ETHICAL ASPECTS OF ICTs IN COMMUNICATION IN THE

INFORMATION SOCIETY: THE CASE OF MALAWI

INTRODUCTIONAn ICT policy is in the final stages of being

adopted;Provisions in the policy and related strategies

which are meant to facilitate policy implementation address most ethical concerns arising from exploitation of ICTS; and

Absence of access to information legislation is a major “ethical” obstacle to efficient exploitation of ICTs

AIMTo review some provisions in the National ICT Policy in order to assess whether the policy

takes into consideration ethical challenges that arise from use of ICTs.

ETHICAL AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES RELATED TO ICT USE

recognition for personal and corporate ethics associated with ICT;

striking a balance between ethical, economic and technological as well as political considerations;

intellectual property rights issue (trademarks, patents, copyright and trade secrets);

Ethical and social challenges (Cont’d)non violation of privacy and associated rights

amidst electronic information data miningthe opportunity to commit crime with ICT

(computer crime); legal issues and limitations; consequence of using ICT; professional responsibilities;freedom of expression;freedom of speech.

ETHICAL RELATED PROVISIONS IN THE NATIONAL ICT POLICY

Responsive ICT legal and regulatory EnvironmentStrategies foreseen under this provision include:Ensuring that the development, deployment

and exploitation of ICTs within the economy and society and related legal provisions balances as well as protects community and individual interests, including privacy and data protection issues.

Responsive ICT legal and regulatory Environment (Cont’d)addressing ethical issues in the use of ICT to

protect the rights of children and the under-privileged.

protecting the Malawian public from undesirable impacts of ICTs including the spread of pornographic materials, theft of postal materials, cyber-crimes and digital frauds.

Universal access and universal serviceInitiatives foreseen under this provision includeensuring that there is access to ICT services by

all people regardless of location, gender, age, literacy levels or educational levels, language or dialect, physical or mental ability; and

ensuring that special efforts are made to extend services and access to all sections of the society including rural, underserved and disadvantaged communities in order to reach out to, and benefit, the majority of the Malawian population.

HOW DOES THE NATIONAL ICT POLICY MEASURE UP TO ETHICAL CONCERNS?Responsive ICT legal and regulatory environment If strategies under this provision are

implemented as planned then most of the ethical issues

listed earlier (slides 3 and 4 above) will be addressed.

Universal access and universal serviceAccess has very important implications on

ethical issuesespecially in relation to access to information

becauseaccess to information is a constitutional right

so government has both a moral and

constitutional obligation to ensure that the structures and

services needed for the exercise of the right are in

place.

The presence of the policyThat there is a policy is itself an ethical issue:Demonstrates acknowledgement that

Government has a moral obligation to create an environment conducive to the exploitation of ICTs

Fulfills a public expectation that for the existence of such a policy

Current negativesAbsence of access to information legislation;Inefficient Internet services;High cost of Internet services;High cost of hardware; andPresence of pieces of legislation that make it

difficult to access information.

CURRENT ICT INITIATIVESRe-designation of the Department of

Information Systems and Technology Management Services into an e-Government Directorate;

E-Legislation project: aimed at setting up an ICT legal framework that will facilitate competition, development and participation related to ICTs. It is also meant to address ethical issues in the use of ICTs.

CONCLUSIONThe policy, once implemented, will address

most of the ethical concerns relating to the exploitation of ICTs

There are some important issues that need to be resolved parallel to the adoption of the policy.