Online Web Research Services & Data Research, Data mining

You must deal primarily with the important aspect of collection of information about an organization's ethical performance over time, what needs to be recorded and analyzed.

However, it also allows for discussion of the ethics of handling information (per se) with integrity.


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Integrity and Ethics Audits:

•The need for these to be done on a regular basis to regularly assess good governance and organizational integrity

•The possible steps and content of ethics audits

•Adherence to any code of ethics in place: number of breaches, number of cases investigated, rewards and punishments handed out etc.

Emphasis the specific organisation and the potential "at risk" areas.

•The degree to which adequate resourcing is being given to this activity (financial, human, structural etc.)

•Use of audit outcomes to enhance the organisation's ethics regime: remedial actions etc.

Corporate Governance issues as these relate to corporate recording, financial controls, separation of financial roles etc.

Key ethical issues regarding the management of information generally

Privacy:

•What information about one's self or one's associations must a person reveal to others?

•Under what conditions and with what safeguards?

•What things can people keep to themselves and not be forced to reveal to others?

Accuracy:

Who is responsible for the authenticity, fidelity and accuracy of information?

•Similarly, who is to be held accountable for errors in information?

How is any injured party to be re-established ?

Property:

Who owns information?

•Under what circumstances should it be exchanged or shared?

•What are the just and fair prices for its exchange?

•Who owns the channels, especially the airways, through which information is transmitted?

How should access to this scarce resource be allocated?

Accessibility:

What information does a person or an organisation have a right or a privilege to obtain?
•Under what conditions and with what safeguards?

Information systems

Important features:

•Should not unduly invade a persons' privacy.

Must be accurate.

Should protect the viability of the communications frequency spectrum to avoid noise and jamm

Should protect the sanctity of intellectual property, and provide just reward for original thought.

Should be accessible to avoid the indignities of information illiteracy and deprivation.

Information Systems

Intrusive data collection

•Secretive data collection & storage

•Improper data storage

•Insecurity of data

•Misuse of data (for purposes not intended)

•Wrongful sharing of data

•Inaccuracy of data

•Shelf-life of data (non expungement)

Intellectual Property & Copyright Issues

Examples of things that can be protected by copyright:

•Inventions & discoveries

•Written text of any kind

•Trademarks

•Media & Music (sounds, movies, music, choreography, TV & radio broadcasts etc.)

•Art (photos, drawings, sketches, plans)

•Software

•Designs (architectural drawings, equipment specifications etc)

Some ethical Issues:

•The concept of"fair use" - legitimate purposes include: research, teaching, news reporting,

critical comment.

•Proportion of work - a critical factor

•"Not for profit" notions

•Profiting by another's intellect and/or labour

E-Commerce, E-Government & Ethics: Some Issues

Internet privacy in general

•Unapproved email address sharing

•Unsolicited advertising

•Security of online purchasing

•Fair trade issues ("unfair competition" ?)

•Consumer preference monitoring/memorizing

•Hacking into data bases / purchasing systems