DIT 002 –

FUNDAMENTALS OF
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in
Computing
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

1 Discuss information privacy and methods

for improving the privacy of information
2 Explain the privacy of e-mail, data
collection issues, and censorship
3 Discuss the ethical issues related to
information technology
4 Discuss the principles of intellectual
property and issues related to the
infringement of intellectual property

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing

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 LEARNING OUTCOMES (continued)

5 Discuss information system issues that

affect organizations, including the digital
divide, electronic publishing, and the
connection between the workplace and
employees’ health
6 Describe green computing and the ways
it can improve the quality of the
environment

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing

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Privacy Issues
• Employers search social networking sites for
background information on applicants
• Monitoring systems are adopted by employers to
check employee performance
• Information technology has aided in the easy
availability of personal information
• Information in databases can be used for direct
marketing and for credit checks on potential borrowers
or renters

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 4

Ethical Issues
• An ethical issue is a circumstance in which a moral conflict arises in
the workplace; thus, it is a situation in which a moral standard is
being challenged.
• Ethical issues in IT include personal privacy, protection of intellectual
property such as copyrights and trade secrets, liability, racial and
gender equality, and free speech issues.

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 5

 Ethical Issues
• Ethical issues are concerned with what is right and wrong, good and
bad and how we use that information to decide our actions in the real
world.
• What happens when you want something, but it’s not right?
• How do you choose between right and wrong at that moment?
• It can be tough, especially if the decision is something big or important
like:
i. choosing whether or not to break up with your partner of 10 years
ii. take a job that requires you to relocate across the country
iii. or lie about something so big that no one would ever trust you again.
MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 6
MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 7
 What is an Ethical Issue?
• An ethical issue is a problem or situation that requires a person to
choose between two options, where both options are morally wrong.
• Ethical issues can be divided into three categories: personal,
professional, and social.
• Examples of personal ethical issues include whether or not to take your
spouse’s last name after marriage and how much money you want to
inherit from your parents when they die.
• Professional ethics refer to the right thing for a particular profession
such as teaching, accounting, law enforcement, etc.
• For example, what constitutes a conflict of interest in medicine?
• Social ethics have to do with the values and beliefs within society.
MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 8
 What is an Example of an
Ethical
• There Issue?
are many examples of ethical issues, but one common example is
when a company uses harmful or unethical practices to produce its
products.
• This can include things like:
i. child labour
ii. pollution, and
iii. unsafe working conditions
• Customers and employees may be unaware of these practices, and they
can be harmed by them.
• If a company is found to be using unethical practices, it may face legal
penalties or bad publicity.
MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 9
Types of Ethical Issues:
• There are three main types of ethical issues: Utilitarian,
Deontological, and Virtue.
• Utilitarian ethics focus on the consequences of an action, while
deontological ethics focus on the act itself.
• Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the person acting. In
contrast to a consequentialist or teleological perspective, virtue ethics
believes that people should do what is good because it is good in its
own right.
• Virtue ethics looks at what someone’s intent is behind a decision and
the moral fibre of their being before making any judgments about
their behaviour.
• It also focuses on the traits that make up a virtuous human being as
opposed to trying to pinpointMOD 4 -specific behaviours as good or bad.
Ethical Issues in Computing 10
• Ethical decisions can be made by taking into account each type of
approach (utilitarian, deontological, or virtue) and determining which
one seems most appropriate for your situation.
• For example, if you were considering lying to avoid hurting someone
else’s feelings then you would use a utilitarian approach.
• A lie is still considered unethical according to some ethical theories,
but it may seem more permissible when weighed against the other
options available.

