Each culture has a set of rules that determines the boundaries of behavior that is acceptable. These rules are expressed in small statements that all fit together in order to form the moral code that a society lives by. Ethics is a set of beliefs about right and wrong behavior within a society (Reynolds 3). Many ethical concepts are similar or the same across all cultures. But while certain actions such as killing or cheating are considered unethical, opinions about what exactly ethical behavior is can vary wildly. For example, in many places in the middle east women are not allowed to vote. This is common and accepted there as a norm. However, when someone from the United States hears about this it sounds almost unreal due to the fact that some women have seen women voting all of their lives.
People that study ethics come to the decision that ethical decision making is theory based and that those theories can be classified. Virtue ethics is one of these theories and part of the idea behind it is that there are certain virtues that are praiseworthy and appropriate in general or in a certain scenario. Another one of these ethical theories is the natural law theory. Which states that one may discover principles of good and bad which can influence our actions in a way that will lead to human fulfillment. This suggests that humans have the ability within themselves for bringing their potential into fruition. Another ethical theory to think about is consequentialism which involves how right or wrong an action is by judging it by the consequences it produces. A version of consequentialism is utilitarianism which suggests one should act in such a way so that the greatest good is achieved for everyone involved.
Ethics have made quite the impact in the IT environment. There have even been whole organizations who have created their own code of ethics for not only themselves but for those who may be lacking and in need of guidance. One such example of an organization is IEEE. Their first bullet point in their code of ethics says this: they agree “to hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, to strive to comply with ethical design and sustainable development practices, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment”. Another such organization with a code of ethics is ACM and their first ethical principle is: “Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stakeholders in computing”. Without organizations such as these creating codes of ethics for all to read, IT environments may not be as ethical as they are today. IT businesses certainly need ethics, otherwise their employees could leak information, cause security issues, and even perform insider trading.
Citations
Reynolds, George W. Ethics in Information Technology. 5th ed.
“IEEE Code of Ethics.” IEEE - Advancing Technology for Humanity, www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html.
“The Code Affirms an Obligation of Computing Professionals to Use Their Skills for the Benefit of Society.” Association for Computing Machinery, www.acm.org/code-of-ethics.
The Internet of Things is a concept that we brought onto ourselves by simply advancing our technology to the point that we began to need a term that explains exactly how interconnected all of our devices are today. The term deals with any device we have that can connect to the internet such as cellphones, smart watches, and even coffee makers. With the number of devices with internet connections steadily increasing, there will come a time where one would be hard pressed to find an electronic device in their home without one. An analyst firm Gartner says that “by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices”. Anything with that many connections, especially one that humans have direct control over, is going to be extremely influential and important in our society. With all these connections, many new exciting and possibly scary opportunities arise. One example is if the traffic on your current route is really bad, your phone could be able to send a text to whoever you agreed to meet with that you will be late. Another example is that someone who is being stalked could easily have their current location tracked at all times due to their cellphone or smartwatch. So, while the Internet of Things can certainly be used for efficiency and for the betterment of human kinds, there are also some scenarios that we need to look out for and attempt to prevent against.
With the Internet of Things dealing with all things electronic and of course all things internet, it is obvious how much of an impact it can and does have on IT businesses. One direction one could look for an example of how much of an impact is has already had is IEEE. IEEE has its own Internet of Things initiative in which it “serves as a home for the global community of engineering and technology professionals in industry, academia, and government working in related technologies”. ACM has published a journal detailing the Internet of Things in which they “publish novel research contributions and experience reports in several research domains whose synergy and interrelations enable the IoT vision.” Aside from initiatives such as IEEE’s and ACM’s journal, it is clear that the Internet of Things has a large impact on IT businesses due simply to the fact that many IT businesses have incorporated many devices that are connected to the Internet of Things. Obvious devices such as the computers they work on, their servers, and their cellphones. As well as devices that may not be as obvious such as satellites, cameras, and tracking devices. Because of how much the Internet of Things influences IT businesses, those businesses should take care to tread lightly and implement proper security measures in order to maintain the privacy of not only the companies sacred information but also the privacy of their employees.
Citations
Morgan, Jacob. “A Simple Explanation Of 'The Internet Of Things'.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Apr. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#3c282bcc1d09.
“About.” IEEE Internet of Things, iot.ieee.org/about.html.
“ACM TIOT.” ACM Transactions on Internet of Things (TIOT), tiot.acm.org/.
Privacy is defined by Cambridge as “the state of being alone, or the right to keep one’s personal matters and relationship’s secret.” Everyone has their own preference for exactly how much privacy they need for each individual aspect in their life. Some people wish to have complete seclusion from the rest of society by means of living in a cabin in the middle of a forest somewhere with no technology near them whatsoever. Other people could not care less and leave their windows open all the time with their doors unlocked and don’t even put a password on their phone. Privacy is very important because there are many reasons why having a certain level of privacy can lead to success in any one individual or business. Without privacy, secrets can be stolen that would have led to success for that individual or business, such as the Coca-Cola secret recipe.
Due to the value people place on privacy, a few acts have been established in order to protect certain rights to privacy people can have. One such act is the California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003 which requires “commercial operators of online services, including mobile and social apps, which collect personally identifiable information from Californians, to conspicuously post a privacy policy” (Reynolds 65). This basically requires app developers to detail what information is gathered, why it is being gathered, and who the data is being shared with. The purpose of the act is to inform the consumers of how their data is being used in order to let the consumer decide as to whether they wish to continue using the application with the knowledge of how their data is being handled. These app developers could face various fines if the applications they publish are not in line with the published privacy policies that are now required.
