Common Ethical Issues for IT users.

This section discusses a few common ethical issues for IT users. Additional ethical issues will be discussed in future chapters. 

Software piracy  

Is the illegal copying, disturbing, sharing, selling or use of software, whether intentional or not.

    Examples

•       Counterfeiting: duplicating and selling unauthorized copies of software.

•       Soft lifting: purchasing a single licensed copy of the software and loading it on several machines.

•       Hard-disk loading: selling computers pre-loaded with illegal software.

    Inappropriate Use of Computing Resources

•       Some employees use their computers to surf popular. Websites have nothing to do with their jobs. Particularly in chat rooms, viewing pornographic sites, and playing computer games. These activities eat away at worker productivity and waste time. Furthermore, activities such as viewing sexually explicit materials, sharing lewd jokes, and sending hate emails could lead to lawsuits and allegations that a company allowed a work environment conducive to racial or sexual harassment.

    Inappropriate Sharing of Information

•     Every organization stores vast amounts of information that can be classified as either private or confidential. Private data describe individual employees- for example, their salary information, attendance data, health records, and performance ratings, private data also includes information about customers’ credit card information, telephone number, home address, and so on. Confidential information describes a company and its operation including sales and promotion plans and staffing projections, manufacturing processes, product formulas, tactical and strategic plans, and research development.

    Supporting the Ethical Practices of IT Users

        Supporting the Ethical Practices of IT Users Policies that protect against abuses:

    -   Establish boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior

    -   Enable management to punish violators.

    Policy components include:

    - Defining and limiting the appropriate use of IT resources

    - Establishing guidelines for use of company software 

    - Structuring information systems to protect data and information

    - Installing and maintaining a corporate firewall

    Establishing Guidelines For the Use of Company Software

•      Company IT managers must provide clear rules that govern the use of home computers and associated software. Some companies negotiate contracts with software manufacturers and provide PCs and software so that IT users can work at home. Other companies help employees buy hardware and software at corporate discount rates. The goal should be to ensure that employees have legal copies of all the software they need to be effective, regardless of whether they work in an office, on the road, or at home.

    Defining the Appropriate Use of IT Resources

    •     Companies must develop, Communicate, and enforce written guidelines that encourage employees to respect corporate IT resources and use them to enhance their job performance. Effective guidelines allow some level of personal use while prohibiting employees from visiting objecti0nable internet sites or using company email to send offensive or harassing messages.

    Structuring Information Systems to protect Data and Information

•     Organizations must implement systems and procedures that limit data access to just those employees who need it. Furthermore, they should be prohibited from accessing data about research and development results, product formulas, and staffing projections if they don’t need it to do their jobs.

     Installing and Maintaining a Corporate Firewall

•       A Firewall is a hardware or software device that serves as a barrier between an organization’s network and the internet; a firewall also limits access to the company’s network based on the organization’s internet usage policy.

    Compliance

•       Compliance is the state of being in accordance with established guidelines or specifications or the process of becoming so.