Security & Ethical Challenges

Management Information Systems

M. Muzaffar Zahoor

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Objectives

Identify ethical issues in how the use of information technologies in business affects employment, individuality, working conditions, privacy, crime, health, and solutions to societal problems.

Ethical Responsibility of Business Professionals

To promote ethical use of information technology in workplace.

To make decisions about business activities and use of IT under consideration of ethical dimensions.

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Ethical Responsibility of Business Professionals(continued)

Business Ethics Managers must confront numerous ethical

questions concerned with Business Ethics. Basic categories of ethical issues

Intellectual property rights. Consumer & employee privacy. Security of company information. Workplace safety

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Technology Ethics Another important ethical dimension Four principles serve as basic ethical

dimension Proportionality:

Good must outweigh any harm or risk Must be no alternative that achieves the same or

comparable benefits with less harm or risk

Ethical Responsibility of Business Professionals(continued)

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Technology Ethics (continued) Informed consent

Those affected should understand and accept the risks

Justice Benefits and burdens of technology should be

distributed fairly Minimized Risk

Even if judged acceptable by the other three guidelines, the technology must be implemented so as to avoid all unnecessary risk

Ethical Responsibility of Business Professionals(continued)

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Ethical Guidelines Business and IS professionals should

follows: Acting with integrity. Increasing your professional competence. Setting high standards of personal performance. Accepting responsibility for your work. Advancing the health, privacy and general

welfare of the public.

Ethical Responsibility of Business Professionals(continued)

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Computer Crime

Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) definition includes The unauthorized use, access,

modification, and destruction of hardware, software, data, or network resources

Unauthorized release of information

Unauthorized copying of software

Who commits computer crime?

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Hacking The obsessive use of

computers, or the unauthorized access and use of networked computer systems

Cyber Theft Involves unauthorized

network entry and the fraudulent alteration of computer databases

Computer CrimeList of Top 20 Countries with the highest

rate of Cybercrime (source: Business Week/Symantec

Source: http://www.enigmasoftware.com/top-20-countries-the-most-cybercrime/

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Computer Crime (continued)

Unauthorized use at work Also called time and resource theft May range from doing private

consulting or personal finances, to playing video games, to unauthorized use of the Internet on company networks

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Computer Crime (continued)

Theft of intellectual property Other forms of

intellectual property covered by copyright laws Music, videos and

images Articles & books Other written works

Software Piracy Unauthorized

copying of software Software is

intellectual property protected by copyright law and user licensing agreements

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Computer Crime (continued)

Computer viruses and worms Virus

A program that cannot work without being inserted into another program

Worm A distinct program that can run unaided

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Computer Crime (continued)

Adware and Spyware Adware

A software serve useful and fulfilling function that allows internet advertisers to display advertisements as banners and pop-up ads without consent of the computer user.

Collects information about the user for website owner.

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Computer Crime (continued)

Adware and Spyware (continued) Spyware

Special class of Adware Any software that utilize user’s Internet

connection in the background without their knowledge and explicit permission.

Collects address, internet surfing habits to credit card, user name, passwords and other personal information.

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Privacy Issues

IT makes it technically and economically feasible to collect, store, integrate, interchange, and retrieve data and information quickly and easily. Benefit – increases efficiency and

effectiveness But, may also have a negative effect on

individual’s right to privacy

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Privacy Issues (continued)

Privacy on the Internet Users of the Internet are

highly visible and open to violations of privacy

Unsecured with no real rules Cookies capture information

about you every time you visit a site

That information may be sold to third parties

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Privacy Issues (continued)

Privacy on the Internet (continued) Protect your privacy by

Encrypting your messages Post to newsgroups through anonymous

remailers Ask your ISP not to sell your information to

mailing list providers and other marketers Decline to reveal personal data and interests

online

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Privacy Issues (continued)

Privacy laws Attempt to enforce the privacy of

computer-based files and communications

Electronic Communications Privacy Act Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

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Privacy Issues (continued)

Computer Libel and Censorship The opposite side of the privacy debate

Right to know (freedom of information) Right to express opinions (freedom of

speech) Right to publish those opinions (freedom of

the press) Spamming (un solicited e-mails) Flaming (vulgar e-mails)

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Other Challenges

Employment New jobs have been created and

productivity has increased, yet there has been a significant reduction in some types of jobs as a result of IT.

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Other Challenges (continued)

Computer Monitoring Concerns workplace privacy

Monitors individuals, not just work Is done continually. May be seen as violating

workers’ privacy & personal freedom Workers may not know that they are being

monitored or how the information is being used

May increase workers’ stress level May rob workers of the dignity of their work

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Other Challenges (continued)

Working Conditions IT has eliminated

many monotonous, obnoxious tasks, but has created others

Individuality Computer-based

systems criticized as impersonal systems that dehumanize and depersonalize activities

Regimentation

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Health Issues

Job stress Muscle damage Eye strain Radiation exposure Accidents Some solutions

Ergonomics (human factors engineering) Goal is to design healthy work environments

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Societal Solutions

Internet and other information technologies can have many beneficial effects on society. Use of information technology in: Medical diagnosis Computer-assisted instruction Governmental program planning Environmental quality control Law enforcement

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THANK YOU