Week 2 Project

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Ethical and Social Issues of IS

(http://www.us-cert.gov/)

(http://www.dhs.gov/national- strategy-secure-cyberspace)

Computer technology has some negative effects even though IT is a source of wealth and ef�ciency. Some ethical challenges have to be faced when maintaining the delicate balance between ethics and leveraging the best that IT has to offer. Ethics refers to the principles of right and wrong that can be used by individuals to make choices guiding their behavior. Developments in IS are causing ripples in the calm pond of information society. Five moral dimensions when combined with an ethics policy statement can provide guidance for appropriate decision-making in corporations. They are:

Individual Information Rights: explains the corporate privacy and due process policies.

Property Rights: clari�es how the corporation will treat the property rights of software owners.

System Quality: identi�es the methodologies and quality standards to be achieved.

Quality of Life: identi�es corporate policies on family, computer crime, decision making, vulnerability, job loss, and health risks.

Accountability and Control: clari�es who is responsible and accountable for corporate information.

Now let us explore each one in detail.

Individual Information Rights

Privacy is the right of individuals to be alone, free from surveillance or interference from other individuals, organizations, or the state.

Fair information practices are a set of principles, originally proposed in 1973, which governs the collection and use of information about individuals. These practices form the basis of most U.S. and European Privacy Laws.

To coordinate efforts to protect the computer infrastructure of the U.S., the U.S. Federal government has formed United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). US-CERT is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the public and private sectors. US-CERT coordinates defense against and responses to cyber attacks across the nation.

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