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- 1. Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition Chapter 2 Ethics for IT Workers and IT Users 1
- 2. Objectives • As you read this chapter, consider the following questions: – What key characteristics distinguish a professional from other kinds of workers, and is an IT worker considered a professional? – What relationships must an IT worker manage, and what key ethical issues can arise in each? Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 2
- 3. Objectives (cont’d.) – How do codes of ethics, certification, and licensing affect the ethical behavior of IT professionals? – What is meant by compliance, and how does it help promote the right behaviors and discourage undesirable ones? Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 3
- 4. IT Professionals • Profession is a calling that requires: – Specialized knowledge – Long and intensive academic preparation • Professionals: – Require advanced training and experience – Must exercise discretion and judgment in their work – Their work cannot be standardized – Contribute to society, participate in lifelong training, assist other professionals – Carry special rights and responsibilities Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 4
- 5. Are IT Workers Professionals? • Partial list of IT specialists – Programmers – Systems analysts – Software engineers – Database administrators – Local area network (LAN) administrators – Chief information officers (CIOs) Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 5
- 6. Are IT Workers Professionals? (cont’d.) • Legal perspective – IT workers do not meet legal definition of professional • Not licensed by state or federal government • Not liable for malpractice Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 6
- 7. Professional Relationships That Must Be Managed • IT workers involved in relationships with: – Employers – Clients – Suppliers – Other professionals – IT users – Society at large Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 7
- 8. Relationships Between IT Workers and Employers • IT workers agree on many aspects of work relationship before workers accept job offer • Other aspects of work relationship defined in company’s policy and procedure manual or code of conduct • Some aspects develop over time • As steward of organization’s IT resources, IT workers must set an example and enforce policies regarding the ethical use of IT in: Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 8
- 9. Relationships Between IT Workers and Employers • Software piracy – Act of illegally making copies of software or enabling access to software to which they are not entitled – Area in which IT workers can be tempted to violate laws and policies – The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a trade group representing the world’s largest software and hardware manufacturers(Intel , Microsoft,….); mission is to stop the unauthorized copying of software Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 9
- 10. Relationships Between IT Workers and Employers (cont’d.) • IT workers must set an example and enforce policies regarding the ethical use of IT in: • Trade secrets • Business information generally unknown to public • Company takes actions to keep confidential • Require cost or effort to develop • Have some degree of uniqueness or novelty – Whistle-blowing • Employee attracts attention to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or dangerous act that threatens the public interest Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 10
- 11. Relationships Between IT Workers and Clients • IT worker provides: – Hardware, software, or services at a certain cost and within a given time frame • Client provides: – Compensation – Access to key contacts – Work space • Relationship is usually documented in contractual terms Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 11
- 12. Relationships Between IT Workers and Clients (cont’d.) • Client makes decisions about a project based on information, alternatives, and recommendations provided by the IT worker • Client trusts IT worker to act in client’s best interests • Ethical problems arise if a company recommends its own products and services to remedy problems they have detected – Creates a conflict of interest Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 12
- 13. Relationships Between IT Workers and Clients (cont’d.) • Fraud – Crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or trickery • Misrepresentation – Misstatement or incomplete statement of material fact – If misrepresentation causes a party to enter into a contract, that party may have the right to cancel contract or seek reimbursement for damages Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 13
- 14. Relationships Between IT Workers and Clients (cont’d.) • Breach of contract – One party fails to meet the terms of a contract – When there is material breach of contract: • The non-breaching party may rescind the contract, seek restitution of any compensation paid to the breaching party, and be discharged from any further performance under the contract • IT projects are joint efforts in which vendors and customers work together – When there are problems, it is difficult to assign who is at fault Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 14
- 15. Relationships Between IT Workers and Suppliers • Develop good working relationships with suppliers: – To encourage flow of useful information and ideas to develop innovative and cost-effective ways of using the supplier in ways that the IT worker may not have considered – By dealing fairly with them – By not making unreasonable demands Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 15
- 16. Relationships Between IT Workers and Suppliers (cont’d.) • Bribery – Providing money, property, or favors to obtain a business advantage – At what point does a gift become a bribe? Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 16
- 17. Relationships Between IT Workers and Other Professionals • Professionals feel a degree of loyalty to other members of their profession • Professionals owe each other adherence to their profession’s code of conduct • Ethical problems among the IT profession – Résumé inflation on 30% of U.S. job applications – Inappropriate sharing of corporate information • Information might be sold intentionally or shared informally with those who have no need to know Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 17
- 18. Relationships Between IT Workers and IT Users • IT user: person using a hardware or software product • IT workers’ duties – Understand users’ needs and capabilities – Deliver products and services that meet those needs – Establish environment that supports ethical behavior: • To discourages software piracy • To minimize inappropriate use of corporate computing resources • To avoid inappropriate sharing of information Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 18
- 19. Relationships Between IT Workers and Society • Society expects members of a profession: – To provide significant benefits – To not cause harm through their actions • Actions of an IT worker can affect society • Professional organizations provide codes of ethics to guide IT workers’ actions Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 19
