itis 1210 introduction to web-based information systems ethical & social issues

ITIS 1210ITIS 1210Introduction to Web-Based Introduction to Web-Based

Information SystemsInformation Systems

Ethical & Social IssuesEthical & Social Issues

ObjectivesObjectives

What ethical, social, and political issues What ethical, social, and political issues are raised by information systems?are raised by information systems?

Are there specific principles for conduct Are there specific principles for conduct that can be used to guide decisions about that can be used to guide decisions about ethical dilemmas?ethical dilemmas?

Why does contemporary information Why does contemporary information systems technology pose challenges to systems technology pose challenges to the protection of individual privacy and the protection of individual privacy and intellectual property?intellectual property?

How have information systems affected How have information systems affected everyday life?everyday life?

How can organizations develop corporate How can organizations develop corporate policies for ethical conduct?policies for ethical conduct?


Moral risks of new technologyMoral risks of new technology Technology change = individual choice Technology change = individual choice

changechange Risk/reward balance shiftsRisk/reward balance shifts

Corporate ethics policies that include Corporate ethics policies that include information systems issuesinformation systems issues


Ethics and SocietyEthics and Society

What are What are computer ethicscomputer ethics?? Moral guidelines that govern use of Moral guidelines that govern use of

computers and information systemscomputers and information systems In what situations?In what situations?

Unauthorized use of computer systemsUnauthorized use of computer systems Information privacyInformation privacy Intellectual property rightsIntellectual property rights Software theftSoftware theft Information accuracyInformation accuracy Codes of conductCodes of conduct


What do you think about ethical issues?What do you think about ethical issues?


What are the ethics of using computers to What are the ethics of using computers to alter output?alter output? Alteration could lead to deliberately misleading Alteration could lead to deliberately misleading

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Principles of right and wrongPrinciples of right and wrong Can be used by individualsCan be used by individuals Acting as free moral agentsActing as free moral agents To make choices to guide their behaviorTo make choices to guide their behavior

IT provides opportunities for rapid IT provides opportunities for rapid social change that threaten existing social change that threaten existing balances of power, money, rights, etc.balances of power, money, rights, etc.

EthicsEthics

Illustrates the dynamics connectingIllustrates the dynamics connecting Ethical, social, and political issuesEthical, social, and political issues

Identifies the moral dimensions of the Identifies the moral dimensions of the “information society” “information society”

Across individual, social, and political Across individual, social, and political levels of actionlevels of action

A Model for Thinking About EthicsA Model for Thinking About Ethics

Information rights and obligationsInformation rights and obligations Relative to personal informationRelative to personal information

Property rightsProperty rights How is intellectual property affected by IT?How is intellectual property affected by IT?

Accountability and controlAccountability and control Who is liable?Who is liable?

System qualitySystem quality What standards should society demand of What standards should society demand of

data/systems?data/systems? Quality of lifeQuality of life

How does IT affect our culture?How does IT affect our culture?


Information systems proliferate Information systems proliferate because:because:

Computing power doubles every 18 Computing power doubles every 18 monthsmonths Dependence on computer systemsDependence on computer systems

Rapidly declining data storage costsRapidly declining data storage costs Easy maintenance of individual databasesEasy maintenance of individual databases

Datamining advancesDatamining advances Analysis of vast quantities of dataAnalysis of vast quantities of data

Networking advances and the Internet Networking advances and the Internet Remotely accessing personal dataRemotely accessing personal data

Key Technology TrendsKey Technology Trends

Key Technology TrendsKey Technology Trends

ResponsibilityResponsibility Accepting the potential costs, duties, Accepting the potential costs, duties,

and obligations for decisions madeand obligations for decisions made

AccountabilityAccountability Mechanism to assess who took (or Mechanism to assess who took (or

should have taken) responsibility for should have taken) responsibility for decisions made and actions takendecisions made and actions taken

Basic ConceptsBasic Concepts

LiabilityLiability Extends responsibility into the legal Extends responsibility into the legal

areaarea Permits individuals to recover for Permits individuals to recover for

damage suffereddamage suffered

Due processDue process Laws are well-known and understood, Laws are well-known and understood,

with an ability to appeal to higher with an ability to appeal to higher authorities to ensure the correct authorities to ensure the correct application of lawsapplication of laws

Basic ConceptsBasic Concepts

Golden ruleGolden rule Do unto others as you would have Do unto others as you would have

them do unto youthem do unto you

Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperativeImmanuel Kant’s categorical imperative If an action is not right for everyone to If an action is not right for everyone to

take, then it is not right for anyonetake, then it is not right for anyone If If everyoneeveryone acted like this, would acted like this, would

society be better?society be better?

