ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS
1. UNDERSTANDING ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES RELATED TO SYSTEMS
Information technology is introducing changes for which laws and rules of acceptable conduct have not yet been developed. Increasing computing power, storage and networking capabilities; including the Internet expand the reach of individuals and organizational actions and magnify their impacts. The ease and anonymity, with which information is now communicated, copied and manipulated in online environments pose new challenges to the protection of privacy and intellectual property. The main ethical, social and political issues raised by information systems center around information rights and obligations, property rights and obligations, accountability and control, system quality and quality of life.
Information technology is introducing changes for which laws and rules of acceptable conduct have not yet been developed. Increasing computing power, storage and networking capabilities; including the Internet expand the reach of individuals and organizational actions and magnify their impacts. The ease and anonymity, with which information is now communicated, copied and manipulated in online environments pose new challenges to the protection of privacy and intellectual property. The main ethical, social and political issues raised by information systems center around information rights and obligations, property rights and obligations, accountability and control, system quality and quality of life.
The doubling of computer power every 18 months has made it possible for most organizations to use information systems for their core production processes. As a result, our independence on systems and our vulnerability to system errors and poor data quality have increased. Social rules and laws have not yet adjusted to this dependence. Standards for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of information system are not universally accepted or enforced.
2. ETHICS IN AN INFORMATION SOCIETY
Ethical choices are decisions made by individuals who are responsible for the consequences of their actions. The basic concepts are; responsibility, accountability and liability.
Ethical choices are decisions made by individuals who are responsible for the consequences of their actions. The basic concepts are; responsibility, accountability and liability.
Six ethical principles for judging conduct include the Golden Rule, Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, Descartes rule of change, Utilitarian Principle, the Risk Aversion Principle, and the “ethical no free lunch” rule. These principles should be used in conjunction with an ethical analysis. Ethical analysis is done through the following steps;
- Identify and describe clearly the facts
- Define the conflict and identify the higher–order values involved
- Identify the stakeholder
- Identify the options that you can reasonably take
- Identify the potential consequence of your options
3. THE MORAL DIMENSION OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Contemporary data storage and data analysis technology enables companies to easily gather personal data about individuals from many different sources and analyze these data to create detailed electronic profiles about individuals and their behaviors. Data flowing over the Internet can be monitored at many points. Cookies and other Web monitoring tools closely track the activities of Web site visitors. Not all Web sites have strong privacy protection policies, and they do not always allow for informed consent regarding the use of personal information. Traditional copyright laws are insufficient to protect against software privacy because digital material can be copied so easily and transmitted to many different locations simultaneously over the Internet.
Contemporary data storage and data analysis technology enables companies to easily gather personal data about individuals from many different sources and analyze these data to create detailed electronic profiles about individuals and their behaviors. Data flowing over the Internet can be monitored at many points. Cookies and other Web monitoring tools closely track the activities of Web site visitors. Not all Web sites have strong privacy protection policies, and they do not always allow for informed consent regarding the use of personal information. Traditional copyright laws are insufficient to protect against software privacy because digital material can be copied so easily and transmitted to many different locations simultaneously over the Internet.
Although computer systems have been sources of efficient and wealth, they have some negative impacts. Computer errors can cause serious harm to individuals and organizations. Poor data quality is also responsible for disruptions and losses for businesses. Jobs can be lost when computers replace workers or tasks become unnecessary in reengineered business processes. The ability to own and use a computer may be exacerbating socioeconomic disparities among different racial and groups and social classes. Widespread use of computers increases opportunities for computer crime and computer abuse. Computers can also create health problems, such as RSI, computer vision syndrome and technostress.
- Swarnima & James
