IT Ethics: Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas in Technology

This document explores ethical dilemmas in IT through three scenarios, applying ethical theories like Deontology, Utilitarianism, and Virtue Ethics. It analyzes the impact of these dilemmas on individuals, organizations, and society, highlighting the importance of ethical decision-making in the IT field. The scenarios cover issues like data breaches, credit for work, and algorithmic transparency, providing a comprehensive understanding of ethical considerations in IT.

IT Ethics
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Scenario 1........................................................................................................................................5
1. What’s going on?..................................................................................................................5
2. Facts......................................................................................................................................5
3. Non-ethical issues.................................................................................................................5
4. Affected party.......................................................................................................................5
5. Ethical issues and implications.............................................................................................5
6. What can be done?................................................................................................................6
7. Available options..................................................................................................................6
8. Best option............................................................................................................................6
Application of ethical theories.........................................................................................................6
Scenario 2........................................................................................................................................8
1. What’s going on?..................................................................................................................8
2. Facts......................................................................................................................................8
3. Non-ethical issues.................................................................................................................8
4. Affected party.......................................................................................................................8
5. Ethical issues and implications.............................................................................................9
6. What can be done?................................................................................................................9
7. Available options..................................................................................................................9
8. Best option............................................................................................................................9
Application of ethical theories.........................................................................................................9
Scenario 3......................................................................................................................................11
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1. What’s going on?................................................................................................................11
2. Facts....................................................................................................................................11
3. Non-ethical issues...............................................................................................................11
4. Affected party.....................................................................................................................11
5. Ethical issues and implications...........................................................................................12
6. What can be done?..............................................................................................................12
7. Available options................................................................................................................12
8. Best option..........................................................................................................................12
Application of ethical theories.......................................................................................................12
Part 3..............................................................................................................................................14
Essay 1.......................................................................................................................................14
Essay 2.......................................................................................................................................16
Essay 3.......................................................................................................................................18
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................20
References......................................................................................................................................21
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Introduction
The assignment provided below is based on the identification of ethical dilemma which can be
defined as a situation which is ethically questionable. In such a situation it becomes cumbersome
for parties to make a justified decision regarding a particular situation. The analysis of the
dilemma in this assignment is done by taking into consideration the Doing Ethics Technique
(DET). This will helps in the effective identification, analysis and evaluation of the dilemma that
is currently being faced by the parties.
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Scenario 1
1. What’s going on?
According to the scenarios presented above the issue is liked with the tendering process in which
one of the companies participating in the tender for the IT outsourcing contract for the
Departments of Health, Aged Care and the Health Insurance Commission (the Health Group) got
details about the tendering quotation of other two companies, based on this information the
company changes their quotation and got the tender.
2. Facts
 Three companies were participating in the tendering process
 IBM GSA got the information of the tender
 Leak of information was a mistake
 IBM GSA won the tender as the process was not stopped
 Minister after retirement accepted the fault in the process
 Loss was caused by other companies
3. Non-ethical issues
The non-ethical issue that was identified in the case study provided above is the fault caused by
Office of Asset Sales and Information Technology Outsourcing (OASITO) which by mistake
gave the information about the tender to IBM GSA.
4. Affected party
That party that was affected due to this issue is the other two companies that lose out on their
tendering bids due to the failure in systems of OASITO.
5. Ethical issues and implications
The ethical issue that was identified in regards to this scenario is the inadvertent advantage that
was gained by IBM GSA due to an error in the systems of OASITO. Apart from this, another
ethical issue is that though this issue was clear to the minister of tendering process, the tender
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was not stopped. Apart from it, the limited role of Probity Officer was another ethical issue
which caused troubles for the company.
6. What can be done?
In order to resolve the issue, the minister now could bring the issue to light and reconsider the
bidding process. The ministry should give the bidding companies another tender such that they
might be able to make up for the loss suffered by them. It is also important for OASITO to take
care of their systems and get them updated in order to avoid such errors in future. In this
situation, the theory of Deontology comes into play and is advised to be applied. Application of
this theory will help in ensuring that minister of the tendering process should adhere to their
obligations and duties when engaged in decision making when ethics are in play.
