Ethical Issues Inherent in ICT Product Design - Assignment Example

Running Header: Ethical issues inherent in ICT Product Design Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Ethics in ICT Designs 4 3.0 Ethical issues Inherent in ICT Product Design 5 3.1 Professionalism 5 3.2 Web Testing 6 3.3 Health and Safety of the ICT products 8 3.4 Intellectual Property 8 3.5 Conflict of Interest 9 3.6 Internal users 10 3.7 Confidentiality 11 3.8 Privacy 12 4.0 Conclusion 13 14 References 14 Bake, J: TechNet Radio: Preserving Data Privacy and Confidentiality in the Cloud, Technet Blogs. http://blogs.technet.com/b/johnbaker/archive/2010/10/14/technet-radio-preserving-data-privacy-and-confidentiality-in-the-cloud.aspx.Accessed 25Aug 2012 14 Morton, R.: Niko Schlamberger, International ICT Executive and Top-Ranking ICT Authority for Business, Industry, Governments, Academia, Journals, Regional and Global Organizations, Technet Blogs. http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdnexperts/archive/2011/02/21/niko-schlamberger-international-ict-executive-and-top-ranking-ict-authority-for-business-industry-governments-academia-journals-regional-and-global-organizations.aspx. Accessed 25 Aug 2012. 15 Ibaraki, I: Chat: Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Technet Blogs, http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdnitmanagers/archive/2012/07/30/chat-dr-hamadoun-tour-233-secretary-general-of-the-international-telecommunication-union-itu.aspx. Accessed 25Aug 2012. 15 16 Abstract The current growth in ICT has influenced users of information to gain an interest in understanding how ICT professionals conduct themselves in designing new technological innovations. Interest in this field developed due to the production of low standard ICT products. Understanding the ethics that govern the ICT professionals in their activities is of great importance as it enables the public to build confidence with their technological designs. This paper tries to explore, understand and analyze the ethical issues inherent in any ICT product design. The paper finds out that professionalism, privacy, website testing, confidentiality, internal users and conflict of interest as well as the health and safety of ICT products are ethical factors that are inherent in any ICT product design. 1.0 Introduction Ethics in ICT is important as it ensures that the public accepts new technological innovations. Ethical provisions in ICT make sure that the ICT professionals adhere to the laid down standards while developing new technologies. Ethics are the self regulatory rules which are also referred to as codes of conduct or best practice and are audited by external parties who also provide quality assurance certificates. In ICT codes of ethics are used in order to ensure quality safety and reliability in ICT innovations (Konskey, Ivins and Gribble 2007) .The codes of ethics are used in order to easily identify the problems that may arise during the use of the ICT technologies. Moreover, the codes of conduct act as a means of certifying that the ICT professionals have followed all the laid down procedures and practices in developing the new technology. This paper will discuss the ethical issues inherent in any ICT product design. 2.0 Ethics in ICT Designs ICT has affected the values and culture held by individuals by defining how people live and work. ICT is an important component because it determines how data, information and knowledge are extended to human beings and therefore it is critical to mankind. This calls for effective handling of all issues related to ICT developments. Morton (2012) observes that ICT professionals are required to adhere to the code of ethics so that they can be responsible and accountable to the public in relation to their technological innovations. Ethics in ICT refers to the moral principles that influence ICT professionals to conduct themselves in a predetermined way. The ICT professionals must observe their individual code of conduct as well as the conduct imposed onto them through peer influence and states how they are expected to behave while developing their products. Vartianen (2008) emphasizes that the ethical code of conduct are developed because the professionals want to prove to the public that they can regulate their moral behavior and that of their representatives. Ethical guidelines assist the ICT professional in making decisions relating to their product designs. Burmeister (2001) argues that when ICT professionals understand their code of ethics they are able to provide justified reasons for the decisions they make during particular situations in the product design. The professionals can be able to easily choose right and wrong by referring to the ethical guidelines. Moreover, the ethical guidelines require the ICT professionals to develop products of high quality and standards which are secure and can effectively benefit all members of the community without discrimination. 