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 11

Deontological

• In deontological ethics an action is considered morally good because

of some characteristic of the action itself, not because the product of
the action is good.
• Deontological ethics holds that at least some acts are morally
obligatory regardless of their consequences for human welfare.
• Deontology is an ethical theory that uses rules to distinguish right
from wrong.
• Deontology is often associated with philosopher Immanuel Kant

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 12

Virtue
• Virtue ethics theories deal with wider questions—
i. “How should I live?” and
ii. “What is the good life?” and
iii. “What are proper family and social values?”
• Since its revival in the twentieth century, virtue ethics has been
developed in three main directions:
a. Eudaimonism
b. agent-based theories, and
c. the ethics of care

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 13

What are Moral Ethical Issues?
• Moral and ethical issues arise when individuals are faced with choices
that may cause harm to others.
• These choices can be personal, such as:
i. whether or not to lie, or
ii. they can be professional, such as whether or not to price gouge
during a natural disaster
• Sometimes, the line between what is right and what is wrong is not
clear.
• Other times, there may be multiple competing interests that make it
difficult to choose the best course of action.
MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 14
 How to Handle Ethical Issues?
• There are many ways to handle ethical issues.
• The first step is to identify the issue.
• Once you have identified the issue, you need to gather information about
it.
• This can be done by talking to people who are affected by the issue,
researching the issue, and/or reading about the issue.
• After you have gathered information, you need to decide what course of
action to take.
• This may involve taking a stand on the issue, trying to solve the problem, or
raising awareness about the issue.

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 15

Concepts of the Web and
Network Privacy

Acceptable use policy

• Set of rules specifying the legal and ethical use of a system and the consequences of
noncompliance

Accountability

• Issues involving both the user’s and the organization’s responsibilities and liabilities

Nonrepudiation

• Method for binding all the parties to a contract

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 16

Guidelines to Minimize the Invasion of
Privacy

i. Conduct business only with websites having

privacy policies
ii. Limit access to personal information to those
with authorization
iii. Ensure data’s reliability and take precautions to
prevent misuse of the data
iv. Data collection must have a stated purpose
v. Identify ways to prevent personal information
gathered being disclosed without consent

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 17

Guidelines to Minimize the Invasion of
Privacy

vi. Organizations should use verification procedures

to ensure data accuracy
vii. Organizations must correct or delete incorrect
data
• Prevent unauthorized access to data and misuse of data
viii. Users should review their records and correct
any inaccuracies
ix. Transparency in record-keeping systems storing
personal data

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 18

Privacy Issues Presented by E-
mail
• Spam: Unsolicited e-mail sent for advertising
purposes
• Sent in bulk using automated mailing software
• Ease of access
• Individuals should assume that others have access to
their messages
• Any e-mails sent on company-owned computers are the
property of the organization

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 19

Data Collection on the Web
• Due to the increase in online shopping, personal
details of individuals are prone to misuse
• Issue of personal information being sold to
telemarketing firms resulting in spam
• Information provided on the Web can be combined
with other information and technologies to
produce new information

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 20

Technologies Used for Data
Collection
• Cookies: Small text files with unique ID tags that
are embedded in a Web browser and saved on the
user’s hard drive
• Help websites customize pages for users
• Considered an invasion of privacy when users’
information is used without prior consent
• Installing a cookie manager helps users disable cookies
• Log files: Generated by Web server software,
record a user’s actions on a website

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 21

Ethical Issues of Information
Technologies
• Information technology offers opportunities for
unethical behavior due to ease of collecting and
disseminating information
• Increase of cybercrime, cyberfraud, identity theft, and
intellectual property theft
• Organizations can reduce unethical behavior of
employees by developing and enforcing codes of
ethics

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 22

Censorship of Types of
Information on the Web
• Public information
• Posted by an organization or public agency
• Censored for public policy reasons
• Censored if the content is deemed offensive to a
political, religious, or cultural group
• Private information
• Posted by a person
• Uncensored because of constitutional freedom of
expression

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 23

Censorship
• Restricting access to the Web
• Countries like Burma, China, and Singapore, restrict or
forbid their citizens’ access to the Web
• Internet neutrality: Internet service providers (ISPs) and
government agencies should treat all data on the Internet
equally
• Parents use programs like CyberPatrol, CyberSitter, Net
Nanny, and SafeSurf to prevent children’s access to
certain websites

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 24

Intellectual Property
• Legal umbrella covering protections that involve:
i. Copyrights
ii. Trademarks
iii. trade secrets, and
iv. patents
• All these are developed by people or businesses.