7. Available options
The available options are:
 Taking away the contract from IBM GSA.
 Giving other tenders to other companies
8. Best option
The best option according to the situation should be to give tenders to other companies as taking
away the current tender from IBM GSA would lead to hampering in the operations of
Departments of Health, Aged Care and the Health Insurance Commission (the Health Group).
Application of ethical theories
Theory of Deontology: According to this theory people should adhere to their obligations and
duties when engaged in decision making when ethics are in play (West, 2017). This makes it
important for the minister of tendering process to cancel the tender as soon as the fault was
found. This theory of ethics was not followed in the scenario.
Theory of virtue: The virtue ethical theory judges a person by his/her character rather than by an
action that may deviate from his/her normal behaviour. According to this theory, the minister of
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the process is guilty of his actions. It was the duty of minister to check for possible errors in the
process and take appropriate actions which were not done.
Theory of utilitarianism: According to this theory, the choice that yields the greatest benefit to
the most people is the one that is ethically correct (Rittenburg, 2016). This ethical theory was
applied in the scenario as the tender was not stopped though the issue was found. This helped
IBM GSA to yield the contract.
Theory of contract: According to this theory, it is the view that persons' moral and/or political
obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which
they live. According to this theory, the actions of minister were justified as he did not want a
reputable tendering process to lose out on its reputation due to a significant error (Morrison et.
al., 2016).
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Scenario 2
1. What’s going on?
According to the scenario presented above, Anna is an ambitious employee that works constantly
and effectively in order to develop a software interface which could be used by the company in
order to gain success in the industry and help the users. The software is a success and Anna
receives recognition from the company as well. While on the national levels the recognition is
taken away by her manager Brian who takes credit for her efforts and hard work.
2. Facts
 Anna is an ambitious employee
 She is working on development of health-related software to help remote aboriginal
communities.
 Working with her manager Brian.
 She develops a new user interface which is a success and her contribution is recognised
by the company.
 Brian takes her credit on the national level recognition while Anna receives no
acknowledgement.
3. Non-ethical issues
It should be noted that in this case study no-non ethical issue has been found. Getting recognition
for another employee’s hard work is an ethical issue.
4. Affected party
The party that has been affected in the scenario stated above is Anna on which the major
negative impact is implied.
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5. Ethical issues and implications
The ethical issue that has been found in the relevance of the case study stated above is the getting
appreciation from the efforts of the other individuals. It should be noted that this ethical issue not
only de-motivates employees but also harms their interests as well.
6. What can be done?
In order to solve the issues that have been faced, Brian should apologise for this fault and bring
the light to the efforts of Anna and her hard works. He should appreciate her efforts in the next
AGM of the company and make sure that Anna gets all the appreciation and perks for the user
interface developed by her. It is also the duty of the company to ensure the same. This can be
done by the application of Utilitarianism theory which will helps the company to give the
greatest benefit of the efforts to the employee that is ethically correct.
7. Available options
The options that are available to solve the issue faced have been stated below as follows:
 Bringing light to the efforts of Anna on national levels and apologising for the actions.
 Making sure that Anna receives all the credits and perks for the efforts made by her.
8. Best option
The best option that is applicable in this situation can is the responsibility of the company to
make sure that Brian is punished for his actions and Anna gets the recognition for her efforts and
hard-work. It is important that the company must take care of the interests and efforts of their
employees.
Application of ethical theories
Theory of Utilitarianism: The utilitarian theory is based on the ones ability to offer best
consequences for the benefit of most of the people. As per the utilitarianism theory, it is the
ability of the Anna that brought the positive results for the organization and her choice to yield
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the greatest benefit to the most of the people. In the reflected case study, the act is not concerned
with justice and autonomy of an individual.