3.0 Ethical issues Inherent in ICT Product Design According to Konsky, Ivins and Gribble (2007) the ICT professionals are faced with a number of ethical challenges with the increase in the adoption and development of complicated ICT products. The ethical challenges can have a great impact on the consumers of the ICT products as well as the society and the fellow professionals in the ICT sector. This has in turn led to the development and implementation of ethical standards and guidelines in order to reduce the negative impacts that may result when ICT professionals are faced with ethical challenges. Therefore, all the ICT professionals are required to observe the code of ethics in their activities. 3.1 Professionalism ICT professionals are required to observe professionalism in designing an ICT product in order to be responsible and reliable to the public, clients, employers and their fellow employees (Konsky, Ivins and Gribble 2007). Professionalism requires the ICT designers to be governed by the code of ethics in their technological innovations. The professionals must display high levels of standards and behavior in respect to the products that they design. ICT professionals are called upon to act and behave in a manner that is beyond a person’s moral obligations. To act professionally, the ICT professionals must begin by understanding the ethical code of conduct so as to enable them produce products that serve the interests of the society. Burmeister (2001) states that it is in the best interest that the ICT professionals adopt and implement the ethical code of conduct while designing the ICT products. To qualify as professionals, the ICT designers are required to embark on broad intellectual training which involves understanding a composite collection of knowledge. Furthermore, the professionals are expected to have a say in the society through the ICT products and services that they design and produce. Moreover, the ICT professionals are assumed to make independent judgments based on their expertise in relation to the ICT products that they innovate. The professionals must ensure that their ICT designs are regulated and governed by the laid down set of behavioral standards that is personified in the ethical code of conduct. Acting professionally enables the ICT professionals to gain public trust due to their commitment to the ethical behavioral standards. It means therefore that ICT professionals must design products that demonstrate their highest standards and best practices as stated by the professional ethics in order to achieve the required quality. 3.2 Web Testing ICT professionals should ensure that they test the usability of a website after designing it. Burmeister (2001) argues that an ICT professional should consider the requirements of the community before designing a website and further test the website after its development to ensure that the needs of the community are met. The fact that many children are accessing the internet exposes them to unwelcome materials. Jones (2003) emphasizes that computer technology and the ICT pose moral, physical, intellectual and emotional hazards to children. An ICT professional is required to observe ethical guidelines in designing and testing a website in order to ensure that the adequate precautions exist so as to reduce the risk exposed to the minors. Therefore, the ICT professional is called upon by the ethics code of conduct to test a website in order to take the maximum possible precautions that would be acceptable to the society as a whole. To do this, the ICT professional may include some form of counseling in the website if the viewers feel uncomfortable with its contents. Moreover, the ICT professional may enquire from the community whether to make the website limited or fully accessible to the minors. Testing provides an opportunity for the ICT professional to identify the possibility of users accessing website locations that were not anticipated during the product design (Burmeister 2001). The professionals must ensure that they carefully monitor the website so as to identify any harm that may arise when the users access unexpected locations. Professional ethics further require the ICT professionals to include warning messages in the websites that they design in order to create awareness to the users of the possibility of accessing unintended locations. The professionals are required to employ ethical guidelines in ensuring that the users leave the website satisfied. ICT professionals should also test the website to ensure that it works correctly and effectively. The ethical codes of conduct require professionals in the ICT sector to ensure that the products they design work as expected in order to meet their customers’ needs. The website should be tested comprehensively before releasing it to the public. This is done so as to certify that the website is usable and to also make sure that the website meets the laid down standards. 