ICT ETHICS, POLICY &

SECURITY ISSUES
 INTRODUCTION
ICT Ethics, Security & Policy
Issues
Policy =
Acceptable
Use
guidelines

Security =
Anti-theft,
Ethics = Anti-virus,
The “Rights” Anti-Hacker,
& “Wrongs” Anti-fraud
of ICT measures
usage.
 Discussion
 PART 1: ICT Ethics
Discussion questions (Slide # 12
 PART 2: ICT Policy

Discussion questions (Slide # 18

 PART 3: ICT Security

Discussion questions (Slide # 24

 References (Slide # 25)
 DEFINITION
Definition: Ethic, ethical, ethics
Ethics is concerned with issues of value,
such as judgments about what constitutes
"good" or "bad" behavior in any given
context. Ethics are the standards, values,
morals, principles, etc., which guide one's
decisions or actions.
ICT Ethics relate to the standards of
conduct governing individual, institution’s
societies’ & or international use of
information & communication technology
(Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)
 ICT ETHICS RATIONALE
 Information and communication technology
is perhaps the most powerful & pivotal
invention to date. It continues to
transform all aspects of socioeconomic
transaction including employment,
education, recreation, procreation, et
cetera. However, ICT poses complex
ethical dilemmas. The borderless global
dimension of ICT underscores the need for
ethical guidance and the formulation of
consistent ICT standards and codes of
conduct, (Floridi, 2002).
 DOMAINS OF ICT ETHICS
 Commercial & Legal Issues
 Expression
 Privacy Issues
 Social Justice / Accessibility
 Computer Abuse
 Intellectual Property
 Moral Responsibility
 Risks
 DETAILS OF ICT ETHICS
COMMERCIAL / LEGAL ISSUES –
concern Fraud, Free-trade, Gambling,
Anticompetitive Practices, etc.
ICT standards governing commercial & legal
issues aim to suppress dishonest business
practices and to protect and encourage
fair competition

EXPRESSION –
Concerns, Free Speech, Netiquette (polite-
use conventions), etc.
ICT related standards aim to control(among
other things) hate motivated or indecent
communication, whilst protecting free-
speech rights.
 DETAILS OF ICT ETHICS
PRIVACY –
Concerns E-mail Privacy, Anonymity,
Spamming, encryption, database or
personal information Privacy etc.
Ethical standards protect personal &
commercial information such as login &
password info, credit card and account
information and government and commercial
databases. It also controls unwanted
internet mail and ads (Spam).
 DETAILS OF ICT ETHICS
SOCIAL JUSTICE –
Social Justice relates to The Digital Divide
(unequal ICT access), Accessibility for
students with special needs , etc.
Ethical standards relate to making ICT
available and accessible to all peoples,
including the disabled and the deprived.
Accessibility needs to be kept in mind
during curriculum design(in educational
contexts), in order to maximize the
capabilities of the technology
 DETAILS OF ICT ETHICS
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – concerns
Intellectual Content, Student Authenticity,
Software Piracy. Patents & Copyright Law,
Electronic Copyright etc.
ICT Ethical standards aim to control
plagiarism, student identity fraud, and
the use of copyrighted material, etc.

MORAL RESPONSIBILITY –
Concerns individual action such as Whistle-
blowing (exposing ethical violations) and
personal adherence to ethical codes.
Ethical standards include a personal moral
dimension.
 DETAILS OF ICT ETHICS
RISKS –
Risk faced by ICT users relate to username
thefts, Computer hardware & Software Reliability,
etc.
Related ICT Ethical standards govern Internet Service
Providers (ISP), responsibility to protect client
information and the quality of computer hardware
and software.

COMPUTER ABUSE
Computer abuse includes Hacking, dissemination of
software Worms, software Viruses, Trojan Horses
(program that introduces viruses to computers),
etc.
Related ethical standards aim to penalize
violators.
 QUESTIONS - ICT ETHICS
 What means do educational institutions
use currently, to ensure student
authenticity; that is; registered
students produce and present their own
work?

 How could ICT accessibility be improved

for disabled and or deprived ICT users?

 How does the “personal moral dimension”

of ICT ethics strike you? Does our
ethical obligation go beyond standard
ethical conduct?
 ICT POLICY ISSUES
Definition of
ICT policy …
 ICT policy documents
are developed by
technology user
groups to outline
their beliefs,
vision, strategies,
principles and
responsibilities in
using Information and
Communication
Technology.
 RATIONALE FOR ICT POLICIES
 ICT policies emerge from the
obligation of user groups, including
School Boards and universities, to
delineate policies connecting
acceptable use protocols with
stakeholder rights and
responsibilities.
ICT policies help to minimize or
eliminate liability resulting from
unacceptable use, or breach of
ethic.
 DETAILS OF ICT POLICY
COPYRIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES …
 The retrieval of work from a file to the Internet to the
desktop has been defined by the courts as a “copy”.

 Do not assume you are protected under the Fair Use

exemption because you are enrolled in a course or your
work has some educational purpose.

 Unless a work categorically states it may be copied

freely, it should be considered copyrighted material.

