Information Systems Ethics IS 460 Notes by Thomas Hilton

Definition of Ethics Business Ethics Gaming Ethics Rules of right conduct in business IS Ethics: Rules of right conduct in IS

Business Ethics Role of Business in Society Ethical Decision-Making Ethical Leadership Corporate Governance

Misconceptions About IS Ethics Not different from other business ethics Not relative to the individual (consensual) Not the same as getting caught Not security Not law Not conscience Not common sense

Basic Duties of IS Ethics Order: filling agreed-upon role(s) Cooperation: helping (or not hindering) others to fulfill their proper role Improvement: continually improving goods, services, or their production Trust: Giving one's best efforts to achieving agreed-upon goals

The Domain of IS Ethics Information Systems Components Information, hardware, software, procedures, people, data Information Systems Actions Access Use Creation Destruction

When Duties Conflict Bentham's Law (legitimized by John Stuart Mill) Seek the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number Whats good? Who counts in the greatest number? Subject to abuse Use only in context of the Four Duties

How Computers Remove Barriers to Unethical Behavior Location Time Power Separation

How to Make an Ethical Decision 1. 1.Is it an IS issue? 2. 2.What are feasible responses? 3. 3.Which duties does each response fulfill/neglect? 4. 4.Resolve conflicts among duties? Carry out the most ethical response Although doing nothing is a legitimate alternative, dont succumb to Analysis Paralysis

The Other Half of the Story Knowing ethics rules isnt enough. We must choose to behave ethically.

How to Develop a Good Attitude Toward Ethical Behavior? Albert Banduras Social Learning Theory… 1. 1.Introduce a credible model 2. 2.Have the model demonstrate the desired behavior 3. 3.Show the model being rewarded for engaging in the behavior 4. 4.Repeat steps 1-3 often

Is Such Manipulation Ethical? Very good question… We can do this consciously/deliberately to ourselves Our actions very likely contribute to others attitudes

Ethics Issues in IS Honesty Competence End User Issues Professional Issues Other Stakeholder Issues

End User Issues A la Mason, 1986… Privacy Accuracy Property Access

Professional Issues Developer (errors, controls, etc.) Team (interpersonal relations, overtime, resources, etc.) Managerial (vendor relations, management relations, project management)

Other Stakeholder Issues Regulation Legislation Professional Society Participation