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 25

Categories in Intellectual
Property
• Industrial property
• Inventions, trademarks, logos, and industrial designs
• Copyrighted material
• Literary and artistic works
• Covers online materials like Web pages, HTML code, and
computer graphics
• Fair Use Doctrine: Exception to the Copyright law which
allows the use of copyrighted material for certain
purposes

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 26

Intellectual Property
Protections
• Trademark: Protects product names and
identifying marks
• Patent: Protects new processes
• Advantages to organizations
• Generates revenue by licensing the patent
• Attracts funding for research and development
• Keeps competitors from entering certain market segments

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 27

Laws Covering Software
Piracy
• 1980 revisions to the Copyright Act of 1976
include computer programs
• Laws covering legal issues related to information
technologies in the United States
• Telecommunications Act of 1996
• Communications Decency Act (CDA)
• Laws against spamming

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 28

Cybersquatting
• Registering, selling, or using a domain name to
profit from someone else’s trademark
• Typosquatting: Relies on typographical errors
made by Web users when typing a website
address into a Web browser
• Variation of cybersquatting
• Called URL hijacking

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 29

Digital Divide
• Information technology and the Internet that is not
accessible for all
• Increasing funding for computers at schools, public
places, helps offset the divide

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 30

Impact of Information Technology in the
Workplace

• Creation of technical jobs, requiring extensive

training
• Increased consumers’ purchasing power
• Results in a stronger economy by reducing production
costs
• Direct effect on the nature of jobs
• Telecommuting enables work from home option
• Organizations can use the best and most cost-effective
human resources in a large geographical region

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 31

Impact of Information Technology in the
Workplace

• Job deskilling: Occurs when skilled labor is

eliminated due to high technology
• Virtual organizations: Companies, suppliers,
customers, and manufacturers connected via
information technologies
• To share skills and cost
• To have access to each other’s markets

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 32

 Table 4.1 Potential Benefits and
Drawbacks of Telecommuting

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 33

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Information Technology and
Health Issues
• Increasing popularity of touchscreens result in
stress related injuries of the users’ hands, arms,
back, and eyes
• Related health problems associated with computer
equipment
• Vision issues
• Musculoskeletal issues
• Skin issues
• Reproductive system issues
• Stress issues

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 34

Green Computing
• Promotes a sustainable environment and
consumes the least amount of energy
• Involves the design, manufacture, use, and disposal of
computers, servers, and computing devices with
minimal impact on the environment
• Requires cooperation of both private and public
sectors

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 35

Ways to Achieve Green
Computing
• Design products that last longer and are modular in
design
• Parts can be upgraded without replacing the entire
system
• Design search engines and computing routines that
are faster and consume less energy
• Replace underutilized smaller servers with one
large server using a virtualization technique

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 36

Ways to Achieve Green
Computing
• Use computing devices that consume less energy
and are biodegradable
• Allow certain employees to work from their homes
to reduce carbon foot prints
• Conduct meetings over computer networks to
reduce business travel
• Encourage carpool and nonmotorized transportation for
employees
• Turn off idle PCs and recycle computer-related
materials

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 37

 KEY TERMS

• Acceptable use policy

• Accountability
• Cookies
• Cybersquatting
• Digital divide
• Green computing

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing

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 KEY TERMS

• Intellectual property
• Log files
• Nonrepudiation
• Spam
• Virtual organizations

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing

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 SUMMARY

• Employers search social networking sites, such as

Facebook or MySpace, to find background
information on applicants
• e-mail is distributed through the Web or a
company network; people should assume that
others have access to their messages
• Public information, posted by an organization or
public agency, can be censored for public policy
reasons

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing

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 SUMMARY

• Children, in particular, are victims of the digital

divide
• Information technology has created many new
jobs
• Green computing is one of the methods for
combating global warming

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing

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***END***

MOD 4 - Ethical Issues in Computing 42