- 20. Professional Codes of Ethics • Most codes of ethics include: – What the organization aspires to become – Rules and principles by which members of the organization are expected to abide • Following a professional code of ethics can produce benefits for the individual, the profession, and society as a whole – Ethical decision making – High standards of practice and ethical behavior – Trust and respect from general public – Evaluation benchmark for self-assessment Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 20
- 21. Certification • Indicates that a professional possesses a particular set of skills, knowledge, or abilities in the opinion of the certifying organization • Can also apply to products • Generally voluntary • May or may not require adherence to a code of ethics • Employers view as benchmark of knowledge • Opinions are divided on value of certification Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 21
- 22. Certification (cont’d.) • Vendor certifications – Some certifications substantially improve IT workers’ salaries and career prospects – Relevant for narrowly defined roles or certain aspects of broader roles – Require passing a written exam, or in some cases, a hands-on lab to demonstrate skills and knowledge – Can take years to obtain necessary experience – Training can be expensive Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 22
- 23. Certification (cont’d.) • Industry association certifications – Require a higher level of experience and a broader perspective than vendor certifications – Must sit for and pass written exam – May need to pay annual renewal fee, earn continuing education credits, and/or pass renewal test – Lag in developing tests that cover new technologies – Are moving from purely technical content to a broader mix of technical, business, and behavioral competencies Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 23
- 24. Government Licensing • License is a government-issued permission to engage in an activity or operate a business • Often requires that recipient pass a test • Some professionals must be licensed – doctors, lawyers, CPAs, medical and day care providers, engineers • One goal: protect public safety Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 24
- 25. Government Licensing (cont’d.) • Case for licensing IT workers – Encourages following highest standards of profession – Encourages practicing a code of ethics – Violators would be punished • Without licensing, there are no requirements for heightened care and no concept of professional malpractice Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 25
- 26. Government Licensing (cont’d.) • Issues associated with government licensing of IT workers – There are few licensing programs for IT professionals • No universally accepted core body of knowledge • Unclear who should manage content and administration of licensing exams • No administrative body to accredit professional education programs • No administrative body to assess and ensure competence of individual workers Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 26
- 27. IT Professional Malpractice • Negligence: not doing something that a reasonable person would do, or doing something that a reasonable person would not do • Duty of care: obligation to protect people against any unreasonable harm or risk – Reasonable person standard – Reasonable professional standard • Professional malpractice: professionals who breach the duty of care are liable for injuries that their negligence causes Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 27
- 28. IT Users • Employees’ ethical use of IT is an area of growing concern because of increased access to: – Personal computers – Corporate information systems and data – The Internet Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 28
- 29. Common Ethical Issues for IT Users • Software piracy • Inappropriate use of computing resources – Erodes productivity and wastes time – Could lead to lawsuits • Inappropriate sharing of information, including: – Every organization stores vast amounts of private or confidential data • Private data (employees and customers) • Confidential information (company and operations) Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 29
- 30. Supporting the Ethical Practices of IT Users • Policies that protect against abuses include : – Establishing guidelines for use of company software – Defining appropriate use of IT resources – Structuring information systems to protect data and information – Installing and maintaining a corporate firewall Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 30
- 31. Compliance • To be in accordance with established policies, guidelines, specifications, and legislation. • Major challenge to comply with multiple government and industry regulations that are sometimes in conflict • To meet this challenge: – Implement software to track and record compliance actions – Hire management consultants for advice and training – Create Chief Compliance Officer position Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 31
- 32. Compliance (cont’d.) • Audit committee is subset of the board of directors, with oversight for the following activities: – Quality and integrity of accounting and reporting practices and controls – Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements – Qualifications, independence, and performance of organization’s independent auditor – Performance of company’s internal audit team who are responsible to Insure that institutional policies, procedures and good practices are followed. Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 32
- 33. Summary • Professionals – Require advanced training and experience – Must exercise discretion and judgment in their work – Their work cannot be standardized • From a legal standpoint, a professional: – Has passed the licensing requirements – Has earned the right to practice – IT professionals have many different relationships – Each with its own ethical issues and potential problems Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 33
- 34. Summary (cont’d.) • Professional code of ethics – States the principles and core values essential to the work of an occupational group – Serves as a guideline for ethical decision making – Promotes high standards of practice and behavior – Enhances trust and respect from the general public – Provides an evaluation benchmark • Licensing and certification of IT professionals – Would increase the reliability and effectiveness of information systems – Raises many issues Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 34
- 35. Summary (cont’d.) • IT-related professional organizations have developed their code of ethics that: – Outlines what the organization aspires to become – Lists rules and principles for members – Includes a commitment to continuing education for those who practice the profession • Audit committee and internal audit team have a major role in ensuring that both the IT organization and IT users are in compliance with guidelines and various legal and regulatory practices Ethics in Information Technology, Fourth Edition 35