Professional Ethics for IT (Chapter 2)

Ethics in Information Technology
Chapter 2
Ethics for IT Professionals and IT Users

IT Professionals
Profession is a calling that requires
-Specialized knowledge
-Long and intensive academic preparation

Are IT Workers Professionals?
Partial list of IT specialists
Programmers
Systems analysts
Software engineers
Database administrators
Local area network (LAN) administrators
Chief information officers (CIOs)

Are IT Workers Professionals?
Legal perspective
IT workers are not recognized as professionals
Not licensed
IT workers are not liable for malpractice

Professional Relationships That Must Be Managed
IT professionals have many different relationships with:
-Employers
-Clients
-Suppliers
-Other professionals
-IT users
-Society at large



Relationships Between IT Professionals and Employers
IT professionals must set an example and enforce policies regarding the ethical use of IT
Software piracy is the act of illegally making copies of software or enabling others to access software to which they are not entitled
Software piracy is an area in which IT professionals can be tempted to violate laws and policies
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a trade group that represents the world’s largest software and hardware manufacturers
Its mission is to stop the unauthorized copying of software produced by its members

Members of Business Software Alliance (as of July 2005)


















Trade secret
Information used in business
Generally unknown to the public
Company has taken strong measures to keep confidential
Whistle-blowing
Attracts attention to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or dangerous act that threatens the public interest
Relationships Between IT Professionals and Clients
IT professional provides
Hardware, software, or services at a certain cost and within a given time frame


Client provides
-Compensation
-Access to key contacts
-Work space
Relationship is usually documented in contractual terms

Ethical problems arise if a company recommends its own products and services to remedy problems they have detected
A company is unable to provide full and accurate reporting of a project’s status

Legal Overview: Fraud, Misrepresentation, and Breach of Contract
Fraud
Crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or trickery
Fraud is proven in court
Breach of contract
One party fails to meet the terms of a contract

IT projects are joint efforts in which vendors and customers work together
Difficult to assign blame
Relationships Between IT Professionals and Suppliers
Develop good relationships with suppliers
Deal fairly with them
Do not make unreasonable demands
Bribery
Providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or government to obtain a business advantage
U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) makes it a crime to bribe a foreign official, a foreign political party official, or a candidate for foreign political office

Bribery
At what point does a gift become a bribe?
No gift should be hidden
Perceptions of donor and recipient can differ



Distinguishing Between a Bribe and a Gift




















Relationships Between IT Professionals and Other Professionals
Professionals owe each other adherence to a profession’s code of conduct
Ethical problems between members of the IT profession
Résumé inflation
Inappropriate sharing of corporate information
Relationships Between IT Professionals and IT Users
IT user is a person for whom a hardware or software product is designed
IT professionals’ duty
Understand users’ needs and capabilities
Deliver products and services that best meet those needs
Establish an environment that supports ethical behavior by users
Relationships Between IT Professionals and Society
Actions of an IT professional can affect society

The Ethical Behavior of IT Professionals
Corporations are taking actions to ensure good business ethics among employees

Professional Codes of Ethics
A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values that are essential to the work of a particular occupational group
Main parts:
Outlines what the professional organization aspires to become
Lists rules and principles by which members of the organization are expected to abide

Benefits for individual, profession, and society
Improves ethical decision making
Promotes high standards of practice and ethical behavior
Enhances trust and respect from the general public
Provides an evaluation benchmark

Professional Organizations
No universal code of ethics for IT professionals
No single, formal organization of IT professionals has emerged as preeminent
Most prominent organizations include:
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE-CS)
Project Management Institute (PMI)

Certification
Indicates a professional possesses a particular set of skills, knowledge, or abilities in the opinion of a certifying organization
Can also apply to products
Generally voluntary
Carries no requirement to adhere to a code of ethics

Vendor certifications
Some certifications substantially improve IT workers’ salaries and career prospects
Relevant for narrowly defined roles
Or certain aspects of broader roles
Require passing a written exam
Workers are commonly recertified as newer technologies become available

Industry association certifications
Require a certain level of experience and a broader perspective than vendor certifications
Lag in developing tests that cover new technologies

Government Licensing
Generally administered at the state level in the United States
Case for licensing IT professionals
Encourage IT professionals to follow the highest standards of the profession
Practice a code of ethics
Violators would be punished

Issues associated with government licensing of IT professionals

There are few international or national licensing programs for IT professionals
No universally accepted core body of knowledge
Unclear who should manage content and administration of licensing exams
No administrative body to accredit professional education programs
No administrative body to assess and ensure competence of individual professionals


IT Professional Malpractice
Negligence has been defined as not doing something that a reasonable man would do, or doing something that a reasonable man would not do
Duty of care refers to the obligation to protect people against any unreasonable harm or risk
Courts consistently reject attempts to sue individual parties for computer-related malpractice
IT Users
Employees’ ethical use of IT is an area of growing concern


Common Ethical Issues for IT Users
Software piracy
Inappropriate use of computing resources
Inappropriate sharing of information
Private data
Confidential information



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
Manager’s Checklist of Items to Consider when Establishing an IT Usage Policy

Summary
A professional from a legal standpoint
Has passed the state licensing requirements
Has earned the right to practice there
IT professionals have many different relationships
Each with its own set of ethical issues and potential problems
Professional code of ethics
States the principles and core values essential to the work of an occupational group
Licensing and certification of IT professionals
Many people feel that certification will increase the reliability and effectiveness of information systems
Raises many issues
IT-related professional organizations have developed a code of ethics
IT usage policy defines appropriate and inappropriate IT user behavior