Managing Information Systems Seventh Canadian Edition Laudon, Laudon and Brabston CHAPTER 4 Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues in the Digital Firm 4-1
Online activity is tracked and ads are displayed depending on your activity Behavioural targeting allows businesses and organizations to more precisely target desired demographics... Behavioural Targeting: Your Privacy is the Target Continued 4-2
Behavioural Targeting: Your Privacy is the Target (continued) Increased use of behavioural targeting has drawn attention of Parliament and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. 4-3
Five Moral Dimensions of the Information Age Information rights and obligations Property rights and obligations Accountability and control System quality Quality of life 4-4
Technology Trends that Raise Ethical Issues [INSERT Table 4-2] Continued 4-5
Ethical Analysis 1. Identify and describe the facts clearly 2. Define the conflict or dilemma, and identify the higherorder values involved 3. Identify the stakeholders 4. Identify the options that you can reasonably take 5. Identify the potential consequences of your options 4-6
Candidate Ethical Principles 1. Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you 2. Appeal to respected authority (e.g. Gandhi, Mother Teresa) 3. Religious codes Continued. 4-7
Candidate Ethical Principles (Continued) 4. Utilitarian Principle: Take the action that achieves the greatest value for all concerned 5. Risk Aversion Principle: Take the action that produces the least harm or the least potential cost 4-8
Professional Codes of Conduct Promises by professionals to regulate themselves in the general interest of society 4-9
Real-World Ethical Dilemmas - Using technology to reduce workforce - Selling subscriber information to advertisers - Employees using corporate IT for personal use - Using IT to monitor employees 4-10
The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems Information rights: Privacy and Freedom in the Internet Age Privacy: Claim of individuals to be left alone, free from surveillance or interference from other individuals, organizations, or the state. Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) establishes principles for collection, use, and disclosure of personal information 4-11
Fair Information Practices Principles Identifying purpose and awareness Consent and choice Enforcement Safeguards and safety Openness and individual access 4-12
Internet Challenges to Privacy Cookies Identify browser and track visits to site Spyware Surreptitiously installed on users computers May transmit a user s keystrokes or display unwanted ads 4-13
How Cookies Identify Web Visitors [Catch Figure 4-3] 4-14
Trade Secrets Intellectual work or product belonging to business, not in the public domain 4-15
Challenges to Intellectual Property Rights Perfect digital copies cost almost nothing Sharing of digital content over the Internet costs almost nothing Sites, software, and services for file trading are not easily regulated. A web page may present data from many sources, and incorporate framing 4-16
Accountability, Liability, and Control Computer-related liability problems Who should be held responsible (producer of software, programmer, manager, IT head) 4-17
System Quality Data Quality and System Errors Ship it when not quite right? Three principal sources of poor system performance Software bugs and errors Hardware or facility failures Poor input data quality 4-18
Quality of Life: Equity, Access, and Boundaries The digital divide (equity and access) Health risks (e.g. carpal tunnel, RSI) Maintaining boundaries: Family, work and leisure Job losses due to technology Computer crime and abuse, including spam Continued 4-19
Management Opportunities and Challenges 1. Managers have the opportunity to use information technology to create an ethical business and social environment 2. This does not mean management actions will always please all stakeholders, but at least management actions should take into account the ethical dimensions of IT-related decisions Continued 4-20
Management Opportunities and Challenges 3. Management must make decisions on behalf of the organization 4. Understanding the moral risks of new technology 5. Establishing corporate ethics policies that include information systems issues 4-21
Managing Information Systems Seventh Canadian Edition Laudon, Laudon and Brabston CHAPTER 4 Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues in the Digital Firm 4-22