M8AM   Ethics for Systems Administration 
Lee Damon, QUALCOMM Incorporated

Who should attend: Systems administrators and others with access to confidential information. Anyone who manages systems administrators, or makes policy decisions about computer systems and their users.

The class will start with examination of some of the ethical responsibilities that come along with access to other users' data, accounts and confidential information. There will be several case studies, and all attendees will be encouraged to actively participate in the discussion. We will look at numerous viewpoints and come up with a rational and reasoned response to various ethical challenges.

Using the SAGE Code of Ethics as a model, some examples we will examine:

	Implicit expectations of ethical behavior: For example, a sysadmin reads another person's email with intent to see how that person feels about someone or something.
	Coercion to violate ethics: Your manager wants to "get the dirt" on another manager and asks you to look in her email and files for anything "wrong."
	Well intentioned violations of privacy: ISP front-line support person is asked by their manager to examine user (customer) homedirs for kiddyporn.
	Collection, retention & protection of personal data: Your site collects names, addresses, email information, age, etc. online. What do you do or not do with thedata?
	Your friend and fellow employee has been terminated "for cause" and their account disabled. Your manager wants you to look through their files. How do you protect their privacy, or do you?

The answers to these and other questions are often far more complicated than one would initially guess. After completing this tutorial, you will be better able to resolve questionable situations, and will have the means to support your decisions.