Candidate Ethical PrinciplesCandidate Ethical Principles

Descartes’ rule of changeDescartes’ rule of change If an action cannot be taken If an action cannot be taken

repeatedly, then it should not be repeatedly, then it should not be taken even oncetaken even once

Slippery Slope theorySlippery Slope theory Utilitarian principleUtilitarian principle

Take the action that achieves the Take the action that achieves the greater good. Assumes: (1) Choices greater good. Assumes: (1) Choices can be ranked and (2) Can can be ranked and (2) Can understand the consequences of understand the consequences of various courses of actionvarious courses of action


Risk aversion principleRisk aversion principle Take the action that produces the Take the action that produces the

least harm or incurs the least costleast harm or incurs the least cost Balance failure cost and probability of Balance failure cost and probability of

occurrenceoccurrence Ethical “no free lunch” ruleEthical “no free lunch” rule

All tangible and intangible objects are All tangible and intangible objects are owned by a creator who is due owned by a creator who is due compensation for their workcompensation for their work


Information system may create ethical Information system may create ethical dilemmas where one set of interests is dilemmas where one set of interests is pitted against anotherpitted against another

Minimize drains on productivityMinimize drains on productivity Voice recognition systems eliminated Voice recognition systems eliminated

thousands of operator positionsthousands of operator positionsPrevent wastage of resources for non-Prevent wastage of resources for non-

business activitiesbusiness activities Monitoring employee activityMonitoring employee activity

Real-World Ethical DilemmasReal-World Ethical Dilemmas

Moral Dimensions of ISMoral Dimensions of IS Information RightsInformation Rights Property RightsProperty Rights Accountability, Liability, ControlAccountability, Liability, Control System QualitySystem Quality Quality of LifeQuality of Life Ethical, social, political issuesEthical, social, political issues

Information RightsInformation Rights

PrivacyPrivacy Claim of individuals to be left alone, free Claim of individuals to be left alone, free

from surveillance or interference from other from surveillance or interference from other individuals, organizations, or the stateindividuals, organizations, or the state

Fair information practicesFair information practices Set of principles governing the collection Set of principles governing the collection

and use of information on the basis of U.S. and use of information on the basis of U.S. and European privacy lawsand European privacy laws


Freedom of Information Act, 1968 Freedom of Information Act, 1968 Privacy Act of 1974Privacy Act of 1974 Electronic Communications Privacy Act of Electronic Communications Privacy Act of

19861986 Computer Matching and Privacy Computer Matching and Privacy

Protection Act of 1988Protection Act of 1988 Computer Security Act of 1987Computer Security Act of 1987 Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act

of 1982of 1982

Privacy LawsPrivacy Laws

European privacy protection based on European privacy protection based on informed consentinformed consent

Consent given withConsent given with Knowledge of all factsKnowledge of all facts Needed to make a rational decisionNeeded to make a rational decision

Privacy LawsPrivacy Laws

Opt-out modelOpt-out model Informed consent Informed consent permittingpermitting the collection of the collection of

personal information personal information Consumer must take an affirmative action Consumer must take an affirmative action

specifically requesting the data not to be specifically requesting the data not to be collectedcollected

Without this action, information Without this action, information willwill be be collected, possibly without the user’s collected, possibly without the user’s knowledge.knowledge.

Challenges to PrivacyChallenges to Privacy

Opt-in modelOpt-in model Informed consent Informed consent prohibitingprohibiting an an

organization from collecting any organization from collecting any personal information personal information

Individual has to approve information Individual has to approve information collection and usecollection and use

Without this specific approval, Without this specific approval, companies companies may notmay not collect information collect information


Under what conditions should the Under what conditions should the privacy of others be invaded? privacy of others be invaded?

Under what conditions is it legitimate to Under what conditions is it legitimate to intrude into others’ lives through intrude into others’ lives through unobtrusive surveillance, through unobtrusive surveillance, through market research, or by whatever market research, or by whatever means? means?


Do we have to inform people that we Do we have to inform people that we are eavesdropping?are eavesdropping?

Do we have to inform people that we Do we have to inform people that we are using credit history information for are using credit history information for employment screening purposes?employment screening purposes?



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Concerns the development of Concerns the development of “expectations of privacy” or privacy “expectations of privacy” or privacy norms, as well as public attitudesnorms, as well as public attitudes

In what areas of life do we have the In what areas of life do we have the expectation of privacy?expectation of privacy?

