This course is about rules, and what happens when they are broken. But where do the rules that govern our society come from?
At its heart, the law that governs our society is a system of rules that is designed to keep society orderly. In as much as possible we want the law to have some kind of moral standing---to be fair and just, to punish those who do things that we find morally wrong and to reward those who engage in behavior that benefits society. The law doesn't always do that, of course.
We would like to think that our law is designed to encourage ethical behavior. By ethical, we mean behavior that is consistent with some kind of moral system or philosophy. Some of the ethical principles that US society is based upon is articulated in the Declaration of Independence---phrases like "all men are created equal" come to mind. Other ethical standards are frequently left unmentioned---such as our society's approach to revenge, gambling, and the social use of alcohol. A question that continues to be debated in modern American society is whether or not our laws should be based on the ethical standards set forth in the Bible---assuming that people can agree on what those ethical standards actually are, of course.
In this course we'll see that there are many sources of both law and ethical standards when it comes to computers and information technology. Besides US law and regulations, many professional organizations have adopted codes of conduct or ethics. Another source is the actual codes that we run on our computers---they too place limits on what can and cannot be done.
In this class we'll be discussing:
Rule - What are the relevant laws, regulations, or precedents that apply to this case?
Application - How do the facts of this case apply to the rules?
Conclusion - If the case has been decided, the give the final outcome. If the case is pending, explain what you think should be the conclusion, and explain why.
As usual, Wikipedia has a good article about the IRAC, including a worked example.