3.3 Health and Safety of the ICT products ICT professionals must determine how the products that they design affect the health and safety of the users. The professionals should consider the health and safety of the people who are directly affected by the products that they design (Burmeister 2001). Professional ethics require the ICT professionals to consider the perceptions of those affected by the products and the technologies that they design. The professionals should ensure that their products empower the minors in the society by ensuring that those affected feel a sense of control over the technological innovation. Moreover, the ICT products should be tested to confirm they are safe and healthy to use. In case the product is perceived to be unsafe, the ICT professionals are required by the ethical guidelines to willingly discard the product. By testing the product, the ICT professionals show their intention to institute and sustain human values in terms of accountability and trust. The professionals are required to gain the trust of the users by making sure that the ICT product meets the expected standards as perceived by the customers. In addition, the professionals should facilitate the users understanding of how the product works in order to enable them to easily identify a problem that may arise during the product operations. 3.4 Intellectual Property The advancement in ICT has led to immaterial rights. This means that immaterial properties can be owned by individuals or an organization. According to Burneister (2001) ICT professionals are required to give credit for work done or owned by others. The professionals in the ICT sector must ensure that they observe professional ethics by giving credit to patented products and innovations. Burneister (Rogerson 1998) states that if a group of individual or an organization invests some money, effort and time in building an ICT product, the product ownership should be entitled to them so that they can gain the economic benefit associated with their products. The ICT professionals are called upon to be honest in acknowledging and giving credit to the people who assist the professionals with skills and knowledge in order to facilitate the development of a product. The professionals must adhere to the ethical codes of practice by employing techniques that conform to the requirements in relation to the copyright laws as well as the intellectual property. Furthermore, the professional must identify and recognize the developer or the owner of the digital sources of information by following the set rules in citing and referencing the information. The ethical code of conduct requires the ICT professionals to come up with strategies of protecting and maintaining information in digital form. The products that they design should not be utilized in destroying or misusing the digital information. 3.5 Conflict of Interest Conflict of interest arises when an ICT professional is caught between two conflicting parties. The professionals should not put themselves in situations where designing products for two or more clients creates a conflict of interest. The professional code of ethics requires the ICT professional to address any potential conflict of interest they become aware of. Where no appropriate action can be taken to avoid the conflict, the ICT profession should cease to act in that matter that led to the emergence of the conflict. Conflict of interest can arise when an ICT profession either designs products for two parties who are in adverse disagreements, develops products for the employer and the employee at the same time or where the ICT professional my benefit financially for developing the products on behalf of the client. Burnsteiner (2001) notes that conflict of interest can also arise when the ICT professionals are faced with two conflicting code of ethics. In this case, the professional must ensure that they place the interest of the public at the forefront. The products that they design should take into consideration the public welfare hence the professionals should use this in making difficult moral decisions. 3.6 Internal users Employees working with the ICT professionals may choose not to agree with the products designed by the professionals. The employees may do this by refusing to sign the agreement form. According to Burnsteiner (2001) the employees may pose an ethical implication in case they fail to sign the consent form given that the ICT professionals may be expecting them to be away from the company for a considerable period of time. Internal employees may also create ethical challenges to the ICT professionals when they appear back for work earlier than anticipated therefore making it difficult for the professionals to test their product effectively. Employees working with the ICT professionals may appear earlier for work because they may have a feeling that the products developed are not morally ethical. However, they may fail to inform the management about their feelings. The internal employees may have a negative attitude towards the new ICT innovations and this may make them to decline to participate in testing the new technological innovations. This may furthermore motivate the internal users to refuse to sign the agreement form so as to enable the external users to gain confidence with the product. The employees may be expected to consent with their employers. However, matters relating to the effectiveness of the ICT designs should be left on personal judgments of the internal users. The internal users should be given an opportunity to independently express their thoughts regarding the standards of the ICT innovations. This will urge them to participate during the usability tests as they may feel their inputs in the designed product. The ethical code of conduct calls for honesty on the part of the ICT professional and protection of the internal users’ confidentiality (Burnsteiner 2001). Moreover, the ICT professionals are required to employ professional judgments in solving conflicts of this nature. 