Professional And Ethical Issues in

IT
CIS6004

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Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
• Critically consider the wider legal, social, professional and ethical
environment for IT professionals.
• Critically discuss contemporary issues at the intersection of
computing, technology, economy, politics and society.
• Demonstrate appreciation of the importance of a professional and
ethical approach to computer science, software engineering and
information systems, along with the importance of lifelong
professional development.

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Assessment and Weighing
This module is assessed as follows:
1. Presentation of Abstract – 10%
2. Research paper – 40%
3. Closed Book Exam – 50%

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Lineup today…
• Legal issues and acts
• Professional issues and Codes of Conduct

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The Law
Professionals are expected to comply with the Law
• Identifying and assessing legal issues requires some knowledge of the relevant
legislation. For example:-
• laws governing computer misuse, intellectual property, data protection, etc

For example, the Computer Misuse Act (UK) covers:-

• Unauthorised access to computer material
• Unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences
• Unauthorised modification of computer material

•Computing technologies and information systems must be designed to comply with the
law
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/18/contents

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Ethics and the Law
What is the relationship between ethics and the law? Are they the same?
• Ethical principles inform the law in many cases
• E.g. Laws against killing, stealing property, slander and libel (attacking someone’s
reputation) etc.
• Laws are similar to ethical principles but presented in a formal way,
carrying sanctions
• But are laws always ethical?
• Laws may be ethical or unethical

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Ethics and the Law
4 possible relationships between Ethics and Law - actions/ policies can be:
Ethical and Legal Ethical but Illegal
Unethical but Legal Unethical and Illegal

Examples?

• While the Law is a good starting point, ethics goes beyond the Law.
Acting within the law is the minimum
• If there is no Law governing an action, this doesn’t mean that the action
is ethically acceptable (as in “it’s not illegal, so it must be OK”)

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Professional Codes of Conduct
Professional IT organisations provide guidelines and codes of
conduct for their members and for the profession as a whole
•British Computer Society and The Institution of Engineering and
Technology are examples in the UK
•IFIP Member Countries: http://www.ifip.org/
•BCS code of conduct covers areas such as:
• Public interest; Duty to employers and clients
• Duty to profession; Professional competence and integrity

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Codes of Conduct, law and ethics
• There is no legal requirement to belong to a professional IT body in
order to practice in the UK
• But…IT professionals are required to have knowledge and
understanding of the law, and to comply with it
• Codes of conduct are informed by ethical principles
• All IT professionals, if members of a professional body, are required to
comply with a code of ethics – that is, to act ethically
• Issues of accountability and moral responsibility

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Professional Issues:
Technology Development
• Technologies are developed for various reasons (including social,
economic, political & military)
• IT professionals play a key role in technology development
• The decisions they make involve ethical choices
• Decisions about what to develop, and how to design it
• Decisions about user requirements, functions, etc
• Judgements about what is “important”, and what is not
• What problems should technologies solve?
• What social needs should they meet?

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Professional issues
What professional issues might be involved in:
• Designing a new computer game?
• Implementing a surveillance system in a secondary school?
• Developing software for unmanned military vehicles?
• Creating a new database of patient records for the health service?
• Designing a secure website for anonymous whistle-blowers

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Professional Issues
• What social impacts might an information systems professional need to
consider?
• What will be the impact on society of the system?
• Examples:
• Impact on work-life balance (always available?)
• Impact of games and other entertainment?
• Ability to share information on a social network?
• Using information systems to maintain and share health records?
• Capability of individuals and groups to communicate by mobile phone?
• Capability to broadcast/publish opinion and comments, broadcast and publish
photos and videos?

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Social and ethical issues raised
• Example: GPS (global positioning systems)
• Why developed?
• Uses: mapping, navigation (e.g. SatNav), satellite surveillance,
military target selection, military reconnaissance, espionage
• Social issues: location monitoring and surveillance--by whom? of
whom? for what purposes? The ubiquity and invisibility of
surveillance. Are we safer, as a result?
• How might these technologies be used or abused?
• Ethical issues raised: privacy, transparency, openness, trust,
security

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Technology: Dual Use Dilemmas
•Many technologies can be used for benefit or harm
• Being able to locate elderly or confused people who get lost seems a ‘benefit’
• Being able to locate children who get lost or taken – seems a ‘benefit’

•Therefore, should the elderly and / or children be tagged? (RFID devices)

•Social networks – good to keep in touch (or be bullied? Or looked at by
employers/governments?)
•What other ways could today’s technologies be used beneficially, or
harmfully?

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Extra reading
Law
• https://www.bestcomputersciencedegrees.com/lists/5-legal-and-ethical-
issues-in-it/
• https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/legal-issues-of-new-and-emerging-
technologies/#gref
Code of conduct
• https://resources.workable.com/employee-code-of-conduct-company-
policy#
• https://i-sight.com/resources/18-of-the-best-code-of-conduct-examples/
• https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/employing/taking-on-
staff/staff-code-conduct
• https://www.ethics.org/resources/free-toolkit/code-of-conduct/
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