Entry 12: Ethics, Legal and Societal Impact of Technology

Ethics:

Ethics is a branch of moral philosophy. It explores:

– The principles and values governing human conduct

– Principles underpinning notions of “right” and “wrong”

Ethics is about what we should or ought to do. It looks at how we justify our actions and behavior. Ethical judgments and actions are based on rational thought and clearly articulated principles.

Universal Principles:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations in 1948, outlines fundamental human rights that are universally protected. These include:

• Right to privacy and confidentiality

• Freedom of thought, expression, and association

• Equality, liberty, and autonomy

• Security of person and property

• Access to information and the right to know

• Transparency and openness
  

These principles guide ethical behavior and are reflected in legal frameworks like the US Constitution and the European Union's founding charter. While universally recognized, cultural and societal contexts may influence how these rights are interpreted and applied.

Ethical Issues: Privacy

Privacy is a fundamental human right and an essential ethical value that allows individuals to have autonomy in thought and action. It encompasses:

1. Confidentiality: Limiting the spread of information about oneself.

2. Anonymity: Freedom from unwanted attention.

3. Solitude: The ability to have physical space from others.
   

Privacy supports freedom and autonomy and protects individuals from the power others can gain through knowledge about them.

Privacy advocates focus on two main threats:

1. Commercial Surveillance: Conducted by technology companies, marketers, and data brokers. This often involves users consenting to share personal data and be monitored while using online services.

2. State Surveillance: Conducted by government agencies for security, intelligence, and law enforcement purposes. This includes the bulk collection of internet and telecommunications data.

Professional Code of Conduct

Professional bodies create codes of conduct to guide their members and set standards for their profession. These codes include rules and duties that all professionals in the field should follow.

The British Computer Society (BCS) provides ethical and professional guidelines for computing professionals. The BCS Code of Conduct has four main sections:

1. The Public Interest

2. Professional Competence and Integrity

3. Duty to Relevant Authority

4. Duty to the Profession

Legal and Professional Issues in Information Systems

It is important to understand the relevance to information systems of current UK legislation, including:

• The Data Protection Act

• General Data Protection Regulation

• The Computer Misuse Act

• Intellectual Property legislation [e.g. Copyright, Patents]

• The Equality Act

• Understand the relevance of professional codes of conduct to information system management

Reflection

One of Our University's Feline Friend

During the last week of the lecture, we not only learned about the ethics involved in the technology field and how legal bodies and society have a huge impact on the same, but we also reminisced about our first year at university. The ups and downs, what we enjoyed and what we preferred not to have happened.

Overall, I think the year has been amazing. I've learned so much in a span of just 8 months. I've made good friends and have a good understanding of what the future holds. I'm extremely grateful to all my professors (whose names I'm not sure can be mentioned) for being patient with us and for teaching us all they could in an engaging and fun way. I'd like to thank the professor for giving us this opportunity to record each week we spent in university. It's a great way to store useful information, and it will be fun to look into what happened in my first year of university. Thank you again!

Goodbye `\(>_<)/'