Though the development of information technology gives capabilities to manipulate information, it has consequently led to legal battles and ethical issues to individuals and companies.
To avoid these are designed significant frameworks that consider issues of morality as pertaining to privacy of information, environmental aspects; how agents should carry themselves in the info-sphere, information life-cycle; how information is created, distributed and processed, in regard to ownership and copyright. It is imperative to ascertain that Information Ethics is directly linked to the computer ethics and information philosophy.
Controversies surrounding ethics in Information Technology
Controversies have so often sprung up in regard to information ethics, more so in the current society that has been rapidly embracing technology. It is apparent that a big percentage of individuals in the society today easily access and use information. This implies that an individual may accidentally or willingly access information that is not meant for them, thus distorting or relaying the same information to those not intended to.
Transmissions of information as well as literacy are important concerns in the establishment of ethical base that ensures that fairness, equity and responsibilities are strongly promoted and adhered to. This is the reason why Information Ethics was established; to examine issues that are related to ownership, accessibility, privacy and security of any information.
Protagonists of ethics in Information Technology are in the forefront in negotiating for protection rights. However, they should acknowledge that Information directly impacts copyright protection, intellectual freedom as well as accountability and security purposes.
Ethical issues
Ethical concerns that encase Information Technology include
- Copyright issues, which is an ethical issue in three scenarios:
- extensive communication with faculty on copyright clearance on online materials design
- extensive explanation to members of the faculty who are more often ignorant of the integral role played by copyright clearance
- the struggles to attain an equilibrium between copyright issues and fairness in educational purposes (Lin, 2007).
- Learner Privacy; an ethical issue because a users’ private information can easily be misused in the application of instructional technology.
- Accessibility; this occurs in regard to making information materials easily accessible to those who have rights to get them.
- Diversity; ethicality comes up in regard to design and training. The contents produced should be easily comprehended and relatable, plus having respect to the divergent views of the audience.
- Conflicts of interest.
- Professionalism and Interest.
In conclusion, the principled decisiveness solves ethical issues and reflects the commitment of institutions to achieving responsible service. The existence of evolution in the formats of information and demands necessitates for continuity in reconsidering principles of ethics and how effectively these codes are applied.
Consequently, ethical analysts should be at the forefront of giving a framework to significantly consider more and diverse domains in regard to the distribution of information. This implies that when ethics is being discussed, ethicists must put into consideration the divergent views of all the players in the field of Information Technology.
Reference
Lin H, (2007). The Ethics of Instructional Technology: Issues and Coping Strategies Experienced By Professional Technologists in Design and Training Situations in Higher Education. Education Tech Research Dev 55:411–437