Posted: June 22nd, 2022

Ethical Issues in Information Systems

Ethical Issues in Information Systems
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Ethical Issues in Information Systems
There has been a rapid development in information technology in the recent past. Application of information systems has seen the rise of many companies such as financial institutions, e-commerce websites and telecommunication firms. The concepts and support offered by the data processing technologies have gone a long way in the automation of office work making it dependable, convenient and time- saving. That said there is a need for creation of awareness on the ethical issues affecting such systems to offer solutions.
Information systems are technical software designed to gather, process, store and distribute data. The critical function is to support operational management within an organization. Information ethics, however, are the standards that govern the creation, use, and dissemination of information. Key trends that raise ethical issues include a dependency on computer systems by organizations and advances in internet and networking (Mason, 2017). Privacy is a major ethical issue with specific regard to data privacy. It entails the ability of an organization to determine what information in a computer system can be shared with third parties. Humans value control over their privacy. But advances in the sphere of information technology such as increased connectivity pose a negative threat to privacy. Use of cookies that websites store on a user’s computer to enable personalization of the site come as a merit but could also be used to the advantage of cyber attackers.
Laws that govern user consent with regard to use of cookies are not always successful. Similarly, recent developments in cloud computing also increase privacy concerns. Social media is also another culprit that is breaking the limits of privacy, having individuals share personal information in exchange for use of social network services. In my opinion, these developments pose threats to privacy and many individuals blindly buy into them. The resultant impacts are felt later on when individuals find themselves in compromising situations where their mental, physical or psychological health is threatened.
It is essential to create awareness on measures to curb ethical security concerns. Technical strategies such as protection of systems by use of password protocols are quite vital. Individuals may also be warned on the effects of sharing personal information on social networks. Since cyber-attackers use a collection of data from a user to draw patterns of user behavior that they can use to exploit an individual. When it comes to choosing a system design, it is essential to look into the development of a safe system infrastructure. Employ experts to develop your technological infrastructure this will ensure minimal system failure thus promoting reduced exposure to hackers. Enforcing the conduct of background checks on persons with access to the system and screening their activities also goes a long way in ensuring the security of systems especially in the case of an organization with big data.
Information systems give rise to management information systems (MIS). Whereby company data can be gathered, analyzed and reported, it is a powerful tool that can assist in making valid decisions and consequently improve company performance (Laudon, & Laudon, 2015). A couple of problems arise as a result of privacy such as tampering of vital company information which can lead to major company losses. Maintenance of accuracy of company data during it life cycle may not be assured as a result of breach of privacy. Access to individual’s financial transactions can result in malicious activity on ones’ account by way of stealing. Immaturity of the information security market is a matter that requires attention in order to solve all the issues that affect information systems.
For an organization to ensure smooth operations, it must look for solutions to counter all its problems. Software can be integrated into existing systems that offer defense against cyber vulnerabilities (Safa, Von, & Furnell, 2016). Education of system functions and faults to users also comes in handy as they know what to look out for in case of any attacks. Extensive research should also be done to address the issue of the immaturity of the cybersecurity industry. Moreover, these are just a few solutions to management information system troubles.
In conclusion, continuous in-depth studies should be made in the field of data security with controls set up to ensure the security of company secrets.

References
Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2015). Management information systems (Vol. 8). Prentice Hall.
Mason, R. O. (2017). Four ethical issues of the information age. In Computer Ethics (pp. 41-48). Routledge.
Safa, N. S., Von Solms, R., & Furnell, S. (2016). Information security policy compliance model in organizations. Computers & Security, 56, 70-82.