A PERSPECTIVE IT ETHICS

Many of the ethical issues that face IT propessionals are the following example:

• Should you read the private e-mail of your network users just "because you can?.To ensure that sensetive company information isn't being closed?.Is it okay to read employees’ e-mail to ensure that company rules (for instance, against personal use of the e-mail system) aren’t being violated? If you do read employees’ e-mail, should you disclose that policy to them? Before or after the fact?
  Is it okay to monitor the Web sites visited by your network users? Should you routinely keep logs of visited sites? Is it negligent to not monitor such Internet usage, to prevent the possibility of pornography in the workplace that could create a hostile work environment?

• Is it okay to monitor the Web sites visited by your network users? Should you routinely keep logs of visited sites? Is it negligent to not monitor such Internet usage, to prevent the possibility of pornography in the workplace that could create a hostile work environment?
• Is it okay to place key loggers on machines on the network to capture everything the user types? Screen capture programs so you can see everything that’s displayed? Should users be informed that they’re being watched in this way?
• Is it okay to read the documents and look at the graphics files that are stored on users’ computers or in their directories on the file server?

However,the question of ethical behavior in IT propessionals is the beginning to be addressed.

Millions of computers inhabit the earth and many millions of miles of optical fiber, wire and air waves link people, their computers and the vast array of information handling devices together. Our society is truly an information society, our time an information age. The question before us now is whether the kind of society being created is the one we want. It is a question that should especially concern those of us in the MIS community for we are in the forefront of creating this new society.

There are many unique challenges we face in this age of information. They stem from the nature of information itself. Information is the means through which the minds expands and increases its capacity to achieve its goals, often as the result of an input from another mind. Thus, information forms the intellectual capital from which human beings craft their lives and secure dignity.

IT AS A FIELD OF STUDY

Perhaps one of the best thing about information technology is that you stay up-to-date on the latest techonologies.This usually means that you take courses in state-of-the-art classrooms with access to several types of computers and software.IT is effective and efficient use of information and communication technologies is an important element in achieving competative advantage for business organizations.The importance of information technology to organizations and the need for well-educated proffessionals in the field is the basis for a strong link between educational programs and propessional community.And the development of the field,the different ideas about how to characterize it,and different emphases when programs were begun.You learn how to design computers and related technology.You also learn how to change existing computers and software to better meet computer user needs.Overall,you learn how to solve information technology problems and teach people the best ways to use computer technology.Because computers have such an impact on every aspect of modern life.