Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to ethical and social issues in information systems, providing definitions and explanations for important terms.

Ethics

The principles of right and wrong that individuals use to guide their behaviors.

Information Technology (IT)

Changes the distribution of decision-making rights, power and other resources, and creates new opportunities for crime.

Five Moral Dimensions of the Information Age

Includes information rights and obligations, property rights and obligations, accountability and control, system quality, and quality of life.

NORA (Non-obvious Relationship Awareness)

A data analysis technique used to create detailed profiles of individuals by combining data from multiple sources.

Responsibility

Accepting the potential costs, duties, and obligations for decisions.

Accountability

Mechanisms for identifying responsible parties.

Liability

Permits individuals or firms to recover damages done to them.

Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative

If an action is not right for everyone to take, then it is not right for anyone.

Utilitarian Principle

Take the action that achieves the greatest value for all concerned.

Fair Information Practices

A set of principles governing the collection and use of information based on privacy laws.

Cookies

Tiny files deposited on a hard drive used to identify the visitor and track visits to the website.

Web Bugs

Tiny graphic files embedded in emails and web pages to monitor online user behavior.

Spyware

Software that tracks web behavior and reports it to a third-party server, often without user knowledge.

Opt-out model

Assumes consent for data collection unless the user takes action to opt out.

Opt-in model

Prohibits data collection unless the user explicitly consents to it.

Intellectual Property

Intangible property created by individuals or corporations, protected by trade secrets, copyright, and patent law.

Copyright

Protects creators from having their work copied for the life of the author plus 70 years.

Patents

Grants exclusive rights to inventors for their inventions for 20 years.

Data Quality

The accuracy, completeness, and reliability of data in information systems.

Technostress

Stress induced by computer use.

Digital Divide

The gap between those who have easy access to digital technology and those who do not.