Ethics and IT use Social, political issues raised by information systems Data protection Moral dimensions of information society

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Social and Ethical
Consideration
of IT Use
Abdisalam Issa-Salwe
Thames Valley University

2. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Topic list
 Ethics and IT use
 Social, political issues raised by
information systems
 Data protection
 Moral dimensions of information
society

3. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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IT Dilemma
 Computing technology is the most
powerful and flexible technology
ever devised.
 It is changing everything - where
and how we work, learn, shop, eat,
vote, receive medical care, spend
free time, make war and friends.

4. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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IT Dilemma (cont…)
 The information revolution has
become a tidal wave that threatens
to engulf and change all that
humans value.
 Governments, organisations and
individual citizens therefore would
make a grave mistake if they view the
computer revolution as "merely
technological".
 It is fundamentally social and ethical.

5. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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IT Dilemma (cont…)
 IT revolution widens to satisfy human
thirst for knowledge and the desire to be
the dominant species on the globe and in
the universe.
 The newly-found powers of computing
come at a price - dependence.
 Information is now the life blood of
society and its organisations, and our
dependence grows daily with the advance
of the global information net and
multimedia

6. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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IT dilemma (cont…)
 Utilising new technology, needs
implementing better security.
 Digital technology as a double-edge
sword that has many benefits but also
presents ethical dilemmas.
 Information can be gathered,
manipulated and disseminated more
quickly now than ever in our history.

7. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Data protection principles
 Personal data is information about a
living individual, including
expression of opinion about him or
her.
 Data about organisation is not
personal data
 Data users are organisation or
individuals who control personal
data and the use of personal data
 A data subject is an individual who
is the subject of personal data

8. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Ethics
 Principles of right and wrong
 Can be used by individuals acting as
free moral agents to make choices
to guide their behaviour
 Understanding the moral risks of
new technology
 Establishing corporate ethics
policies that include information
systems issues

9. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Ethics (cont…)
 The dynamics connecting ethical,
social, and political issues
 Identifies the moral dimensions of
the “information society”, across
individual, social, and political levels
of action
 Information:
 the new life-blood of society, empowers
those who have it;
 but it also disenfranchises those who
do not

10. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Moral Dimensions
 Information rights and obligations
 Property rights
 Accountability and control
 System quality
 Quality of life

11. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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ETHICAL, SOCIAL & POLITICAL ISSUES
INDIVIDUAL
SOCIETY
POLITY
ETHICAL ISSUES
SOCIAL ISSUES
POLITICAL ISSUES
QUALITY OF LIFE
INFORMATION
RIGHTS &
OBLIGATIONS
PROPERTY
RIGHTS &
OBLIGATIONS
ACCOUNTABILITY
& CONTROL
SYSTEM
QUALITY
INFORMATION
&
TECHNOLOGY

12. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Basic concepts
 Responsibility: accepting costs,
duties, obligations for decisions
 Accountability: assessing
responsibilities for decisions &
actions
 Liability: must pay for legal
damages
 Due process: insures laws are
applied properly

13. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Edward F. Gehringer

14. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Privacy and data protection
 Privacy:
 The right of the individual to control
the use of information about him or
her, including information on financial
status, health and lifestyle (I.e. prevent
unauthorised disclosure).

15. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Information rights
 The right of the individual to control
the use of information about him or
her, including information on
financial status, health and lifestyle
(i.e. prevent unauthorised
disclosure).
 Fair information practices: Set of
principles governing the collection
and use of information on the basis
of U.S. and European privacy laws

16. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Privacy protection tools

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Property rights
 Intellectual property: Intangible creations
protected by law
 Trade secret: Intellectual work or product
belonging to business, not in public
domain
 Copyright: Statutory grant protecting
intellectual property from getting copied
for 28 years
 Patents: Legal document granting the
owner an exclusive monopoly on the
ideas behind an invention for 20 years

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Property rights (cont…)
 Ethical issues: Production of
intellectual property
 Social issues: Current intellectual
property laws breaking down
 Political issues: Creation of new
property protection measures

19. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Property rights (cont…)
 Computer crime: Commission of
illegal acts through the use of a
computer or against a computer
system
 Computer abuse: Commission of
acts involving a computer that may
not be illegal but are considered
unethical

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Data Protection Act 1998
 The Data Protection Act 1998
regulates how and when
information relating to individuals
may be obtained, used and
disclosed.
 Makes new provision for the
regulation of the processing of
information relating to individuals,
including the obtaining, holding, use
or disclosure of such information.

21. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Data Protection Act 1998 (cont…)
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires
- "data" means information which
(a) is being processed by means of equipment
operating automatically in response to
instructions given for that purpose,
(b) is recorded with the intention that it should
be processed by means of such equipment,
(c) is recorded as part of a relevant filing
system or with the intention that it should form
part of a relevant filing system, or
(d) does not fall within paragraph (a), (b) or
(c) but forms part of an accessible record as
defined by section 68

22. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Data Protection Act 1998 (cont…)
 The Act also allows individuals
access to personal data relating to
them, to challenge misuse of it and
to seek redress.
 Enforcement of the Act is through
the Information Commissioner

23. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Data Protection Act 1998 (cont…)
 The Act places a duty on any person
or organisation that holds personal
information about living individuals
on computer or in certain manual
data systems (or has such
information processed on computer
by others)
 Comply with the eight data
protection principles and to notify
the Commissioner about the
processing carried out.

24. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Data Protection Act 1998 (cont…)
The Act principles require personal data to be:
 fairly and lawfully obtained;
 held only for specific and lawful purposes and not
processed in any manner incompatible with those
purposes;
 adequate, relevant and not excessive for those
purposes;
 accurate and where necessary kept up-to-date,
not kept for longer than necessary;
 processed in accordance with the rights of the
person to whom the data refers;
 kept securely to ensure data is not lost, disposed
of or misused;
 not transferred out of the European Economic
Area unless the destination has an adequate level
of data protection.

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Data Protection Act 1998 (cont…)
 Data controller means, subject to subsection (4), a
person who (either alone or jointly or in common with
other persons) determines the purposes for which and
the manner in which any personal data are, or are to
be, processed;
 Data processor, in relation to personal data, means any
person (other than an employee of the data controller)
who processes the data on behalf of the data controller;
 Data subject means an individual who is the subject of
personal data;
 Personal data means data which relate to a living
individual who can be identified –
(a) from those data, or
(b) from those data and other information which is in the
possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of,
the data controller

26. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Thames Valley University
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Data Protection Act 1998 (cont…)
 Sensitive personal data: "sensitive personal
data" means personal data consisting of
information as to
(a) the racial or ethnic origin of the data subject,
(b) his political opinions,
(c) his religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature,
(d) whether he is a member of a trade union
(e) his physical or mental health or condition,
(f) his sexual life,
(g) the commission or alleged commission by him of any
offence, or
(h) any proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to
have been committed by him, the disposal of such
proceedings or the sentence of any court in such proceedings.

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Task
Find out from the Internet
how organisations are
committed to protecting
privacy information.
Discuss