IT Profession's Code of Conduct and Ethics - Essay Example

IT Profession’s Code of Conduct and Ethics Name Course Instructor Date Introduction The Information Technology Professional and Society refers to a body that deals with the working moral principles of information technology individuals. Under this body, the societal values are inculcated in these individuals because they do not entirely operate in a vacuum, but in a society that has its own code of conduct regarding the family and religion that has to be strictly adhered to. IT professions were endowed with the relevant qualities that enabled them to be functional in a society that recognised them because they were its members. As societies evolve, so does their moral principle, and thus this brings about the dynamism of societal values from one to the next but they all serve towards the attainment of the greater good. Social impact of IT Over the years, information technology has had a great impact on the human society because it has resulted in several transformations which have unanimously resulted in improved standards of living, for instance easing the burden of work that man initially had. With its introduction, IT has made office operations easier because they are no longer labour-intensive due to the improved technology. Moreover, the employee production has doubled due to efficiency and effectiveness of IT. After the week four classes, I was able to effectively explain how IT has transformed the e-commerce segment in the market share. Initially, I only knew of the traditional system of acquiring the market share but after these classes, I got a glimpse into how IT can be employed effectively in the acquisition of new markets thus expanding a business enterprise. Moreover, with the electronic filing system, employers can easily manage on their employees thus ensuring effectiveness and ease in communication. With the arrival of IT, the university has been able to craft a virtual society, an emergence that has had untold influence on the learning operations. This has seen the materialization of virtual lectures thus saving on space, resources and time because the students do not have to practically meet the lecturer for tutorials. This has adequately facilitated long distance learning thus easing on travel and time expenses. I came to the realisation that seminars and business transactions do not have to be done physically because IT has reduced the world to a global village and thus one can easily practically touch the edges of the globe. Through IT, I realised how easy it is to carry out business deals by wiring money to one party and then receiving their worth through goods and services without any physical contact. Equipped with the information that with every good turn of events, malpractices abound, IT too has had its fare share of troubles. Internet betting has been on the rise, but since internet technology changes each new day, software installations that will look into the security and privacy of IT users are being installed in order to ensure that its clientele is fully satisfied and safe. Social responsibility of IT professionals With the rising trends of internet hacking and other malpractices, IT professionals are tasked with the sole responsibility of coming up with measures that will guarantee the safety of IT users and their data. After Dr. Roman Danylak’s lecture five, I came to the realisation that the general public is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that their personal information does not leak out to unauthorised persons because they might use it to their own advantage. He suggested that cyber misdemeanours can be curbed if individuals learn the essence of protecting their data. He warned against the habit of sharing information with aliens because that is how cyber felonies arise because one does not fully know how the released information can be employed to their detrimental. In my view, in order to effectively combat cyber crimes, public education on the dangers of issuing out personal information needs to be carried out. Legal and moral responsibilities As Catherine Logan put it in her presentation, it is not enough to fully put the hopes of curbing cyber and other related crimes on the IT professionals because there is need to find other alternative avenues to assist in that. I second the idea of using the political office bearers because they are involved in the legislation of the setting up of rules and regulations that govern the use of cyber space. The undertaking of such legislations will ensure that IT standing orders are encompassed in the legal set up of individual states. Putting such policies in place will ensure that strict remedies are taken against those found perpetrating the vice. With reference to week four and the sixth lecture, tow ethical schools of thought are of the view that regulations ought to direct our moral mannerisms. This made me realise that our daily chores are only morally right if they confirm to the set moral guidelines (L’Etang 1992). I also came to the conclusion that, even though IT has transformed our lives, nevertheless there is set moral guidelines that should guide our interaction with it. Basing my assertions on Breakey’s (2009) view on utilitarianism, I second the idea that much emphasis should not always be pegged on the actions but rather on their penalties because the outcome is usually the defining milestone. To this end, individuals ought to think through the costs of their actions before embarking on them because it is not often the act that is condemned, but the effects that it had on the human society. Ensuring that the law is severe on those found perpetrating cyber offensive could be the only cue in ensuring that others with the same intend are kept at bay. Professional code of conduct and ethics Although utilitarianism and the tow school had profound arguments regarding moral standards, I have my misgivings regarding how effective such moral set ups can be made functional in the IT set up. I am doubtful of their applicability because the social media has continually played a front role in abating the ethics because it at times contravenes individual privacy. With the profound freedom that the social media enjoys, it is a little bit hard to facilitate the uptake moral guidelines in the IT sector. With the freedom that the social media endows on individuals, it becomes hectic for ethical norms to be practised (L’Etang 1992). Moreover, according to me, the greater part of the cyber misdeeds that occur are as an effect of human activities instigated by individual failures, for instance some of the immoral information that individual share on social forums. As learned from lecture one of the twelfth week, ensuring that IT code of conduct is implemented will aide curb some employers habit of monitoring their employees online interactions. Moral responsibility of IT professionals to the Society In order to ensure that the society practises ethical adherence to IT set operational principles, the cue has to originate from the professionals themselves so as to influence the society into up taking them. From lecture five notes, since the IT professionals are usually in close proximity with the users, it is easier for the society to take up after them because what they do will be seen as the norm. Being an authority in their undertaking, IT professionals are expected to instil the mannerisms they think are worth being absorbed by the society. With this in mind, these professionals can easily establish the model of moral principles that they want to be upheld within the society that they operate, for example, if they condemn using pirated materials, then the society will automatically view it as being illegal and thus avoid it completely. Personal ethical framework When involvement with IT issues cannot be avoided, I personally advocate for the employment of personal conscience because the effects of IT firstly catch up with individual persons before spiralling to the entire society. In this regard, if cyber felonies can be easily managed at the individual level, then the entire society will be free of these malpractices that have over time resulted in the erosion of ethical norms with regard to IT usage. Since I am a regular user of the internet, I strongly believe that it is unethical to wrongly use the information that I come in possession of to blackmail others into fulfilling my whims. Moreover, I am also equipped with information that will enable me to be able to purchase and thus use the recommended or authentic software. To this end, I personally have settled on ensuring that I do not get involved in internet crimes, for instance betting because the fulfilment of the societal ethical norms start with me. To ensure an overall up take of these ethical standards, I propose the involvement of public education so that individuals can have a preamble of IT policies and individual requirement to uphold them. Conclusion With these lessons in mind, I can ascertain that I have gained an insight, one that I had earlier overlooked, into IT matters. Moreover, the presence of professionally ethical IT employees also plays a major role in ensuring that the society is well informed of the moral aspects involved and the penalties if one is involved in the vices. In addition, through public education, I have learnt how to differentiate between fake software and the authentic ones because both are on the market, an episode aimed at duping users. In general, no matter how well structured a society can be, there will always be those individuals who are out to disrupt the normalcy, and to that end, the policies and regulations set in place will ensure that they are dealt with whenever apprehended, thus ensuring that the law abiding are protected. References Breakey, H, 2009, The Epistemic and Informational Requirements of Utilitarianism. Cambridge: Cambridge University press. L’Etang, J, 1992, A Kantian Approach to Codes of Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 11. Netherland: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Read More