Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues in Information Security �
2 of 6
Objective
To provide a foundational understanding of ethical theory
To provide a process for analysing ethical situations and for making decisions in response to them
To provide the opportunity for students to consider some ethical circumstances involving Information Technology that the potential to harm individuals, organisations, or society
3 of 6
Introduction: What are “Ethics”?
Set of rules
The study of what it means to do the right thing
Principles based on our understanding of what is good, right, proper, moral or ethical
Ideas of behaviour that are commonly acceptable to society
Improves ethical decision making
Promotes high standard of practice and ethical behaviour
Enhances trust and respect form the general public
The importance of integrity
4 of 6
The Difference between Morals, Ethics and Laws
Morals: one’s personal beliefs about right and wrong
Ethics: standards or codes of behaviour expected of an individual by a group
Law: system of rules that tells us what we can and cannot do
Laws are enforced by a set of institutions
Legal acts conform to the law
Moral acts conform to what an individual believes is the right belief or right and wrong
5 of 6
Ethics in the Business World
Several trends have increased the likelihood of unethical behaviour:
Globalization creating complex work environments
Organizations challenged to maintain profits/revenue
Recent scandals in IT companies
Satyam computer services
HP
Computer associates international
IBM
6 of 6
Ethical Issues for Safety and Security
Social Networking e.g. Facebook, Twi.. Insta.. Myspace..
Acceptable use Policies e.g. Term & Conditins, Code..