COMPUTER ETHICS: Gender Effects and Employee Internet Misuse Written By: Kimberly S. Young & Carl J. Case Presented By: Matthew Breslin

Short Summary Purpose of Study: Whether or not gender differences influence the degree to which individuals recognize unethical conduct in the use of IT at work. 6 Ethical Dilemmas Presented Personal Use of the Internet Downloading music Viewing online pornography Visiting chat rooms Electronically sending jokes Participating in cyber-sex Results: Disconnect between indicated degree of misuse and actual behavior in the workplace. *Companies must do more to enforce or communicate policies, especially to college grads entering workforce

Short Summary Research Design: Web based survey including 6th ethical dilemmas. Participants responded to the survey posted at the site for the Center of Internet Addiction Recovery. Respondents provide demographic information. Then rated the level of misuse from 0-7.

Short Summary MALES Most Common Activities Least Common Activities Personal email 78%, Instant Messaging 59%, pornography 58%, music downloading 52% and gaming 51% Least Common Activities Chat Rooms 22%, online auctions 24%, online shopping 24%, stock watching 8% and internet gambling 6% FEMALES Most Common Activities Personal email 76%, instant messaging 57%, music downloading 47% Least Common Activities Gaming sites 40%, online shopping 31%, online auctions 22%, chat rooms 20%, stock watching 5%, internet gambling 4%

Short Summary Strong correlation between male and female responses EX: 38% Male 39% Female personal use of internet during lunch is not misuse, 4% Male 4% female no misuse in terms of downloading free music at work, 10% Male 10% Female misuse in electronically distributing jokes Same percentage that said music downloading and pornography is misuse admit doing it Burden falls upon companies to better communicate and enforce ethical internet use in the workplace

Personal Opinion It is becoming increasingly important to enforce proper internet use because as long as use continues to rise, so will misuse All companies should put employees through annual internet use/abuse training This should clearly cover all limitations, situations, suggested actions, and implications. Using IT department to monitor internet use and block unwanted sites is an important aspect of avoiding ethical issues on the web

ETHICAL ISSUES 1.3 Be honest and trustworthy. 1.7 Respect the privacy of others. 2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and dignity in both the process and products of professional work. 2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work 2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities. 2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when authorized to do so

Questions What sections of the ACM Code of Professional Conduct are applicable to this issue? Who is at greater risk to misuse company computer, a new graduate or an experienced employee? What were the 3 most common internet activities in the workplace? (male and female) To what degree were males and females either similar or different in their responses regarding degrees of misuse?

Case Study A company requests you to write a program sorting applicants for acceptance review. In their detailed request, they state they want all white male applicants to be put at the top of the list, followed by black males, Latinos, and females. Should you oblige to the company’s request and gain business? If not, why?

Case Study Answer Answer: ACM members are to be fair and not take action to discriminate according to section 1.4. For this reason, you should tell the client you are unable to create a system to discriminate according to race. Perhaps suggest creating a program that will order the applicants by GPA or previous starting salaries rather than race or gender.