information ethics examples

by Rhiannon Yost 10 min read

Plato's discussion in the Republic (2000) of the advisability of censoring the poets, and John Stuart Mill's (1983) defense of liberty of thought and expression are two obvious examples. The label 'information ethics' itself, however, has a shorter history.

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What are some real life examples of ethics?

Mar 26, 2020 · Ethical challenges facing the tech industry include issues in areas such as security, privacy, ownership, accuracy and control; for example, the question of whether a tech company has a duty to protect its customers' identities and personal information is an example of an ethical challenge relating to security and privacy. Some of these ethical issues are defined by …

What is ethical information?

Mar 24, 2022 · For example, a company may practice strong information ethics by using technology that effectively blocks hackers from breaching servers and capturing bank and credit card information collected when fulfilling customer orders. By blocking that access, the company upholds the ethical and moral responsibility to protect the information entrusted to them by …

What are the ethics in Information Technology?

Information ethics is concerned with ethical, legal and societal aspects of using information and information and communication technologies. Since 1997, UNESCO has initiated a series of initiatives to address the ethical dimensions of the information society that is one of the action lines of the WSIS Action Plan for which UNESCO is responsible.

What are the ethical issues of Information Technology?

contributors to a broader information ethics. Discussion of information ethics in the discourse of information science has tended to grow out of discussion of the ethics of librarianship. But media and press ethics, computer and Internet ethics, and also the ethics of governance and business concern themselves with, amongst other issues,

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What is information ethics?

Information ethics is a field of applied ethics that addresses the uses and abuses of information, information technology, and information systems for personal, professional, and public decision making. For example, is it okay to download someone else's intellectual property like pictures or music?

What are ethical dilemmas?

Ethical dilemmas also arise in the course of professional activities. When individuals adopt professional roles, they assume obligations beyond and sometimes in conflict with their personal beliefs. Librarians who order

How long does copyright last?

In law, the United States has extended the period of copyright protection, once fourteen years after publication, to seventy years after the author's death, seriously restricting the creation of derivative works. The Internet hosts a dynamic evolution of morals, ethics, and laws related to information ownership and use.

Which amendment protects freedom of speech?

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from making laws "abridging the freedom of speech or of the press." The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19, begins "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression." These declarations codify ethical principles that recognize the value of expressing multiple points of view.

Who is Lawrence Lessig?

Lawrence Lessig (2001) has written and spoken extensively about the intellectual and creative commons. In 2002, Lessig and others founded Creative Commons (http://www.creativecommons.org), "devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others to build upon and share.".

Is freedom of speech a fundamental right?

But freedom of speech, while widely recognized as a fundamental right, remain s controversial in detail and execution. Because members of a pluralistic society may hold different values, there are frequent conflicts about what information should be publicly available and what information should not be.

What was Gutenberg's invention?

The Historical Context. In the mid-fifteenth century, Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the movable type printing press altered the parameters of information access and control and began to change the world.

What is information ethics?

Information Ethics. The exponential impact of emerging technologies on the daily lives of citizens can not be under estimated as more and more people around the world interact with information and communication technology and generate and acquire information. Information ethics is concerned with ethical, legal and societal aspects ...

What is the role of UNESCO?

UNESCO is playing a leading role to sensitize different stakeholders on the ethical dimension of the use of Artificial intelligence and reflection on challenges to be addressed and the development of its use in furthering inclusive equitable knowledge societies.

What are the ethical issues in information technology?

Some of the major ethical issues faced by Information Technology (IT) are: 1. Personal Privacy 2. Access Right 3. Harmful Actions 4. Patents 5. Copyright 6. Trade Secrets 7.

What is information technology?

Information Technology specifies to the components that are used to store, fetch and manipulate the information at the minimum level with the server having an operating system. Information Technology have a wide area of applications in education, business, health, industries, banking sector and scientific research at a large level. With the leading advancement in information technology, it is necessary to have the knowledge of security issues, privacy issues and main negative impacts of IT. To deal with these issues in IT society it is important to find out the ethical issues.

