Ethical Issues in Information Technology

1. Ethical Issues in Information Technology First Annual Conference on Ethics and Technology Chicago, 1996 Mary Malliaris

2. Database Systems • 1. Should this information be gathered (what is the impact on privacy) ?[ex: should you collect data from children about their parent's beliefs: political affiliation, mental or psychological problems, sexual behavior, illegal behavior, religious affiliations, etc.] • 2. You should gather and store only fields that support current or planned activities • 3. Data should be used only for the purpose for which it is collected and not for purposes outside the area of consent in which the information was given • 4. Information users should gauge the impact on privacy of data that will be collected • 5. Information that has served its purpose should not be stored longer (i.e. don't stockpile data about people). Dispose properly of data after a given retention period has passed [as opposed to amassing huge databases that capture incredible amounts of information about which the customer is probably not aware] • 6. Individuals need to be able to make an informed decision about providing personal information. So those who collect it should provide adequate information about why they are collecting the data, what it will be used for, and what steps will be taken to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and quality. • 7. If the data is obtained from an indirect source (such as purchased data), is it being used for purposes compatible with those under which it was first obtained? • 8. All parties who collect data about an individual should notify the individual that such data is being collected. • 9. Is the data that we are storing correct? (data integrity) Do not alter data that you know to be correct; do not continue to store data you know to be incorrect. • 10. Honor confidentiality of information about employers, clients, and users. Do not disclose or use "insider information". • 11. Protect the confidentiality and privacy of data [are you putting in safeguards for this?] Do not access data to which you do not have the right. • 12. Minimize data collected • 13. Limit access to data. Do not build an application without security levels for access. Check that the requester has the right to see data before allowing access. • 14. Provide security for data both from internal and external. Protect against intrusion by hackers. If they change or view sensitive data, it could be damaging to the person whose data it is. • Persons have the right to know when data is being collected about them. • And from the 1973 US Dept. of Health, Education And Welfare Code of Fair Information Practices: • 16. There must be no personal-data record-keeping system whose very existence is a secret • 17. There must be a way for people to access the information about them in a record and find out how that information is used.

3. Decision Support Systems • Decision Support Systems and Expert Systems are commonly one course at some schools, while other schools break these into two courses, with the Expert Systems classes often having a component on artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence has become part of many programs such as Expert Systems or programs running on the Internet. Below, we offer a list of topics that may be used in courses in the DSS/ES/AI areas. • 1. Expert Systems are based on the actions of an expert in the field. However, all people have biases. How are the biases on this expert being addressed in the AI program patterned on his behavior? [ex. An ES which approves/denies loans for housing] • 2. What are the anticipated consequences of this program? • 3. Reproducibility of the decision -- does this system give the same conclusion if the variables are entered in a different order? • 4. Avoid harm to others.

4. Information Systems and Business • Should you play computer games at work? [waste time, use company resources, tying up shared resources] • Limitation your work to your field of competence • Maintain work quality -- Keep abreast of technological trends so that you can give your company quality service and results. • Should monitoring be limited? • Scan for viruses regularly; scan every disk you put into your computer. They can bring down a system. • Do not use the work computer for making money for yourself, not your company. • Do not use the work computer to copy and use or sell company information. • Do not destroying company records. • Do not undertake an assignment without adequate preparation.

5. Application Packages • Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases • Honor intellectual property rights -- give credit where due • Is this spreadsheet analysis appropriate for the problem? When using built-in statistical capabilities, check for correct usage. • Database concerns can be drawn from the previous section.

6. Communications and the Web • Spamming • Censorship/Free Speech • To whom does e-mail belong? • Unequal access to networks (information rich/poor) [do we restrict access to groups who do not have the resources to participate in a computer-dominated world] • Use of Cookies • Tracking clicks in cyberspace

7. Social Responsibility • Accessibility by have-nots to computers: all people should have access to the information infrastructure • Unauthorized Access to data • Unauthorized use of a computer or program • Computer Sabotage • No monitoring without knowledge • Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences

8. Hardware/Software • Hardware/CPU • Ergonomics • Electromagnetic radiation • Input and Output • GIGO: have safeguards to insure data quality • Who should have access to this output? • Establish procedural controls and software controls.

9. Summary • we must incorporate the topic of ethics into our IS courses, not as a separate elective course, but as a major part of the fabric of each IS course we teach. • teachers of courses are accountable for training IS students in ethical issues as well as technical and managerial issues • "Computer science is usually introduced to students as a technical field with no moral or social impact." Effy Oz