Ethics in IT

 

 

Ethics for IT Professionals and IT Users

 

Chapter 2 - Objectives 1. Id Iden enti tify fy the the k key ey ch char arac acte teris risti tics cs th that at di dist stin ingu guis ish ha professional from other kinds of workers. 2. Un Unde derst rstan and d va vari riou ous s prof profes essi sion onal al re rela lati tion onsh ship ips s and associated key ethical issues. 3. Di Disc scus uss s how how co code des s of of e eth thic ics, s, pr prof ofes essi sion onal al organizations, and certifications and licensing affect the ethical behavior of IT professionals. 4. Id Iden enti tify fy tthe he c com ommo mon n et ethi hica call issu issues es th that at ffac ace e IT users.

 

IT Professionals • Profession is a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long intensive academic preparation. • US Code of Federal Regulations defines a professional as someone who meets these criteria:  –  Duties require advanced studies in a recognized field.  – One’s One’s instruct instruction, ion, study, study, or work work is original original and creativ creative. e.  –  Job requires consistent exercise of discretion and  judgment.  –  Job is predominately intellectual and varied in character.

 

Information Technology •

Professionals Many workers in the IT industry are considered to be professionals. A partial list includes:

 –  Programmers/Analysts  –  Software engineers  –  Database administrators  –  Network administrators (LAN administrator)  –  Chief information officers

• IT Architects

 

Professional Relationships • IT professionals become involved in many different types of relationships.  – Professional-employer   –  Professional-employer   – Professional-client  –  Professional-client  – Professional-supplier   –  Professional-supplier   – Professional-professional  – Professional-professional  – Professional-IT  –  Professional-IT user   – Professional-society  –  Professional-society

 

Stewards of IT Resources • IT professionals must set the example and enforce the policies that promote ethical use of IT resources. • Software piracy is the act of illegally making copies of software. • Trade secret is a piece of information that is generally not known to the public that is held confidential.

 

Whistle-blowing • Whistle-blowing is an effort by an employee of a company to attract the attention of others to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or  dangerous act by the company that threatens the public interest.

 

 

IT Professional-Emplo Professional-Employer  yer  • The relationship between a professional and an employer requires ongoing efforts by both parties to keep it strong. • Professionals and employers discuss many job aspects before employment begins.

 

IT Professional-Client • In this relationship, the professional and client each agree to provide something of value to each other. • The IT professional usually provides a hardware or software product and the client provides compensation.

 

IT Professional-Supplier  • IT professionals may have many different relationships with many software, hardware, and service providers. • The IT professional must be on guard to keep the relationships honest and business related.

 

IT Professional-Profe Professional-Professional ssional • Professionals feel a degree of loyalty to other members in the profession. • Professionals help support each other  publicly. • Professionals owe one another an adherence to the profession’s code of  conduct.

 

IT Professional-IT User  •  An IT user is a person for whom the hardware or software is designed. • Professionals a duty understand thehave needs and to capabilities of users. • Professionals have a responsibility to deliver their product or service on time and within budget.

 

IT Professional-Society  – IT professionals develop and support  – IT systems that interact with the world around them.

• The public expects that the members of the IT profession will practice the profession in a way that will not bring harm to society.

 

Codes of Ethics •  A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values essential to the work of a particular  occupational group. •

Code of ethics has two main parts: parts: 1. Aspira Aspirations tions of th the e orga organizat nization ion 2. Rules a and/or nd/or pr princip inciples les for tthe he mem members bers

 

Benefits of a Code of Ethics • Improves ethical decision-making. • Promotes high standards of practice and ethical behavior. • Enhances trust and respect from the general public. • Provides an evaluation benchmark.

 

Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct  •  Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) •  Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) • Computer Society of the Institute of  Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE-CS) • Canadian Information Processing Society –  Society  – CIPS CIPS –   – www.cips.ca www.cips.ca

 

Certification & Licensing • Certification is a process administered administered by a profession or organization that one undertakes voluntarily to prove competency competency a set of is skills. • in Licensing a process generally generally administered by the province that professionals must undertake to prove that they can practice their profession in a way that is ethical and safe to the public.

 

Current IT Certifications • Institute for Certification of  Computing Professionals (ICCP) •  Associate Computing Professional (ACP) • Certified Computing Professional (CCP) •  American Society for Quality Control (ASQC)  18

•

Information Systems Professional (ISP)

 

Legal Overview  • Negligence is the omission to do something which a reasonable person would do, or something which a prudent and reasonable person would not do. • Duty of care refers to the obligation that we not cause any unreasonable harm to others. • Professional malpractice is when a professional breaches breaches duty of care commonly referred to as liability.

 

IT Users  • Common IT users ethical issues:  –  Software piracy.  –  Inappropriate use of computing resources.  –  Inappropriate sharing of  information. 

 

Supporting Ethical Practices of  IT Users

•

Define and limit the appropriate use of IT resources.

• •

Establish guidelines for the use of  company software. Structure information systems to protect

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data and information. Install and maintain a corporate firewall.

 

Summary •  A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values essential to the work of a particular  occupational group. • Licensing and certification of IT professionals would increase reliability and effectiveness of the information systems.