Impact of Information Technology

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Agenda
Shneidermans Plagues of the Information era Ethics Issues Corporate Code of IT Ethics Other Impacts

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Shneidermans Plagues of the Information Age

Ben Shneiderman
Univ. Maryland (College Park) Computer Science Human Factors Institute System Philosopher

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Plagues
Anxiety
Computer shock Terminal terror Network neurosis

Alienation
Less connected to other people Whose voice is that, anyway

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Plagues
Impotence of individual
Everyone treated the same No special treatment for exceptions

Bewildering complexity and speed

Windows 2002? Pentium

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Plagues
Organizational fragility Invasion of privacy
Retail database

Unemployment and displacement

Clerks/typesetters VP - mortgage loan decision replaced by Expert System (ES)

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Plagues
Lack of responsibility
Sorry, the computer wont let me ________.

Deteriorating image of people

Intelligent terminals Expert systems Maybe theyll keep us as pets.
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Agenda
Shneidermans Plagues of the Information era Ethics Issues Corporate Code of IT Ethics Other Impacts

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Ethics Issues
IT increases, particularly in processing and storage, have led to increases in:
Numbers of mistakes Computer crime Invasion of privacy Unethical behavior

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Computer Crime
Add / delete / modify inputs Modify / develop programs that commit a crime Alter / modify data files Operate IT in a way to commit a crime Divert / misuse valid output Role of auditor
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Security / Privacy
Security is protection of data which, if wrongly disseminated, may damage organizational goals (e.g., profit) Privacy is protection of data which, if wrongly disseminated, may damage individuals. Natural motivation to protect security Must have laws to protect privacy
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Masons PAPA Model

Privacy Accuracy Property Access

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Privacy
What information about individuals should be revealed? What safeguards are in place to protect a persons privacy? What information can a person keep private and confidential, and not be forced to reveal to others?

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Accuracy
Who is responsible for data accuracy? Who is accountable / liable for inaccurate data? What safeguards have been established to ensure accuracy? What can individuals do to ensure that data stored on them is accurate?
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Property
Who owns the information? Who has the right to buy or acquire the information? How should access to intellectual property be regulated? Who places a value on intellectual property?

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Intellectual Property Rights

Trade secrets
Software, if not in public domain

Copyright
1980 Computer Software Copyright Act

Patent
1981 Supreme Court decision allowed software to be patented

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Access
What information does a person have a right to access? What safeguards exist for information access? How do we guarantee equal access across social and economic groups?

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Agenda
Shneidermans Plagues of the Information era Ethics Issues Corporate Code of IT Ethics Other Impacts

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Corporate Code of IT Ethics

Laudon and Laudon, 1996 Issues that must be addressed
Information rights / obligations Property rights / obligations Accountability and control System quality Quality of life
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Info Rights / Obligations

Employee e-mail privacy Workplace monitoring Treatment of corporate information Policies on customer information

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Property Rights
Software licenses Ownership firm data / facilities Ownership employee software created on firms hardware Software copyrights

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Accountability / Control
Single person responsible for all IT Reporting persons responsible for:
Individual rights Property rights System quality Quality of life

Potential liabilities of system / corporation officers

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System Quality
Errors that can be tolerated
System warranties

Measurement methodology
Collection Reporting

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Quality of Life
IT purpose to improve quality of life for customers and employees Achieve high levels of:
Product quality Customer service Employee satisfaction Human dignity

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Agenda
Shneidermans Plagues of the Information era Ethics Issues Corporate Code of IT Ethics Other Impacts

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Organizations
Structure (E-commerce)
Multination & culture Flatter organizational hierarchies

Management
Telecommuting Authority, power, & status (expert systems)

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Individual
Telecommuting
Satisfaction Dehumanization & psychological

Health
Ergonomics

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Points to Remember
Shneidermans Plagues of the Information era Ethics Issues Corporate Code of IT Ethics Other Impacts

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Discussion Questions
What are your suggestions to regulate the usage (privacy issues) of customer data by a business? Who will be responsible for the information error produced by an organization? What policy does your organization have in terms of privacy and security issue?

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