Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

This chapter explores the ethical, social, and political issues related to information systems. It highlights how IS can lead to ethical dilemmas, privacy concerns, and social implications. With the widespread use of digital technologies, ethical decision-making becomes increasingly important, and companies must address issues like data privacy, security, and intellectual property rights.

Key Points

1. Understanding Ethical, Social, and Political Issues in IS:
   • Information systems raise significant ethical questions that impact individuals and society, especially regarding data privacy, security, and access to information.
   • As IS use grows, organizations face political and social pressures to protect users' rights and ensure fair usage of data.
2. Ethical and Social Challenges in a Digital Age:
   • Ethical challenges arise with the collection and use of personal data, as IS make it easier to gather, analyze, and share vast amounts of information.
   • Social issues include the potential for job displacement due to automation and concerns about the digital divide, where not everyone has equal access to technology.
3. Moral Dimensions of IS:
   • This section discusses ethical principles like accountability, responsibility, and liability.
   • Key moral dimensions include:
     • Information rights and obligations – Who owns the information, and who can access it?
     • Property rights – Protecting intellectual property in a digital environment.
     • Accountability and control – Holding individuals and organizations accountable for the systems they create.
     • System quality – Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of information.
     • Quality of life – Addressing how technology impacts people's lives, such as by monitoring and reducing negative effects on mental health.
4. Data Privacy and Security Concerns:
   • Information systems create extensive digital footprints, raising privacy issues for individuals as companies can track, analyze, and sometimes misuse personal data.
   • Security concerns involve unauthorized access to data, hacking, and breaches that put both individuals and businesses at risk.
5. Ethical Guidelines and Regulations:
   • Various frameworks guide ethical decision-making in IS, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, which sets standards for data privacy.
   • Companies are increasingly held to ethical standards by customers, regulators, and other stakeholders, who expect responsible handling of data and protection against breaches.

Examples

• Example 1: Facebook-Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal:

  In 2018, it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had used data from millions of Facebook profiles without consent to target voters with political ads. This incident highlighted the risks of large-scale data misuse and led to increased scrutiny of data privacy practices.

• Example 2: Google Street View Privacy Issues:

  Google faced lawsuits when it was found that its Street View cars collected personal data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks as they photographed streets. This raised questions about data collection ethics and led to increased calls for transparency in data collection practices.

• Example 3: Algorithmic Bias in Hiring Tools:

  Some companies use AI-powered hiring tools to screen job applicants. However, these algorithms have been found to sometimes show bias based on gender or ethnicity. This highlights the ethical need for fairness in AI development and the responsibility of companies to monitor and adjust algorithms to prevent discrimination.

Golden Rule

– Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative

– If an action is not right for everyone to take, it is not

right for anyone