 Teachers should view ICT capabilities as an extension of

the classroom while remaining cognizant of copyright
responsibilities.

 The same technology that allows us to access material

almost instantaneously also makes it much easier to
obtain copyright permission of works.
 DETAILS of ICT Policy
CENSORSHIP ISSUES …
 The most complicated issue arising out of ICT use
might be the imposition of censorship rules.

 The advent of monitors and graphic displays create

a potentially controversial situation wherein
individuals possessing a wide spectrum of moral
values might disagree on what constitutes
offensive content and can therefore justify
censorship.

ICT Policy must strike a delicate balance in

defining a sense of community morality acceptable
to a diverse range of user groups.
 DETAILS of ICT Policy
USER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES …

 ICT Policy should connect acceptable use protocols

with stakeholder rights such as freedom of
expression and freedom from persecution.

 ICT Policy should delineate consequences for

breaches of appropriate usage.

 ICT Policy should outline a comprehensive set of

rights and responsibilities for user groups.
 QUESTIONS – ICT POLICY
1. You are teaching a world geography course and your students
have demonstrated a keen interest in the new geopolitical
realities of the former Soviet Union. Your textbook is 15
years old and there is no mention of break away republics.
A colleague suggests you photocopy one chapter for each of
your students (20 copies in all) from a text he purchased
last summer while on vacation. Would this be copyright
infringement? Would you copy it regardless?

2. How do teachers, principals, and school boards resolve the

dilemma of developing appropriate use policies for ICT
users who possess a wide range of moral values? (Content
deemed offensive by party “A” is perfectly fine with part
“B”.) Where do we draw the line?

3. Ultimately, we expect students to assume responsibility for

making good judgment about accessing those Internet sites
that contain offensive material. Do filters remove this
responsibility from students? Is there a place for filters
in our schools?
 ICT SECURITY ISSUES
RATIONALE
 The protection of ICT data,
facilities, software, hardware,
services & processes is an
increasingly challenging
priority for every sector of
society including education.
Theft, hacking, and viruses,
etc. can seriously compromise
ICT systems, resulting in
material loss and liability.
The goal of ICT security is to
ensure that ICT systems, data
and transactions remain intact
and optimized.
DOMAINS OF ICT SECURITY
ICT Security Targets The
Following Domains:
 Appropriate Use Of ICT Systems
 Privacy & Confidentiality of Data
 Integrity of ICT Systems
 Protection of all ICT related
Hardware, Software and Facilities
 ICT Systems Functionality
DETAILS OF ICT SECURITY
 APPROPRIATE USE OF ICT SYSTEMS
Effective ICT Security measures ensures that
ICT systems are used as intended.
 PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY OF DATA

Effective ICT Security measures protects the

confidentiality and privacy of consumer
and institution data and prevent copyright
violations
 INTEGRITY OF ICT SYSTEMS

Effective ICT Security Systems ensure that

Data remains uncompromised and provide for
speedy data and systems recovery.
 DETAILS OF ICT SECURITY
 PROTECTION OF ALL ICT RELATED HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE AND FACILITIES
Effective ICT Security systems preserve the
integrity of all ICT related systems and
facilities including hardware & software,
communication capabilities, and network
systems.
 ICT SYSTEMS FUNCTIONALITY

Effective ICT Security systems optimize

functionality of ICT systems in all
circumstances.
 CONSEQUENCES OF ICT ETHICS,
POLICY & SECURITY BREACHES
 ICT Systems are essential and increasingly
indispensable for efficient, timely and
cost-effective socioeconomic, including
educational transactions. They typically
represent significant investments.
ethical, policy & or security breaches can
result in significant liability. Hence,
ethical, policy and or security breaches
must attract consequences consistent with
ethical standards and institution
policies.
QUESTIONS – ICT SECURITY
1.Should educational institutions be
liable for breaches such as copyright
violations, even after violators have
been duly informed?
2.District school boards assert that they
own the content of teachers’
correspondences via board ICT networks.
Would they be able to make a similar
case for ownership of teacher-produced
course material such as course websites ?
 ICT REFERENCES
ICT ETHICS (RESOURCE HOME / MAIN)
http://courses.ncsu.edu:8020/classes-a/computer_ethics/
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/Department/ethics.html
Fioridi, L. (2002) Ethics in the Infosphere. Retrieved June 6, 2003
from
http://www.blesok.com.mk/tekst.asp?lang=eng&tekst=374
ICT POLICY RESOURCES
Howe-Steigler, L., & Donahue, B. (2002). "Technology is changing what's
"fair use" in teaching -again". Education Policy Analysis Archives,
10(4) .
MacKenzie, J. (1995). "Creating board policies for student use of the
Internet". The Educational Technology Journal, 5(7).
MacKenzie, J. (1996). " A dozen reasons why schools should avoid
filtering". The Educational Technology Journal, 5 (5).
ICT SECURITY RESOURCES
http://is.curtin.edu.au/info-security/
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/computers/int/web/articles/0,,125_182030-
2,00.html
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/T/Trojan_horse.html