilized for items that have been stolen and later retrieved. Other methods include the use of biometrics, Domain Awareness System (Dashboard), social media, Google Glass, HoloLens and Augmented Reality and Drones. Majority of these technologies have been put into play which law enforcement agencies around the country have recognized the value of these tools, using them to meet the shifting demands of police work. There are many that have been untested, others which are

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controversial yet all present a new way to fight crime altering the way law enforcement operates. As those that commit these crimes are being brought to justice, the way we prosecute them has to stay relevant as well. Agencies such the FBI, Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Patrol along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have all taken part in the fight against crime. The laws that had been violated were the very ones used to convict the criminals. The ability of U.S. law enforcement agencies to mitigate cybercrime is limited to the level of prosecution and penalties. The set laws governing cybersecurity are meant to punish the individual who is responsible for violation as well as preventing them from further violations. However, the law has not issued the directives for monitoring the use of computers. Despite the three cybersecurity acts, people below the age of forty are committing the crime. They choose to ignore the law by exploitation of the computer systems. There are many ethical questions that come about from the use of technology. invading a person’s privacy without a reasonable reason and a search warrant thermal imaging However, thermal imaging according to the Fourth Amendment is a violation of a personal privacy. The injudicious use of data, analytics or technology by a police department can erode the public trust and make it even more difficult to police effectively in the 21st century. Police leaders must begin now to understand digital trust and its implications to their organizations and profession. (Joyce, 2018) An example of this would be 11 pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer Inc., SmithKline Beecham PLC, Glaxo Wellcome PLC had formed an alliance and were tracking every click consumer made across their sites and then compared notes. The problem was consumers were never told. Until we change the laws that are supposed to protect our privacy by fixing the loopholes companies like those mentioned

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use to exploit the law. If there was a code of ethics for technology, it must include the following: 1.

Use IT Technology Resources for the sole purposes of study, research, service

and other work-related activities. 2.

Protecting Information Technology Resources and Institutional Data

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Privacy of Information Technology Accounts

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Electronic Communications

These are important because it defines the responsibility of the user for all computer and communication. Their adherence to policy, doctrine and regulation is mandated. Violations of these items can be punished under federal and state laws resulting in severe penalties to include fines along with prison. In conclusion, as technology continues to evolve, so does the criminal activity. Law enforcement must continue evolve its tactics in order to stay ahead of those same criminals committed to breaking the law.

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References How Technology is Changing Law Enforcement. (2015, December 8). Retrieved from https://www.policemag.com/374516/how-technology-is-changing-law-enforcement Joyce, N. M. (2018, March 27). Technology and police operations. Retrieved from https://www.policefoundation.org/technology-and-police-operations/ National Institute of Justice. (2019). Law Enforcement Equipment and Technology. Retrieved from https://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/technology/Pages/welcome.aspx Pagliery, J. (2015, October 2). Police: High-tech criminals have us outmatched and outgunned. Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/02/technology/criminaltech/index.html Police Executive Research Forum. (2018, January). The Changing Nature of Crime and Criminal Investigations. Retrieved from https://www.policeforum.org/assets/ChangingNatureofCrime.pdf Roufa, T. (2013, March 18). Learn How Today's Technology Will Transform Tomorrow's Police. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/technologies-thatare-changing-the-way-police-do-business-974549 Surette, R. (2016, January 30). How social media is changing the way people commit crimes and police fight them. Retrieved from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2016/01/28/how-social-media-is-changing-the-way-peoplecommit-crimes-and-police-fight-them/...