2009 PrenticeHall Inc 1 Technology in Action Technology

© 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1

Technology in Action Technology in Focus: Information Technology Ethics © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 2

Ethics Defined • • • Study of morals and moral choices Match established ideas of right and wrong Fairness Equity Guidelines for decision making © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 3

Ethics Defined • Systems of ethical conduct – Moral relativism – Situational ethics – Religious traditions © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4

Ethics Defined • Unethical behavior – Not conforming to a set of approved standards – Social or professional © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 5

Personal Ethics • Checklist of personal decisions • May be well-defined • May be applied inconsistently © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 6

Personal Ethics • How do they develop? – Family and cultural bias – Religious affiliation – Life experiences © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 7

Define Your Personal Ethics • • • Describe yourself List your beliefs Identify external influences Consider “why” Prepare a statement of values © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 8

Personal Ethics • Benefits of ethical living – Obeying laws – Less stress and anger – Increased happiness © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 9

Personal Ethics in the World View • Do your ethics match the workplace? • Are you ethics away from work a concern for your employer? © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 10

Technology and Ethics • • • Technology is all around us Technology moves quickly Rules governing technology move more slowly • Use of technology left to personal ethics © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 11

6 areas of ethical concern • Social Justice – Can technology be used to benefit everyone? • • Intellectual Property - What is fair about ffair use? Privacy - Is personal privacy a casualty of the modern age? Commerce - Is online gambling a problem? Communication - When does big business limit free speech? • Computer Abuse - Does restricting online information protect children? © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 12

Social Justice: Can Technology Be Used to Benefit Everyone? • Can we use technology to achieve social justice? • Can we apply these technologies to poor areas? – Solar energy – Genetic engineering – Internet access © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 13

Social Justice: Can Technology Be Used to Benefit Everyone? • Point: Technology Provides Economic Opportunity for All – Could be used to eliminate poverty – Could improve quality of life in poor countries – Could be an ethical force © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 14

Social Justice: Can Technology Be Used to Benefit Everyone? • Counterpoint: Technology Doesn’t Provide Economic Opportunity for All • No one can solve the problem of poverty – Should not be addressed by technologists • Potential risks of new technologies • Threats to existing world economies © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 15

Intellectual Property: What Is Fair About Fair Use? • Copyright laws protect intellectual property • Fair use – Allows for exceptions to copyright laws • Fair use criteria – What is the purpose of the work? – What is the nature of the proposed work? – How much copyrighted material is being used? – What is the effect on the original material? © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 16

Intellectual Property: What Is Fair About Fair Use? • Point: Liberal Fair Use Standards Are Beneficial – Encourages wide dissemination of information – Allows the most democratic, free society – Existing laws not up-to-date with technology © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 17

Intellectual Property: What Is Fair About Fair Use? • Counterpoint: Strict Fair Use Standards Are Beneficial – Existing laws should not be changed because technology has changed – Copyright holders should control their own work © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 18

Privacy: Is Personal Privacy a Casualty of the Modern Age? • Privacy is a basic human right • Many of our transactions are recorded – Debit cards – Loyalty cards – Electronic toll passes © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 19

Privacy: Is Personal Privacy a Casualty of the Modern Age? • Point: Protect Personal Privacy – No reason to watch me – Government misuse of data – Government control of population – National ID cards remind people of Nazis – Privacy controls are expensive © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 20

Privacy: Is Personal Privacy a Casualty of the Modern Age? • Counterpoint: Reduced Privacy Is a Fact of Modern Life – Should have nothing to hide – Help enhance the detection of terrorists – Protect citizens from being abused – National ID card worth the cost © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 21

Commerce: Should Online Gambling Be Banned or Regulated? • • • Multi-billion dollar industry Already illegal in U. S. Facilitates addictive gambling © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 22

Commerce: Should Online Gambling Be Banned or Regulated? • Point: Ban Online Gambling – Easy access for minors and compulsive gamblers – Could support criminal activities – No regulation: who keeps the house honest? – Allows gamblers to hide their addiction © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 23

Commerce: Should Online Gambling Be Banned or Regulated? • Counterpoint: Legalize Online Gambling – Protect consumers – Allow for scrutiny of all transactions – Standardize the industry – Generate tax revenues – Regulated in other countries – Easier to regulate than prohibit © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 24

Communication: When Does Big Business Limit Free Speech? • Google concedes to demands from Beijing to self-censor its search engine – Helps suppress dissent in return for access to the Chinese market – Cost of doing business in Chinese market – Potential Chinese market is huge © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 25

Communication: When Does Big Business Limit Free Speech? • Point: Google Acted Unethically – Sacrificed free speech for business – Violated human rights – No incentive for China to change – Other rights hang in the balance – How far is too far? © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 26

Communication: When Does Big Business Limit Free Speech? • Counterpoint: Google’s Actions Were Justified – Companies should pursue profits – Withdrawing from China would further restrict free speech – Advances the slow progress toward democracy © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 27

Computer Abuse: Does Restricting Online Information Protect Children? • Internet allows – Sexual predators to contact potential victims – Distribution of pornography – Cyberbullying – Phishing – Dissemination of hate speech © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 28

Computer Abuse: Does Restricting Online Information Protect Children? • Children are especially vulnerable – Use technology more than adults – More trusting than some adults – May not recognize malicious intent © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 29

Computer Abuse: Does Restricting Online Information Protect Children? • Point: Monitoring Software Protects Children – Laws have proved ineffective – Make sure libraries and schools are safe – Uphold moral standards of the public – Logical extension of the library screening process © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 30

Computer Abuse: Does Restricting Online Information Protect Children? • Counterpoint: Monitoring Software Restricts Access to Information – Blocks informational content – Amounts to censorship – Is not 100% reliable – Widens the “digital divide” – Education is a better alternative © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 31

The minute paper What is the most important thing you learned in today’s class? © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 32

Using Computers to Support Ethical Conduct • Charitable organizations use the Internet for fund raising • Companies must provide mechanisms to report unethical behavior anonymously • Intranets and e-mail are used to inform employees of ethics policies • Your personal ethics must guide your decisions concerning technology © 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 33