Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files

COMPUTER ETHICS 1

It is a common ethic to respect everyone's privacy, the internet is no different. One must avoid snooping in other people's files whether the intent was malicious or not. The same way how opening a person's letter is bad, checking someone's personal messages/email is as bad and unethical. However, in order to combat this issue, encryption could be used.

However, when it comes to digital forensics, snooping into other people's files must be done when necessary. According to (athenaforensics, n.d.): "ACPO Principle 2: Where a person finds it necessary to access original data held on a digital device that the person must be competent to do so and able to explain their actions and the implications of those actions on the digital evidence to a Court."

This basically states that the investigators accessing original information held on digital devices or 'snooping' in this context, must be skilled to do such action and be competent enough to give reasons for their actions and explain the drawbacks of what it may have caused on the evidence to the court of law. This is mainly due to the fact that snooping into files or data can sometimes cause the altering of it making it not admissible as evidence on Court.





Reference(s):

athenaforensics, (n.d). The ACPO Principles Of Digital Based Evidence. [online] Athena Forensics. Available at: <https://athenaforensics.co.uk/acpo-guidelines-for-computer-forensics/> [Accessed 11 November 2020].