Why is piracy important?

These are explained with their affects as following below: It is an important aspect of ethical issues in information technology. IT facilitates the users having their own hardware, operating system and software tools to access the servers that are connected to each other and to the users by a network.

Why is trade secret important?

Trade secrets is also a significant ethical issue in information technology. A trade secret secures something of value and usefulness. This law protects the private aspects of ideas which is known only to the discover or his confidants. Once disclosed, trade secret is lost as such and is only protected by the law for trade secrets.

What is a copyright breach?

In many countries, copyright legislation is amended or revised to provide explicit laws to protect computer programs. Trade secrets is also a significant ethical issue in information technology.

Why is it important to have a patent?

A patent can preserve the unique and secret aspect of an idea. Obtaining a patent is very difficult as compared with obtaining a copyright. A thorough disclosure is required with the software. The patent holder has to reveal the full details of a program to a proficient programmer for building a program. Copyright:

Is a trade secret protected by law?

Once disclosed, trade secret is lost as such and is only protected by the law for trade secrets. The application of trade secret law is very broad in the computer range, where even a slight head start in the advancement of software or hardware can provide a significant competitive influence. Liability:

What are some examples of ethical behavior?

Examples of ethical behaviors in the workplace includes; obeying the company's rules, effective communication, taking responsibility, accountability, professionalism, trust and mutual respect for your colleagues at work. These examples of ethical behaviors ensures maximum productivity output at work.

What is the definition of ethics in the workplace?

Workplace ethics are the set of values, moral principles, and standards that need to be followed by both employers and employees in the workplace. It is the set of rules and regulations that need to be followed by all staff of the workplace.

Why is it important to communicate effectively?

Communicate Effectively. Effective communication is very important to avoid misunderstandings when dealing with issues in the workplace. Communicating effectively may mean different things to people at different points in time.

What is workplace ethics?

Workplace ethics are a dynamic set of values that vary with people and their definition of a workplace. For some, it is a physical office they go to every day, while others, their home office. It doesn't matter whether you work from home or commute to work everyday, workplace ethic is required to build a successful career.

Why is it important to have good relationships with coworkers?

Developing professional relationships with coworkers or other professionals outside the workplace will also directly or indirectly improve productivity.

Why is lying bad?

Lying is a trait that is detested in and outside the workplace. It kills trust, affects relationships and may even put people in trouble. There are different situations where employees lie in the workplace—with just one lie opening the floor for many others.

What are professional standards?

Professionalism/Standards. There are professional standards that everything an employee does in the workplace. The use of informal words in a formal workplace is highly unprofessional. These standards should be held high and applied to every part of an employee's activity in the workplace.

Why do we need professional ethics?

In a broader sense, we need professional ethics because of the impact that our actions have on society as a whole. If you’re an IT professional and not familiar with one of the codes of ethics or standards of conduct for the profession, consider taking the time to read one or more of them.

What are the three codes of conduct?

Specific guidance stems from these general principles. Some common commitments between the three codes are to: 1 Maintain technical competence 2 Avoid injury to others, their property, reputation, or employment 3 Reject bribes, kickbacks, etc.

What are some examples of ethics?

Some Examples of ethics and morals Are truth, not cheating, being generous and loyal, altruism and solidarity. Daily, we have problems Ethical and moral ; These two elements define the personality, the attitude and the behavior of a person. Often, the terms"ethics"and"morality"are confused and used as synonyms; However, ...

What is transparency in ethics?

Transparency is an ethical principle that relates to honesty. For example, if it is your job to interview a friend to offer a job and give him the job even though he does not meet the requirements, your procedure will not be transparent but biased.

Where does the word "moral" come from?

