ITGS Social & Ethical Issues Layman’s Terms

Reliability How reliable is it? Example: reliable – giving the same result after repeated trials / usages Example: air traffic control software

Integrity data does NOT change Example: save a file on your computer open it later you EXPECT the file to be unchanged

Security not letting everybody access it Example: school locker

Privacy keeping information private from others; not letting everybody see it Example: medical records

Anonymity not revealing your identity (who you are) Example: chat rooms

Authenticity verifying somebody is who they say they are Example: Driver’s license

Intellectual property ownership of ideas, discoveries, works of art, etc. Examples: patents - iPod trademarks – McDonald’s copyright – mp3s

Equality of access everybody having access to IT Examples: Internet! One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

Surveillance Observing somebody Examples: SynchronEyes GPS-tracking

Globalization spread of IT resources across the globe (includes businesses) Examples: outsourcing

Cultural diversity globalization  less diversity Examples: Internet and spoken languages

Policies rules and regulations Examples: APS Acceptable Use Policy EVERY business has them

Standards and Protocols widely agreed upon rules Examples: HTML Driver’s licenses Credit card sizes

People and machines the interaction between people and machines usability and design Examples: Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)