ITGS Social & Ethical IssuesSimplified

Reliability

• How reliable is it?

• reliable – giving the same result after repeated trials / usages

• Example:

• air traffic control software

Integrity

• data does NOT change

• Example:

• save a file on your computer

• open it later

• you EXPECT the file to be unchanged

Security

• not letting everybody access it

• Example:

• school locker

Privacy

• keeping information private from others; not letting everybody see it

• Example:

• medical records

Anonymity

• not revealing your identity (who you are)

• Example:

• chat rooms

Authenticity

• verifying somebody is who they say they are

• Example:

• Driver’s license

Intellectual property

• ownership of ideas, discoveries, works of art, etc.

• Examples:

• patents - iPod

• trademarks – McDonald’s

• copyright – mp3s

Equality of access

• everybody having access to IT

• Examples:

• Internet!

• One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

Control

• authority / dominance over IT

• Examples:

• Comcast

• SynchronEyes

Globalization

• spread of IT resources across the globe (includes businesses)

• Examples:

• outsourcing

Cultural diversity

• globalization less diversity

• Examples:

• Internet and spoken languages

Policies

• rules and regulations

• Examples:

• APS Acceptable Use Policy

• EVERY business has them

Standards

• widely agreed upon rules

• Examples:

• HTML

• Driver’s licenses

• Credit card sizes

People and machines

• the interaction between people and machines

• usability and design

• Examples:

• Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)