1 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

2 Technology in Action Technology in Focus: Information Technology Ethics Information Technology Ethics Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

3 Ethics Defined Study of morals and moral choices Match established ideas of right and wrong Fairness Equity Guidelines for decision making Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

4 Ethics Defined Systems of ethical conduct – –Moral relativism – –Situational ethics – –Religious traditions Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

5 Personal Ethics Checklist of personal decisions May be well defined May be applied inconsistently Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

6 Personal Ethics How do personal ethics develop? – –Family and cultural bias – –Religious affiliation – –Life experiences Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

7 Define Your Personal Ethics Describe yourself List your beliefs Identify external influences Consider “why” Prepare a statement of values Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

8 Personal Ethics Benefits of ethical living – –Obeying laws – –Less stress and anger – –Increased happiness Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9 Personal Ethics in the World View Do your ethics match those of the workplace? Are your ethics away from work a concern for your employer? Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

10 Technology and Ethics Technology is all around us. Technology moves quickly. Rules governing technology move more slowly. Use of technology is left up to personal ethics. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

11 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 are used to inform employees of ethics policies. Your personal ethics must guide your decisions concerning technology. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

12 Social Justice: Can Technology Be Used to Benefit Everyone? Can we use technology to achieve social justice? Can we apply technology in poor areas? – –Solar energy – –Genetic engineering – –Internet access Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 work? – –How much copyrighted material is being used? – –What is the effect on the original material? Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

16 Intellectual Property: What Is Fair About Fair Use? Point: Liberal Fair Use Standards Are Beneficial – –Encourage wide dissemination of information – –Allow the most democratic, free society – –Existing laws not up to date with technology Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

19 Privacy: Is Personal Privacy a Casualty of the Modern Age? Point: Protect Personal Privacy – –No reason for monitoring – –Government misuse of data – –Government control of population – –National ID cards reminiscent of Nazis – –Expense of privacy controls Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 – –Helps enhance detection of terrorists – –Protects citizens from being abused – –National ID card worth the cost Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

21 Commerce: Should Online Gambling Be Banned or Regulated? Multi-billion dollar industry Already illegal in United States Facilitates addictive gambling Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 to prohibit Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 – –Huge market potential in China Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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? Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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. – –Staying in China advances the slow progress toward democracy. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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 a better alternative Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

31 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Technology in Focus 2 31