Social IssuesSocial Issues

Social IssuesSocial Issues

Surveillance EquipmentSurveillance Equipment

School busSchool bus

Concern the development of statutes Concern the development of statutes Govern the relations between record Govern the relations between record

keepers and individualskeepers and individuals

Political IssuesPolitical Issues

Intellectual propertyIntellectual property Intangible creations protected by lawIntangible creations protected by law

Inventions, writings, and works of artInventions, writings, and works of art

Protected under three legal traditions:Protected under three legal traditions: Trade SecretsTrade Secrets CopyrightsCopyrights PatentPatent

Property RightsProperty Rights

Trade secretTrade secret Intellectual work or product belonging to business, not Intellectual work or product belonging to business, not

in public domainin public domain

CopyrightCopyright Statutory grant protecting intellectual property from Statutory grant protecting intellectual property from

getting copied for 28 yearsgetting copied for 28 years

PatentsPatents Legal document granting the owner an exclusive Legal document granting the owner an exclusive

monopoly on the ideas behind an invention for 20 monopoly on the ideas behind an invention for 20 yearsyears


Digital media are:Digital media are: Easy to reproduce (physical media not Easy to reproduce (physical media not

necessary)necessary) Easy to alterEasy to alter Hard to establish ownership ofHard to establish ownership of


Ethical issuesEthical issues Protection of intellectual property (Is it OK to Protection of intellectual property (Is it OK to

copy for personal use?)copy for personal use?)

Social issuesSocial issues Current intellectual property laws breaking Current intellectual property laws breaking

down (easy to break a law). Does this down (easy to break a law). Does this discourage creativity?discourage creativity?

Political issuesPolitical issues Creation of new property protection measures Creation of new property protection measures

Challenges to Property RightsChallenges to Property Rights

Information technology challenges Information technology challenges existing liability lawexisting liability law

Who is liable if a software-controlled Who is liable if a software-controlled machine injures someone? The machine machine injures someone? The machine manufacturer, the programmer, someone manufacturer, the programmer, someone else?else?

Is AOL responsible for offensive content Is AOL responsible for offensive content distributed by AOL but not necessarily distributed by AOL but not necessarily under AOL’s direct control?under AOL’s direct control?

LiabilityLiability

Ethical issuesEthical issues Who is morally responsible for consequences Who is morally responsible for consequences

of use?of use? Social issuesSocial issues

What should society expect and allow?What should society expect and allow? Political issuesPolitical issues

To what extent should government To what extent should government intervene?intervene?

Where is the balance between service Where is the balance between service providers and users?providers and users?

LiabilityLiability

Three major causes of system failuresThree major causes of system failures BugsBugs Hardware failuresHardware failures Poor input dataPoor input data

System QualitySystem Quality

Ethical issuesEthical issues At what point do you release the software?At what point do you release the software?

Social issuesSocial issues Should people be encouraged to believe Should people be encouraged to believe

systems are infalliblesystems are infallible What are the potential consequences if What are the potential consequences if

they do?they do?

Political IssuesPolitical Issues Who sets laws of responsibility and Who sets laws of responsibility and

accountability: Congress or marketplace?accountability: Congress or marketplace?

System QualitySystem Quality

Maintaining boundariesMaintaining boundaries Family, work, and leisureFamily, work, and leisure ““Do anything anywhere” environment Do anything anywhere” environment

blurring boundaries between work and blurring boundaries between work and family timefamily time

Dependence and vulnerabilityDependence and vulnerability No regulatory or standard-setting forces for No regulatory or standard-setting forces for

the Internet as there were for telephones, the Internet as there were for telephones, electrical utilities, radio, television, etc.electrical utilities, radio, television, etc.

Quality of LifeQuality of Life

Computer crimeComputer crime Commission of illegal acts through the use Commission of illegal acts through the use

of a computer or against a computer of a computer or against a computer systemsystem

Computer abuseComputer abuse Commission of acts involving a computer Commission of acts involving a computer

that may not be illegal but are considered that may not be illegal but are considered unethicalunethical


EmploymentEmployment Trickle-down technology and reengineering Trickle-down technology and reengineering

job lossjob loss Causes millions of middle-level managers Causes millions of middle-level managers

and clerical workers to lose their jobsand clerical workers to lose their jobs Equity and accessEquity and access

Increasing racial and social class Increasing racial and social class cleavagescleavages

Society of computer literate and skilled, Society of computer literate and skilled, versus computer illiterate and unskilledversus computer illiterate and unskilled


itis 1210 introduction to web-based information systems ethical & social issues

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