3.7 Confidentiality According to Burnsteiner (2001) ICT professionals are required by the code of ethics to preserve the confidentiality of the information of others. The ICT professionals are required to report to the company about the improvements that need to be made to their designs without disclosing the identity of the participants who made it necessary for the changes to be made. Bake (2010) notes that the ICT professionals may face challenges when trying to maintain the confidentiality of the information about others. However, the ethics code of conduct stipulates that the ICT professionals should be honest and should reveal full information about their findings in relation to the performance of their designs. They should not intentionally mislead the clients of their innovations. The ICT specialist should aim at protecting the information of others by designing ICT products of high standards. In cases where the employees unwillingly commit mistakes while using the technological innovations, the ICT professionals should maintain the confidentiality of the involved staff. In addition, the ICT professionals should develop simpler interfaces and train the employees on how to operate the technologies with ease. 3.8 Privacy An interview conducted by Ibaraki (2011) found out that there is no clear cut explanation of where privacy starts and where it ends in maintaining privacy in the use of personal data. The ICT professionals must ensure that they do not violate the privacy of the users of their technological designs as well as their own privacy (Burnsteiner 2001). The ethical code of conduct requires the professionals in the ICT sector to safeguard the security and integrity of information about others. Moreover, they are required to think about and to also respect other people’s privacy. The ICT designers should be assigned the responsibility of ensuring that the privacy of other people is satisfactorily protected. The ICT professionals should be held accountable in case they breach the code of ethics by failing to protect the information they hold about other people. ICT professionals may be required to collect data from people so as to effectively design and determine how their products perform. The management should ensure that the professionals posses the necessary expertise in handling and protecting the information of the participants. Moreover, the management should lay down guidelines in order to ensure that privacy is observed when handling the information of the participants. Burnsteiner (2001) states that information privacy aims at giving the owners the right to control their own information 4.0 Conclusion Ethics in ICT refers to the laid down standards and guidelines that govern the ICT professionals in designing and developing new technological innovations. The ICT professionals are required to adhere to the code of ethics in order to gain the trust and confidence of the public. The code of ethics requires them to display and observe professionalism while designing products. In addition, the professionals are required to test the websites that they develop so as to ensure that they work as expected and they meet the laid down quality standards. Ethical guidelines necessitate the need for ICT professionals to consider the effects of their designs on the health and safety of the users. The ICT professionals must ensure that they maintain confidentiality and privacy when handling information relating to other people. References Burmeister, O. (2001): HCI Professionalism: Ethical Concerns in Usability Engineering. Australian Computer Society, Canberra, Australia, 1: 1-7, J. Weckert. Bake, J: TechNet Radio: Preserving Data Privacy and Confidentiality in the Cloud, Technet Blogs. http://blogs.technet.com/b/johnbaker/archive/2010/10/14/technet-radio-preserving-data-privacy-and-confidentiality-in-the-cloud.aspx.Accessed 25Aug 2012 Jones, A.(2003). Infusing ICT Use Within the Early Years of Elementary Education. Australian Computer Society, Parramatta, Australia, 1:1-6. Konsky, B., Ivis, J., & Gribble, S. (2007): Engaging Undergraduates in Discussions about Ethics in Computing. Australian Computer Society, Victoria, Australia, 66, 1-7, Samuel Mann and Simon. Morton, R.: Niko Schlamberger, International ICT Executive and Top-Ranking ICT Authority for Business, Industry, Governments, Academia, Journals, Regional and Global Organizations, Technet Blogs. http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdnexperts/archive/2011/02/21/niko-schlamberger-international-ict-executive-and-top-ranking-ict-authority-for-business-industry-governments-academia-journals-regional-and-global-organizations.aspx. Accessed 25 Aug 2012. Ibaraki, I: Chat: Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Technet Blogs, http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdnitmanagers/archive/2012/07/30/chat-dr-hamadoun-tour-233-secretary-general-of-the-international-telecommunication-union-itu.aspx. Accessed 25Aug 2012. Vertiainen, T. (2008): Student Life in Computing: A Variety of Conflicting Moral Requirements. Australian Computer Society, Wollongong, Australia, 78:1-8, Simon and Margret Hamilton. Read More