The word"ethics"comes from the Greek Ethikos, Which means character; While the word"moral"comes from the Greek word Mos, Which means custom. In other words, moral behavior responds to a set of customs established by a group of individuals, while ethical behavior is defined by the character of an individual.

What is the branch of philosophy that is responsible for studying the principles that govern the conduct of an individual?

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that is responsible for studying the principles that govern the conduct of an individual. Ethical principles depend on the situation in which a person encounters and varies from one individual to another.

What is morality in religion?

Examples of morals. Morality refers to a group's cultural and religious beliefs, which determine what is right and what is wrong. Morality offers a set of rules as to what is right or right for any situation. In this sense, it can be said that what is considered morally correct is not always objectively correct.

What does it mean to not kill?

In Christianity, one of the commandments of God's law is"you shall not kill." This means we must respect the lives of other people, as well as ours. It should be noted that there are cases, as in euthanasia, in which this principle generates conflicts.

What is the moral value of generosity?

Generosity is a moral value that refers to the ability of human beings to share what they have, not only material possessions but also immaterial aspects such as joy and optimism.

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The Historical Context

Key Ethical Themes

  • From the perspective of information ethics, there are five important themes to be considered: community, ownership, access, privacy, and security (COAPS; see Figure 1). As a framework, the COAPS themes help to guide ethical analysis and aid the discovery of underlying conflicts, as illustrated by ethical questions that have emerged since the mid-tw...
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Community

  • In an 1813 letter, Thomas Jeffersondistinguished goods that are lessened and ideas that are multiplied when shared: The distinction has become increasingly salient over time. Future creative work builds on past creative work. All branches of science have flourished since the Royal Society of London first published the Philosophical Transactionsin 1765, establishing a creative commo…
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Ownership

  • Modern technology, practice, and law allow tight control over the communication of and access to ideas, threatening the creative commons and future creative works. For example, while Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist (1837) exists in the public domain, digital rights management technology allows a publisher to prevent a buyer from sharing, copying, or printing the e-book version, a leve…
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Access

  • The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from making laws "abridging the freedom of speechor of the press." The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19, begins "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression." These declarations codify ethical principles that recognize the value of expressing multiple points of view. But freedom of speech…
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Privacy and Security

  • Competing values and interests in public policy and government activities also lead to ethical tensions. Terrorist attacks, whether in Madrid, London, Tel Aviv, Kashmir, Tokyo, or New York, place governments in unfamiliar ethical territories as they develop responses in the form of new laws, policies, and programs that are in turn subject to the critical appraisal of civil liberties and …
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Information Ethics in Popular Culture

  • Fiction and films frequently illustrate information ethical dilemmas, illuminating significant points that may not be apparent in everyday life. The entertainment value of emphasizing particular dilemmas and their consequences in fictional settings does not reduce the value of ethical exploration by way of popular culture. Machines have long mimicked and extended human physi…
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Professional Ethics

  • Ethical dilemmas also arise in the course of professional activities. When individuals adopt professional roles, they assume obligations beyond and sometimes in conflict with their personal beliefs. Librarians who order only books and materials supporting their political views about capital punishment are not exercising their professional obligations to build balanced collection…
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Future Prospects For Information Ethics

  • The published literature of information ethics intertwines with other areas of applied ethics such as computer ethics, cyberethics, journalism, communications, and media ethics, image ethics, Internet ethics, engineering ethics, and business ethics, reflecting its broad philosophical underpinnings and practical applications far beyond academia. Information ethics contributes t…
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Bibliography

  • Brin, David. (1998). The Transparent Society.Reading, MA: Perseus Books. Floridi, Luciano. (1999). "Information Ethics: On the Theoretical Foundations of Computer Ethics." Ethics and Information Technology1(1): 37–56. Hauptman, Robert. (1988). Ethical Challenges in Librarianship.Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. Hauptman, Robert, ed. (1992). Journal of Information Ethics.Jefferson, NC: Mac…
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