Theory of Deontology: As per the theory, people should adhere to their duties and obligations
while implementing the decisions. When the issue is related to the deontology ethical theory, the
decision making of the supervisor is wrong although the individual (Anna) has effectively
fulfilled all her obligation and duties.
Theory of Virtual ethics: The virtual ethical theory is judged by the moral character of the
individual where personal motivation and reputation should be considered which are totally
neglected in the case study. The supervisor should understand the capability of the Anna and her
contribution to the organization.
Theory of Social contract: Social contract theory is based on the view that person’s moral
obligations depend upon a contract and agreement. In the case study, the efforts of Anna has not
recognized and appreciated on the basis of her contribution to the organization (Buurgess, 2016).
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Scenario 3
1. What’s going on?
According to the case study presented above, Andrew is a highly trained and knowledgeable
software developer who has recently found some significant issues and bugs in a government
health department project. The project was earlier being developed by a novice developer and
due to the issues, there is a significant loss of important data on a daily basis. Apart from this the
technological platform of the project is outdated which does not allow Andrew to recover the
data loss. On suggesting the management about the issue and after requesting to update the
platforms, the management did not consider the request made by him stating that IT department
won’t allow for a change in technological platforms.
2. Facts
 Andrew is a highly trained and skilled software developer.
 The software was earlier developed with help of novice developer who lacked expertise.
This lead to some serious bugs in the software.
 The technological platforms of the government are not effective and this does not allow
Andrew to recover data. Due to these platforms, Andrew is unable to implement
corrective changes.
 Request to update the technological platforms was denied by the management.
3. Non-ethical issues
The non-ethical issue found in this case study is the lack of expertise of novice developer. Due to
this, the software was not developed effectively and there were bugs found in the same which
caused heavy loss of important data on a daily basis.
4. Affected party
The affected party in this is the parties that have invested in the software. Their important data is
being lost on a daily basis which can hamper their interests in this case.
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5. Ethical issues and implications
The ethical issue that has been found in this case is the lack of responsible behaviour from the
management. It should also be noted that due to this issue, the information of customers and
stakeholders is being leaked on a daily basis.
6. What can be done?
In order to deal with the issue that is being faced, the theory of contract should be applied.
According to this theory, it is the responsibility of the government department to take care of the
personal and private information of their users and make sure that the business operations are
being conducted in an ethical manner.
7. Available options
The available options to sort out the issue have been stated below as follows:
 Updating the technological platforms of the systems such that lost information can be
retrieved and there is no such issue faced in future.
 It is also important to make sure that the novice developers do not get to build essential
projects.
8. Best option
The best options that should be enacted by the government department are to make sure that their
technology platforms are updated in accordance with the trends of the industry. It is important
for the project manager to ensure that there are no further bugs in the software being used.
Application of ethical theories
Theory of Utilitarianism: As per the standards of the utilitarianism, the act of the supervisor is
unethical as the utilitarian decision maker is concerned with achieving the maximum good like
reflected in the case study where Andrew is demanding for the redevelopment for the maximum
benefit of the organization but the supervisor has rejected his recommendation.
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Theory of Deontology: The theory lays emphasis on the obligations and duties of the people
which they have to follow above all. On the basis of the deontology, Andrew is effectively
following his duties and obligations in an ethical way by keeping the benefit of the organization
in mind and has produced very logical decision in front of his supervisor.
Theory of Virtual ethics: The virtual ethics theory reflects on the person’s motivation and
reputation into ground while rating an unusual behavior. The rules of the Virtual ethical theory
has not been followed in this case study as the supervisor in spite of having knowledge about the
condition of the existing technology forces Andrew to continue with that.
Theory of Social contract: Social contract theory lays emphasis on shared values and beliefs
and ensures ethical decisions but in the case, only the views and opinions of Andrew follows
ethical procedure while his supervisor has not paid any attention to it.
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Part 3
Essay 1
Introduction
In the views of Vandekerckhove (2016), whistleblowing is an activity where an individual
exposes any kind of illegal, unethical and not correct information within the organization. The
information of the alleged wrongdoing is segmented in various ways such as violation of the
company rules, policies threat to public interest or corruption. Whistleblowing is an unethical
activity and the employees involved in such practices should lose their jobs as it involves the
violation of the trust of the co-workers as well as the organization.
Ethical theories
Deontology
When it comes to the ethical theories, deontological ethical theory judges the morality of the
action on the basis of the rules. This theory reflects the fact that a person will follow his/her
obligations to another individual, organization or society upholding ones duty states what is
ethically correct. As per the theory of the deontology, the employees who involved in the
practice of whistle blowing are not ethically right as they are violating their duties and obligation
towards the organization.
Utilitarianism
As per the utilitarianism ethical theory, the choice that offers great benefit to the society is what
ethically true. The utilitarianism rule always takes into account the law and fairness. The act of
the utilitarian is associated with the achievement of the maximum good. From the perspective of
the utilitarian theory, reporting the fraudulent activity to the people internally or externally is not
an ethical action as the approach involves the actions that produce the greatest amount of benefit
and least amount of harm (Chonko, 2012).
ACS code of conduct
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Primacy of the public interest
In the case of whistleblowing, the ACS code of ethics that can be considered are primacy of the
public interest where the whistleblowers placing the general interests above their personal
interests.
Professionalism
The degree of professionalism that brings integration in the society is also associated with the
case study. The whistle blower should follow the professionalism code of conduct in order to
avoid the practice.
Quality of life
The case has also reflected the quality of the life where emphasis made to enhance the quality
life of those who are affected by the work.
Conclusion
A broad view of whistleblowing is the disclosure by organization members (former or current) of
illegal, immoral, or illegitimate practices under the control of their employers, to persons or
organizations that may be able to effect action. It is an unethical activity as there are too many
people who just do it due to the sense of grievances against the employers or organizations. They
hold the view that they can advance it by reporting to the public.
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Essay 2
Introduction
According to the words of Behera & Dash, (2015), ethical hackers are the person who hacks the
computer networks for the testing of the security rather than doing any malicious or criminal act.
White hat hackers are the computer specialists who break out the computer systems and
networks for the assessment of the security. Grey hat hackers are the computer specialists who
sometimes violate the laws or ethical standards for the testing and the black hat hackers are the
illegal groups of hackers who break the computer networks for the purpose of destroying,
modifying or stealing the data.
Ethical theories
Theory based on rights
The ethical theory based on rights, it is important to follow the rights established for the
protection of the society and should be given the highest priority. Rights are considered to be
ethically correct and valid since a large population endorses them. Individuals may also bestow
rights upon others if they have the ability and resources to do so. Ethical or professional hacking
is an intentional penetration of the system in order to identify the vulnerabilities and evaluation
of the security. In order to protect the rights of the computer users, the organizations hire the
ethical or professional hackers who hack the organization's system. Black hackers the person
who involves the unethical activity of stealing, modifying the data and information in the
systems for their or authorized party. White hat hackers and the ethical hackers are similar who
choose to use their power for the good of the society. Grey hat hackers are the blend of both
white hat and black hat hackers who look for the vulnerabilities in the system without the
permission of the owners and are not hired by any organization.
Virtual ethics
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Virtual ethics reflects the moral character of the person rather than the approaches focused on
duties or obligation or consequences of the actions. It is an approach to Ethics that emphasizes an
individual's character as the key element of ethical thinking, rather than rules about the acts
themselves (Deontology) or their consequences (Consequentialism). The moral character of the
white hat hackers or ethical hackers, black hat hackers and grey hat hackers are different. Black
hackers are employed for the legal actions and they use the ethical character while testing the
security system and performing the actions. The motive of the black hat hackers is to earn
financial gain as their moral character do not respect the rights of the individuals and society.
Grey hat hackers are self-obsessed who involves hacking actions without the permission of the
owners.
ACS code of conduct
Competence
As per the conduct, the hackers are diligently and competently fulfilling their obligations towards
the stakeholders, although the motive of both of them is different, they serve their duties.
Honesty
It reflects that both the white hat hackers or ethical hackers and black hat hackers are honest in
fulfilling their duties towards their owners. The black hackers must understand the honesty code
and avoid the illegal practice of hacking.
Conclusion
Hacking significantly affects the development of systems and networks. This is especially the
case of systems and networks of organizations where sensitive or confidential information are
used on a regular basis. It is drawn from the above essay that there is the difference between
white hackers, grey hackers and black hackers. Ethical hacking can be effectively said as white
hat hacking that sheds a positive light on hacking and presents advantages to increase the
capabilities of organizations to protect their IT and information assets.
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Essay 3
Introduction
In the words of Mathisen (2017), algorithms are widely used in almost everything from sifting
job applications, calculating credit scores and offering loans and mortgages to deciding whether
to release prisoners on bail. These are crucial moments, and the impact of those decisions can be
enormous. The lack of transparency around algorithms is a serious issue. It is found that
Algorithm-supported systems can, and do, make bad decisions with serious consequences.
Algorithmic transparency is openness about the purpose, structure and underlying actions of the
algorithms used to search for, process and deliver information.
Ethical theories
Utilitarianism
The principles of utilitarianism ethical theories are based on the ability to predict the
consequences of an action. In case of the algorithms, it is found as an objective which is good as
it can better decide how to use the short resources and deliver public services with the help of a
formula. The algorithms, in reality, contain the values and opinions of the creators. Transparent
nature of the algorithms is determined by the creators who decide which data should be included
and which should be excluded. Transparency is certainly useful in algorithms but the best of the
algorithm is entirely depends on the intended outcomes.
Deontology
Also, the ethical theory of deontology can be related to the issue of transparency in the
algorithms where Deontology contains many positive attributes and flaws too. As per the theory,
there is no rational logical reason for deciding an individual's duties. Similarly, the impressive
performance of the algorithms can lack transparency which is not a serious matter of concern
(Buurgess, 2016).
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ACS code of conduct
Primacy of public interest
The creators of the algorithms should place the interest of the public above all other objectives as
per the primacy of public interest code of conduct of ACS.
Competence
The decision made by the algorithms should be competent and beneficial for the stakeholders.
Conclusion
The above discussion on the transparency of the algorithms has stated algorithms are
increasingly used to make decisions and when these algorithms affect the rights of the human,
public values and public decision making, there is need of oversight and transparency but when
the creator ethically represent the data and information, transparency is not a major issue.
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Conclusion
The assignment on the ethics has critically investigated the ethical dilemmas in different
situations and offers best solutions on the basis of the ethical theories and ACS conduct. It is
essential to follow the ethical standards and procedures in order to maintain the dignity and
authenticity of the actions and decisions.
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References
 Behera, M. P. C., & Dash, M. C. (2015). Ethical Hacking: A Security Assessment Tool to
Uncover Loopholes and Vulnerabilities in Network and to Ensure Protection to the
System.
 Buurgess, M., (2016). Holding AI to account: will algorithms ever be free from bias if
they're created by humans?. WIRED. Available at
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/creating-transparent-ai-algorithms-machine-learning.
 Chonko, L., (2012). ETHICAL THEORIES. DSEF. Available at
http://www.dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf. Mathisen, S., (2017). Algorithms in decision-making inquiry: Stephanie Mathisen on
challenging MPs to investigate accountability. Public Technology Net.
 Morrison, L., Wilmshurst, T., & Shimeld, S. (2016). Environmental Reporting Through
an Ethical Looking Glass. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-16.
 Rittenburg, T. L. (2016). Cowboy Ethics: Marketing Gimmick or Business Ethics Tool?.
In Thriving in a New World Economy(pp. 31-35). Springer, Cham.
 Vandekerckhove, W. (2016). Whistleblowing and organizational social responsibility: A
global assessment. Routledge.
 West, A. (2017). Multinational tax avoidance: Virtue ethics and the role of
accountants. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-14.
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