Information Technology and Ethical Issues

Acording to Tech Terms, Information technology "refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, software, the internet or the people that work with technologies"(TechTerms.com, 2010).

Information Technology has become very commonplace in todays society as they are now found all over the world and are used in almost every buisness and is even counted as a career as people have jobs working with Information Technology.Universities, highschools and polytechnics all use IT as a way for the students to keep up to date with the work they are assigned to, for example moodle, blackboard.

I personally only feel comfortable using very basic computer skills such as microsoft office and doing basic research on the internet.

On my fieldwork placement IT was used in various ways, such as computers to type up letters, store information on, research information and to use the internet. Email was also used often to communicate with other team members and agencies.

There are a lot of ethical concerns when it comes to using IT devices and sharing the information from these. These can include confidentiality issues due to documents with a persons details on them or photos of people who have not given consent to have them been shown. These ethical concerns are hightened by the fact that technologies are gaining in popularity and it is very easy to post personal information onto a site for anyone to see.

Computer ethics refers to the decisions that are made by computing profesionals which are expected to be up to a proffesional and socially appropriate level (Wikipedia, 2010).

Intellectual property refers to "Documented or undocumented knowledge, creative ideas, or expressions of human mind that have commercial (monetary) value and are protectable under copyright, patent, servicemark, trademark, or trade secret laws from imitation, infringement, and dilution. Intellectual property includes brand names, discoveries, formulas, inventions, know how, registered designs, software, and works of artistic, literary, or musical nature. It is one of the most readily tradable property in the internet (digital) marketplace." Retrieved May 15, 2010,
from Buisnessdirectory.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/intellectual-property.html

Social Justice refers to "Fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and without prejudice."
directory, B. (2010). Social justice. Retrieved May 15, 2010,
from Buisnessdirectory.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-justice.html

Informed consent refers to "Consent given with full knowledge of the risks involved, probable consequences, and the alternatives." Retrieved May 15, 2010,
from Buisnessdirectory.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/informed-consent.html

Because ITC is used so commonly in todays buisnesses and everyday life, it is important that people keep up with an understannding of how to use them and the issues that may arise if not used properly. There are many ethical and legal concerns that may arise if the use of ITC is done wrong, and to keep safe from these issues it is important that people get a basic understanding of how to use ITC safely and appropriatley.