All employees have a responsibility to encourage ethical uses of information and information technology. Many of the business decisions you will face at work will have an ethical dimension. Consider the following decisions that you might have to make:

• Should organizations monitor employees’ Web surfing and e-mail?
• Should organizations sell customer information to other companies?
• Should organizations audit employees’ computers for unauthorized software or illegally downloaded music or video files?

The diversity and ever-expanding use of IT applications have created a variety of ethical issues. These issues fall into four general categories: privacy, accuracy, property, and accessibility.

1. Privacy issues involve collecting, storing, and disseminating information about individuals.
2. Accuracy issues involve the authenticity, fidelity, and correctness of information that is collected and processed.
3. Property issues involve the ownership and value of information.
4. Accessibility issues revolve around who should have access to information and whether a fee should be paid for this access.

Privacy Issues

What information about oneself should an individual be required to reveal to others?

What kind of surveillance can an employer use on its employees?

What types of personal information can people keep to themselves and not be forced to reveal to others?

What information about individuals should be kept in databases, and how secure is the information there?

Accuracy Issues

Who is responsible for the authenticity, fidelity, and accuracy of the information collected?

How can we ensure that the information will be processed properly and presented accurately to users?

How can we ensure that errors in databases, data transmissions, and data processing are accidental and not intentional?

Who is to be held accountable for errors in information, and how should the injured parties be compensated?

Property Issues

Who owns the information?

What are the just and fair prices for its exchange?

How should we handle software piracy (copying copyrighted software)?

Under what circumstances can one use proprietary databases?

Can corporate computers be used for private purposes?

How should experts who contribute their knowledge to create expert systems be compensated?

How should access to information channels be allocated?

Accessibility Issues

Who is allowed to access information?

How much should companies charge for permitting access to information?

How can access to computers be provided for employees with disabilities?

Who will be provided with equipment needed for accessing information?

What information does a person or an organization have a right to obtain, under what conditions, and with what safeguards?