4.1 © 2007 by Prentice Hall 4 Chapter Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.2 © 2007 by Prentice Hall LEARNING OBJECTIVES Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems Analyze the relationships among ethical, social, and political issues that are raised by information systems. Identify the main moral dimensions of an information society and specific principles for conduct that can be used to guide ethical decisions. Evaluate the impact of contemporary information systems and the Internet on the protection of individual privacy and intellectual property. Assess how information systems have affected everyday life.

4.3 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Does Location Tracking Threaten Privacy? Problem: New opportunities from new technology and need for greater security. Solutions: Redesigning business processes and products to support location monitoring increases sales and security. Deploying GPS and RFID tracking devices with a location tracking database enables location monitoring. Demonstrates IT’s role in creating new opportunities for improved business performance Illustrates how technology can be a double-edged sword by providing benefits such as increased sales and security while compromising privacy. Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.4 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems A model for thinking about ethical, social, and political issues Five moral dimensions of the information age Information rights and obligations Property rights and obligations Accountability and control System quality Quality of life Key technology trends that raise ethical issues Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.5 © 2007 by Prentice Hall The Relationship Between Ethical, Social, and Political Issues in an Information Society Figure 4-1 The introduction of new information technology has a ripple effect, raising new ethical, social, and political issues that must be dealt with on the individual, social, and political levels. These issues have five moral dimensions: information rights and obligations, property rights and obligations, system quality, quality of life, and accountability and control. Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems

4.6 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems Understanding Ethical and Social Issues Related to Systems Read the Interactive Session: Management, and then discuss the following questions: Do data brokers pose an ethical dilemma? Explain your answer. What are the problems caused by the proliferation of data brokers? What management, organization, and technology factors are responsible for these problems? How effective are existing solutions to these problems? Should the U.S. federal government regulate private data brokers? Why or why not? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Data for Sale

4.7 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Basic concepts: responsibility, accountability, reliability Ethical analysis Candidate ethical principles Professional codes of conduct Some real-world ethical dilemmas Ethics in an Information Society Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.8 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Information rights: Privacy and freedom in the Internet Age The European directive on data protection Internet challenges to privacy Technical solutions Property rights: Intellectual property Trade secrets Copyright Patents Challenges to intellectual property rights The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.9 © 2007 by Prentice Hall The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems How Cookies Identify Web Visitors Figure 4-3 Cookies are written by a Web site on a visitor’s hard drive. When the visitor returns to that Web site, the Web server requests the ID number from the cookie and uses it to access the data stored by that server on that visitor. The Web site can then use these data to display personalized information.

4.10 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Accountability, liability, and control Computer-related liability problems System quality: Data quality and system errors Quality of life: Equity, access, and boundaries Balancing power: Center versus periphery Rapidity of change: Reduced response time to competition Maintaining boundaries: Family, work, and leisure Dependence and vulnerability The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.11 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Quality of life: Equity, access, and boundaries (cont’d) Computer crime and abuse Employment: Trickle-down technology and reengineering job loss Equity and access: Increasing racial and social class cleavages Health risks: RSI, CVS, and Technostress The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

4.12 © 2007 by Prentice Hall The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems The Spamming Problem Figure 4-5 This figure shows the major types of products and services hawked through spam messages and the industries that receive the most spam.

4.13 © 2007 by Prentice Hall Read the Interactive Session: Organizations, and then discuss the following questions: Does use of the Internet by children and teenagers pose an ethical dilemma? Why or why not? Should parents restrict use of the Internet by children or teenagers? Why or why not? The Internet: Friend or Foe to Children? Management Information Systems Chapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems