Ethics and Professional Issues in Information Technology - Analysis

This essay examines ethics and professional issues within the realm of information and communication technology (ICT). It delves into the application of ethical guidelines in professional conduct, focusing on privacy, intellectual property, and cyberethics. The essay discusses the importance of ethical reasoning in internet usage, emphasizing the need to consider the impact of actions on others. It explores cases related to Facebook and its handling of cyberbullying, highlighting the significance of professionalism and ethical responsibility in system development. The analysis covers topics such as data harvesting, digital divides, and the regulation of commerce and speech in cyberspace. The author references various articles and case studies to illustrate ethical dilemmas and promote responsible practices in the digital environment. The essay underscores the need for ethical conduct, protection of user data, and adherence to intellectual property rights to maintain a safe and respectful online environment.

Running head: ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
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Ethics and Professional Issues
Name
Institution

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Ethics and Professional Issues
Ethics in professionalism calls for the conduct and observance of ethical guidelines which
come voluntarily or by force of law. In most cases, ethics point to one’s reasoning on whether to
do good or evil in a given case. As professionals, it is important to observe and act ethically
during the engagement. The case relates much to the application of ethics in the information and
communication technology. The blog presents four sections where the application of ethics is
observed in professionalism and the cases where the same is violated in demonstrating its
importance.
Week 2: Introduction to ethics and reasoning
Introduction to ethics and logic talks about the issues involved in ethics and the choice of
doing right even in cases where one has varied options not bound by law. The article what is
internet ethics presents such a scenario through explaining the role of the internet and the ethics
applied therein about privacy, neutrality, and harvesting of data. In the article, Raicu defines
internet ethics that lead to good life and talks of justice, rights, consequences and the common
good involved therein (SCU, 2017).
Further, she notes that everyone has the right to decide to harm or preserve the privacy of
individuals on the internet based on free will but insists on choosing on the best move as the
definition of ethics that leads to good practice. Here, ethics is related to the practice of asking
oneself if a certain communication hurts or helps society. The case is related to the practice of
surveillance, data harvesting, and cyber bullying that occurs on the internet more often.
Several questions assist in introducing people to the ethical reasoning while operating on the
internet. One question asks, “yes you can, but should you?”. The question defines the situation

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where one can decide to do any act on the internet but then questions the reason behind
committing an act.
For instance, one can bully others on the internet, but should one commit such an act.
Ethics inform one on the best practice that leaves the other users at peace and free from threat. In
this respect, it advises individuals on observing the best practice even in the absence of
supervision and authority. While it may be offensive and against the law to hack into one’s
privacy, individuals have the choice of exploring the two quotas at will (Computing Cases,
2017).
Information from the site remains relevant in introducing individuals to the need of
preserving good practice related to ethics in information system and the internet operations. A
wide range of individuals are spoken to on the mode of communication, gender sensitivity, data
access while giving proper decisions in dealing with the maintenance and governance of the
internet. Speaking on the need for a good practice that harms no party, the information remains
vital to the public in introducing ethics on internet use.
Week 4: Professionalism and information and communication technology,
Professional responsibility; System development and ethics
Professionalism in communication technology calls for good practice done out of
goodwill and not from demands. People act professionally in protection and display of the good
image at all times as a sense of ethical responsibility. The article “Facebook, Freedom of Speech,
and Teens around the World” presents a moral case essential in communicating the need for
professionalism and ethical application within work parameters on the internet (SCU, 2017). The
case of Facebook and the use by teens open to cyberbullying is used to express the immense
dangers that may demand professionalism on the side of the professionals running a given

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website. The case speaks of the measures Facebook takes to protect the right, freedom, and
speech of teens by assisting them to know the privacy policies to be embraced.
The system development is done with the privacy considerations to such individuals thus
demonstrating responsibility on the side of the developers. By placing privacy options, the
developers act ethically towards the users in protecting their information from unscrupulous
users. The site places options to the user on whether to keep certain information private or
publish to all users. In this case, it explains the need for professionalism where apart from doing
business puts the need to protect one's users from damage on the internet. The case realizes the
dangers its users might be facing and applies professionalism in handling concerns that may
raise.
While it may have the option of remaining silent and minting millions from the trade,
professionalism calls for protection of users which serves as a core part of an ethical application.
The policies differ depending on the government regulations from one nation to the other.
Instilling professionalism in business retains the aspect of ethics on the side of employees thus
protecting the social media users especially the teens who remain under immense danger at
times. Professional responsibility calls for the protection of users where individuals act in good
faith while considering not harm the clients.
Week 8: Privacy, Intellectual property in cyberspace, Digital divide, and cyberethics,
Computers and work
Ethics relates to good practice where information gathering from sites has to remain open
and have the persons involved permit for such acts. Giving the users the information that their
responses are being used in a given survey is essential in maintaining a privacy ethical conduct
on the side of professionals while benefitting from a given research (Computing Cases, 2017).

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The case presents the example of big data mining companies such as Cambridge Analytica which
uses behavioral science insights to assist political candidates design their campaign messages.
Such information is harvested from the internet and specifically the social media where voters
are categorized, and their perceptions gathered to assist political messages that appeal to a wide
population (SCU, 2017).
The question in the case relates to whether privacy and the protection of information is
followed according to ethical guidelines by such companies. Accessing one’s information and
using it for one’s benefit without informing people amounts to a breach of ethical codes. People
should be made aware that their messages and posts are being used for a specific survey and the
right to privacy and non-disclosure followed. Data harvesting methods have to be ethical and
consider the damages that may be caused to persons whose information is being used. The right
to privacy has to be preserved through lack of disclosure of names or anonymity.
Intellectual property allows individuals to have information privacy where people
intending to use information must categorically seek for permission and state the intended use by
obtaining rights. The use and adherence to such procedures lead to high ethical standards and
observance of intellectual rights. The use of the internet has to follow specific ethical guides to
keep each party safe from harm. The practice amounts to respect for individual information
where permission has to be sought instead of mining data for personal benefit while jeopardizing
or using the right to access improperly (SCU, 2017).
Week 10: Regulating commerce and speech in cyberspace, Ethics of online social network
The right to information access and speech is guaranteed to all in most nations. However,
a limitation of the same occurs according to ethical guidelines. For instance, information access
to pornographic sites remains limited to children and persons under the allowed age of adulthood

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which varies from one nation to the other. At the same time, the freedom to speech is limited
depending on the kind of rhetoric one uses on the internet. For example, the use of hate speech,
offensive language, and threats remains under control on several sites. Efforts to filter out some
information remain a responsibility of professionals on different sites to observe. Ethics calls for
protection of minors from such information and reporting violators to the authority (SCU, 2017).
The social media that remained awash with such issues is currently being regulated to
reflect positively according to ethical standards in internet use. Intellectual property is protected
in areas where duplication is not allowed and in cases of breach, members can have themselves
reported to law enforcers. Copyright on information assists in the protection and such data
cannot be commercialized without prior permission from the owners. All these points to the
regulation in cyberspace that acts according to the ethical guidelines aimed at protecting and
doing good to other users on the internet.

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References
Computing Cases (2017). Ethics in computing links. Retrieved from
http://computingcases.org/general_tools/site_resources/links.html
SCU (2017). Facebook, freedom of speech, and teens around the world: An ethics Case Study.
Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/facebook-
freedom-of-speech-and-teens-/