WEL202A Ethics and Professional Practices

Explain to ethics and reasoning Professionalism and information and communication technology, Professional responsibility; System development and ethics Privacy, Intellectual property in cyberspace, Digital divide and cyberethics, Computers and work Regulating commerce and speech in cyberspace, Ethics of online social network.

Ethics in professionalism calls for the conduct and observance of ethical guidelines which come voluntarily or by force of law. In most cases, ethics point to one’s reasoning on whether to do good or evil in a given case. As professionals, it is important to observe and act ethically during the engagement. The case relates much to the application of ethics in the information and communication technology. The blog presents four sections where the application of ethics is observed in professionalism and the cases where the same is violated in demonstrating its importance.

 Introduction to ethics and logic talks about the issues involved in ethics and the choice of doing right even in cases where one has varied options not bound by law. The article what is internet ethics presents such a scenario through explaining the role of the internet and the ethics applied therein about privacy, neutrality, and harvesting of data. In the article, Raicu defines internet ethics that lead to good life and talks of justice, rights, consequences and the common good involved therein (SCU, 2017).

Further, she notes that everyone has the right to decide to harm or preserve the privacy of individuals on the internet based on free will but insists on choosing on the best move as the definition of ethics that leads to good practice. Here, ethics is related to the practice of asking oneself if a certain communication hurts or helps society. The case is related to the practice of surveillance, data harvesting, and cyber bullying that occurs on the internet more often.

Several questions assist in introducing people to the ethical reasoning while operating on the internet. One question asks, “yes you can, but should you?”. The question defines the situation where one can decide to do any act on the internet but then questions the reason behind committing an act.

For instance, one can bully others on the internet, but should one commit such an act. Ethics inform one on the best practice that leaves the other users at peace and free from threat. In this respect, it advises individuals on observing the best practice even in the absence of supervision and authority. While it may be offensive and against the law to hack into one’s privacy, individuals have the choice of exploring the two quotas at will (Computing Cases, 2017).   

Information from the site remains relevant in introducing individuals to the need of preserving good practice related to ethics in information system and the internet operations. A wide range of individuals are spoken to on the mode of communication, gender sensitivity, data access while giving proper decisions in dealing with the maintenance and governance of the internet. Speaking on the need for a good practice that harms no party, the information remains vital to the public in introducing ethics on internet use.

Professional responsibility; System development and ethics

Professionalism in communication technology calls for good practice done out of goodwill and not from demands. People act professionally in protection and display of the good image at all times as a sense of ethical responsibility. The article “Facebook, Freedom of Speech, and Teens around the World” presents a moral case essential in communicating the need for professionalism and ethical application within work parameters on the internet (SCU, 2017). The case of Facebook and the use by teens open to cyberbullying is used to express the immense dangers that may demand professionalism on the side of the professionals running a given website. The case speaks of the measures Facebook takes to protect the right, freedom, and speech of teens by assisting them to know the privacy policies to be embraced.

The system development is done with the privacy considerations to such individuals thus demonstrating responsibility on the side of the developers. By placing privacy options, the developers act ethically towards the users in protecting their information from unscrupulous users.  The site places options to the user on whether to keep certain information private or publish to all users. In this case, it explains the need for professionalism where apart from doing business puts the need to protect one's users from damage on the internet. The case realizes the dangers its users might be facing and applies professionalism in handling concerns that may raise.

While it may have the option of remaining silent and minting millions from the trade, professionalism calls for protection of users which serves as a core part of an ethical application. The policies differ depending on the government regulations from one nation to the other. Instilling professionalism in business retains the aspect of ethics on the side of employees thus protecting the social media users especially the teens who remain under immense danger at times. Professional responsibility calls for the protection of users where individuals act in good faith while considering not harm the clients.    

Privacy, Intellectual property in cyberspace, Digital divide, and cyberethics, Computers and work

Ethics relates to good practice where information gathering from sites has to remain open and have the persons involved permit for such acts. Giving the users the information that their responses are being used in a given survey is essential in maintaining a privacy ethical conduct on the side of professionals while benefitting from a given research (Computing Cases, 2017). The case presents the example of big data mining companies such as Cambridge Analytica which uses behavioral science insights to assist political candidates design their campaign messages. Such information is harvested from the internet and specifically the social media where voters are categorized, and their perceptions gathered to assist political messages that appeal to a wide population (SCU, 2017).

The question in the case relates to whether privacy and the protection of information is followed according to ethical guidelines by such companies. Accessing one’s information and using it for one’s benefit without informing people amounts to a breach of ethical codes. People should be made aware that their messages and posts are being used for a specific survey and the right to privacy and non-disclosure followed. Data harvesting methods have to be ethical and consider the damages that may be caused to persons whose information is being used. The right to privacy has to be preserved through lack of disclosure of names or anonymity.

 Intellectual property allows individuals to have information privacy where people intending to use information must categorically seek for permission and state the intended use by obtaining rights. The use and adherence to such procedures lead to high ethical standards and observance of intellectual rights. The use of the internet has to follow specific ethical guides to keep each party safe from harm. The practice amounts to respect for individual information where permission has to be sought instead of mining data for personal benefit while jeopardizing or using the right to access improperly (SCU, 2017).       

Regulating commerce and speech in cyberspace, Ethics of online social network

  The right to information access and speech is guaranteed to all in most nations. However, a limitation of the same occurs according to ethical guidelines. For instance, information access to pornographic sites remains limited to children and persons under the allowed age of adulthood which varies from one nation to the other. At the same time, the freedom to speech is limited depending on the kind of rhetoric one uses on the internet. For example, the use of hate speech, offensive language, and threats remains under control on several sites. Efforts to filter out some information remain a responsibility of professionals on different sites to observe. Ethics calls for protection of minors from such information and reporting violators to the authority (SCU, 2017).

 The social media that remained awash with such issues is currently being regulated to reflect positively according to ethical standards in internet use. Intellectual property is protected in areas where duplication is not allowed and in cases of breach, members can have themselves reported to law enforcers. Copyright on information assists in the protection and such data cannot be commercialized without prior permission from the owners. All these points to the regulation in cyberspace that acts according to the ethical guidelines aimed at protecting and doing good to other users on the internet.

References

Computing Cases (2017). Ethics in computing links. Retrieved from http://computingcases.org/general_tools/site_resources/links.html

SCU (2017). Facebook, freedom of speech, and teens around the world: An ethics Case Study. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/facebook-freedom-of-speech-and-teens-/