Privacy is a major component in the success of various IT businesses. Without privacy, the trade secrets of these businesses could get out and be used by other businesses in attempts to leech their success. There is also the threat and possibility of customer data being stolen (such as bank information) and being used in unethical ways. A titan in the advancement of technology, IEEE, has their own privacy policy which states “IEEE is committed to protecting the privacy of its members, customers, volunteers, and other contacts.” ACM has a similar privacy policy which states “ACM is committed to protecting the privacy of its members and other individuals with whom it interacts.” This shows how important privacy protection is when such influential entities have such detailed and extensive privacy policies. Aside from their requirement to have privacy policies, it is clear that these organizations would have listed their own privacy policies due to how ethical and morally correct they strive to be.
Citations
“Definition of ‘Privacy’ - English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/privacy.
Reynolds, George W. Ethics in Information Technology. 5th ed.
“IEEE Privacy Policy.” IEEE - Advancing Technology for Humanity, www.ieee.org/security-privacy.html.
“ACM Privacy Policy.” Association for Computing Machinery, www.acm.org/privacy-policy.
Intellectual property is defined in Ethics in Information Technology as “a term used to describe works of the mind – such as art, books, films, formulas, inventions, music, and processes – that are distinct and owned or created by a single person or group” (Reynolds 220). Essentially, any original content an entity creates can be classified as intellectual property and can be protected through patent, copyright, or trade secret laws. Patents protect intellectual property when it is in the form of various inventions, copyright law protects works that have authors such as music, books, art, and film, and trade secret law protects information that an organization would need to succeed. Intellectual property is a strong brick in the foundation of an individual or business’s success when it comes to making profit off of an original idea. Without intellectual property protection, ideas can be stolen and used to generate revenue for more unethical businesses and individuals who did not come up with the original idea.
Copyright law guarantees content creators the rights to their ideas and content for only a certain amount of time. If an individual or entity attempts to copy a major part of someone else’s work without permission, they are infringing on the rights of the original owner of that work. An owner of a patent for an invention is permitted to exclude the public from creating, distributing, or copying their protected invention. A patent is considered infringed upon when an individual or entity uses another’s patent without permission. When a copyright infringement occurs, there is a set value of money that is owed. That is not the case with patent infringements, where the patent owner can receive up to three times the amount claimed. The first step in protecting trade secrets is to identify all information that must be protected and then developing a strategy to keep said information secure.
Intellectual property protection is an integral component in the success of various IT businesses. Without intellectual property protection, IT business can have their ideas stolen which will lead to a loss of revenue either partially or possibly even entirely. In the ACM article Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Through Information Policy, Karthik Raman states “an organization’s intellectual property is sometimes its biggest asset.” The truth of this statement is incredibly clear and is shown through examples throughout recent history. One such example is the lawsuit of Magnavox Vs Atari over the rights of the game Pong. The inventor of the Magnavox gaming console, Ralph Baer, claimed that Atari had copied Magnavox’s version of electronic Ping-Pong after Atari released Pong a few months after Atari’s co-founder, Nolan Bushnell, had played Magnavox’s version a few months before. Bushnell settled the lawsuit due to how much the legal costs would have been if they took it to trial. Atari continued to sell Pong to homes and arcades while now paying royalties to Magnavox.
Citations
Reynolds, George W. Ethics in Information Technology. 5th ed.
Raman, Karthik. “Ubiquity: Protecting Intellectual Property Rights through Information Policy.” Acm - an Acm Publication, ubiquity.acm.org/article.cfm?searchterm=AUP&id=1008537.
“11 Times Video Games Led to Lawsuits.” Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 19 Feb. 2014, mentalfloss.com/article/55078/11-times-video-games-led-lawsuits.
Cambridge dictionary defines freedom as “the condition or right of being able or allowed to do whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited”. Most people consider freedom to be an absolute human right, to an extent. What most people envision when they think of freedom is freedom of speech and the ability to go almost anywhere. Complete and total freedom is anarchy and leads to the collapse of whatever society engages in it. Extremely limited freedom is what is observed in countries led by dictatorships and while better than anarchy, life is miserable for those who live under the dictator’s rule. Time and time again history has shown that the best way to implement freedom is to let people have most freedom but restrict it in some respects. Freedom can be an amazing concept when properly executed, and absolutely devastating to a society when executed wrongly.
There have been a few regulations put into place in order to limit the total amount of freedom Americans have overall. One such type of freedom is the freedom of expression, one of the most debated freedoms we enjoy today. An example of one such regulation is the Child Online Protection Act, or COPA. COPA states that “whoever knowingly and with knowledge of the character of the material, in interstate or foreign commerce by means of the World Wide Web, makes any communication for commercial purposes that is available to any minor and that includes any material that is harmful to minors shall be fined not more than $50,000, imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both” (Reynolds 185). Many would agree that such a regulation is morally correct and necessary in a society that is driven by technology as much as it is today.
Due to how fast information travels over the internet via the Internet of Things, it is clear that various regulations must be put into effect in order to control some of the data flow so that some data does not end up in the hands of someone who should not have it. Some of these regulations intentionally and inadvertently affect various IT businesses across the world. One such regulation is the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act, or CAN-SPAM. This act “specifies requirements that commercial emailers must follow when sending messages that have a primary purpose to advertise or promote a commercial product or service” (Reynolds 196). This affects all business who wish to have a foothold in the advertisement department via emailing services. A business simply cannot spam a person with emails without following the guidelines listed in CAN-SPAM lest they face legal repercussions. Due to regulations such as CAN-SPAM, IT businesses need to be aware of all of the regulations that apply to them and take care not to step outside the bounds that the regulations have set.
Citations
“Definition of ‘Freedom’ - English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/freedom.
Reynolds, George W. Ethics in Information Technology. 5th ed.