Key technology trends that raise ethical issues

Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Supplementary Material

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Information systems and ethics
Information systems raise new ethical questions because they create opportunities for:
Intense social change, threatening existing distributions of power, money, rights, and obligations
New kinds of crime
Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems

Ask students to describe some of the ethical dilemmas that are presented by information systems and new developments in technology. Privacy is an important issue—mention the opening case again and explain that the business models of Google, Facebook, and many other sites depend on getting users to give up their personal information so it can be used to market and sell them products.

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

A model for thinking about ethical, social, and political Issues
Society as a calm pond
IT as rock dropped in pond, creating ripples of new situations not covered by old rules
Social and political institutions cannot respond overnight to these ripples—it may take years to develop etiquette, expectations, laws
Requires understanding of ethics to make choices in legally gray areas
Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems

Can students provide any examples of how IT has challenged some area of ethics, social life, or legal arrangements?

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Key technology trends that raise ethical issues
Doubling of computer power
More organizations depend on computer systems for critical operations.
Rapidly declining data storage costs
Organizations can easily maintain detailed databases on individuals.
Networking advances and the Internet
Copying data from one location to another and accessing personal data from remote locations are much easier.
Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems

Which of these trends do students believe might have the most adverse consequences? Why do they feel this way? Do the positives outweigh the negatives for all four issues? Why or why not?

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Advances in data analysis techniques
Profiling
Combining data from multiple sources to create dossiers of detailed information on individuals
Nonobvious relationship awareness (NORA)
Combining data from multiple sources to find obscure hidden connections that might help identify criminals or terrorists
Mobile device growth
Tracking of individual cell phones
Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems

Online profiling is one of the most controversial computer-related ethical, social, and political issues today. Although it is used fairly extensively on the Internet, it is also used by insurance firms, health insurance firms, casinos, and of course national authorities around the globe for finding potential terrorists.

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Information rights: privacy and freedom in the Internet age
Privacy:
Claim of individuals to be left alone, free from surveillance or interference from other individuals, organizations, or state; claim to be able to control information about yourself
In the United States, privacy protected by:
First Amendment (freedom of speech)
Fourth Amendment (unreasonable search and seizure)
Additional federal statues (e.g., Privacy Act of 1974)
The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems

Do students believe that there are sufficient protections for privacy in law? If not, what are possible methods of developing appropriate privacy protections? Table 4-3 in the text lists a variety of other laws affecting both the government and private institutions, but few areas of the private sector are as well regulated with respect to privacy. Do an in-class poll and ask students who among them feel they can control the use of their personal information on the Internet. You should get no one raising their hand.

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

FTC FIP principles:
Notice/awareness (core principle)
Web sites must disclose practices before collecting data.
Choice/consent (core principle)
Consumers must be able to choose how information is used for secondary purposes.
Access/participation
Consumers must be able to review and contest accuracy of personal data.
The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems

FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

FIP (Fair Information Practices)

Do students believe that the Web sites they visit actually disclose their data collection and utilization practices? Is it difficult to find where?

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

FTC FIP principles (cont.)
Security
Data collectors must take steps to ensure accuracy, security of personal data.
Enforcement
Must be mechanism to enforce FIP principles.
The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems

These five Fair Information Practices provide the foundation for all privacy legislation in the United States, and much of Europe. You might go to a popular Web site, find its privacy policy, and see how well the site conforms to the principles above. Chances are good that the Web site you choose will have several statements in their policies which permit them to do anything they want with personal information. Also, do a search on “FTC privacy” and go to one of the reports listed. A search on “FTC behavioral targeting” also produces many fine reports on the topic.

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Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

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Ask students to describe some of the ethical dilemmas that are presented by information systems and new developments in technology. Privacy is an important issue—mention the opening case again and explain that the business models of Google, Facebook, and many other sites depend on getting users to give up their personal information so it can be used to market and sell them products.

*

Can students provide any examples of how IT has challenged some area of ethics, social life, or legal arrangements?

*

Which of these trends do students believe might have the most adverse consequences? Why do they feel this way? Do the positives outweigh the negatives for all four issues? Why or why not?

*

Online profiling is one of the most controversial computer-related ethical, social, and political issues today. Although it is used fairly extensively on the Internet, it is also used by insurance firms, health insurance firms, casinos, and of course national authorities around the globe for finding potential terrorists.

*

Do students believe that there are sufficient protections for privacy in law? If not, what are possible methods of developing appropriate privacy protections? Table 4-3 in the text lists a variety of other laws affecting both the government and private institutions, but few areas of the private sector are as well regulated with respect to privacy. Do an in-class poll and ask students who among them feel they can control the use of their personal information on the Internet. You should get no one raising their hand.

*

Do students believe that the Web sites they visit actually disclose their data collection and utilization practices? Is it difficult to find where?

*

These five Fair Information Practices provide the foundation for all privacy legislation in the United States, and much of Europe. You might go to a popular Web site, find its privacy policy, and see how well the site conforms to the principles above. Chances are good that the Web site you choose will have several statements in their policies which permit them to do anything they want with personal information. Also, do a search on “FTC privacy” and go to one of the reports listed. A search on “FTC behavioral targeting” also produces many fine reports on the topic.

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