Information Technology Ethics Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Ethics EssayDefinitions-the right to be al one(a) the near comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by people. (Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. US, 1928)-the right of individuals to control the collection and use of schooling about themselves. Legal Aspects auspices from unreasonable intrusion upon ones isolation. Protection from appropriation of ones name or give cargonness.Protection from unreasonable unexclusiveity given to ones private. Protection from publicity that unreasonably places one in a false light before the public.RECENT bill OF PRIVACY PROTECTIONCommunication Act of 1934-it restricted the governments ability to secretly intercept communications. However, under a 1968 federal statute, law enforcement officers whoremonger use wire criticiseping if they first draw a courtroom order.Wiretapping the interception of telephone or telegraph communications for suggest of espionage or surveillance. Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA) (passed -1966, amended-1974) allows the public with the means to shoot doorway to certain government records much(prenominal) as the spending patterns of an post, the agencys policies and the reasoning behind them, and the agencys mission and goals. lovely Credit Reporting Act (1970) this puzzle out regulates the operations of credit- account bureaus, including how they collect, store, and use credit tuition. it is designed to promote accuracy, fairness, and concealing of information in the files of credit reporting companies and to check verification systems that gather and sell information about people. Privacy Act (1974) decl bes that no agency of the U.S. government can conceal the existence of distributively private entropy record-keeping system, and that any agency that maintains such a system, must publicly describe both the kind of information in it and the manner in which the information will be used. the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the law enf orcement agencies be excluded from this act. the Organization for sparing Cooperation and Development (OECD) Fair Information Practices are often held up as a model of honest treatment of consumer data for organization to adtake.Summary of the 1980 OECD screen guidelinesPrincipleGuidelineCollection limitation position the collection of personal data. All such data must be obtained lawfully and fairly with the overcomes consent and knowledge. Data QualityPersonal data should be accurate, complete, current and relevant to the purpose for which it is used. Purpose SpecificationThe purpose for which personal data is collected should be should be stipulate and should not be changed. Use LimitationPersonal data should not be used beyond the specified purpose without a persons consent or by authority of law. Security SafeguardsPersonal data should be protected against unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. Openness principleData policies should exist and a data controller should be identified. Individual participationPeople should have the right to review their data, to challenge its correctness, and to have absurd data changed. AccountabilityA data controller should be responsible for ensuring that the above principles are met.Childrens Online Protect Act (COPA)(1998) The law states that a website that caters to children must offer comprehensive privacy policies, notify their parents or guardians about its data collection practices, and receive parental consent before collecting any personal information from children under 13 years of age. European Company Directives 95/46/EC (1998) requires any company that does craft within the borders of 15 Western European nations to implement a set of privacy directives on fair and appropriate use of information.Summary of the European Data Privacy Principle annotateTell all guest what is done with their information.ChoiceGive customer a way to prefer out of marketing.Onward TransferEnsure that suppliers co mply with the privacy constitution.AccessGive customer access to their information.SecurityProtect customer information from unauthorized access.Data IntegrityEnsure that information are accurate and relevant.EnforcementIndependently enforce the privacy policy.Better Business Bureau Online (BBB Online) and TRUSTe independent, nonprofit initiatives that favor an indus label-regulated approach path to data privacy which concerned about the government regulation that could have a negative strike on the Internets use and growth, and that such regulation would be costly to implement and trouble near to change.The BBB Online Seal adheres that the website has a high level of dataprivacy. The seal program identifies online businesses that honor their own express privacy policy.The TRUSTes main rule is that websites should openly communicate what information it gathers, its use, to whom it will be shared, and does the consumer has a choice of opting out. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (1998)-th is act required all financial-services institutions to communicate their data privacy policies and honor customer data-gathering preferences by July 1, 2001. This was to fall upon them take actions to protect and secure customers nonpublic data from unauthorized access or use.KEY PRIVACY AND ANONYMITY ISSUESGOVERNMENTAL ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCEFederal Wiretap Act (U.S. enrol Title 18 Part 1, Chapter 119, Wire and electronic Communications Interception and Interception of Oral Communications) it requires processes to obtain court license for surveillance of all kinds of electronic communications, including e- ring armour, fax, internet, and voice, in criminal investigation. A court order must be issued based on probable cause before a wiretap can commence. roving tap government authority to obtain a court order that does not name a circumstantial telephone or e-mail, but allows them to tap any phone lines or internet accounts that the suspect uses.Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA, U.S Code Title 18, part 2, Chapter 206) standards for access to stored e-mail and other electronic communications and records.ECPA amended Title III (Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968) extended the backing IIIs prohi spotlightions against the unauthorized interception (use of persons oral or electronic communications).-this act failed to brood emerging technologies such as wireless modems, cellular, data networks, etc. thus, this communication can still be legallyintercepted.Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) allows wiretapping of aliens and citizens in the U.S. based on a purpose of probable cause that the target is a member of a foreign terrorist sort out or an promoter of a foreign power.Executive Order 123333 (U.S. Pres. Reagan, 1982) legal authority for electronic surveillance outside the U.S. It permits word agencies to intercept communications outside the U.S. without a court order.Communication Assistance for Law E nforcement Act (CALEA, 1994) it covers radio-based data communication. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required providers of Internet phone and broadband services to ensure that their equipment can allow police wiretaps.USA Patriot Act of 2001 Gives sweeping new powers to Domestic law enforcement and world(prenominal) intelligence agencies. It contains several sunsets that gives the government much more surveillance capability. Sunset provisions can terminates itself or portions afterward a specific date unless further actions is taken to extend the lawDATA encryptionCryptography the science of encoding messages so that scarce the sender and the intended receiver can actualize them. Encryption the process of converting an electronic message into a form that can be understood only by the intended recipients. Public key encryption system uses two keysMessage receivers public key readily availableMessage receivers private key unbroken secretPrivate key encryption systemSingle key to encode and decode messagesRSA (named after Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) is a public key encryption algorithm, the basis for much of the security that protects Web consumers and merchants. PGP ( Pretty substantially Privacy) uses 128 bit encryption that represents a total of 2128 . DES (Digital Encryption Standard) the standard for encryption, it employs a 56 bit key that represents 7.21016 . (It can now be crack using brute methods) AES ( advanced(a) Encryption Standards) requires crackers to try as many as 1.11077 combinations.IDENTITY THEFT occurs when someone steals key pieces of personal information to gain access to a persons financial accounts. fastest growing form of fraud in the United States.Phishing is an attempt to steal personal identity element data by tricking users into entering the information on a counterfeit Website. Spear-phishing is a variation in which employees are sent phony emails that look like they came from high-level executives within their organization. Spyware is a term for keystroke-logging software that is downloaded to users computer without adequate notice, consent, or control for the user. It creates a record of keystrokes entered into the computer with or without internet and will send to the email of the spy when internet connections are available.Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 the congress passed this act to fight identity fraud, make it a federal felony punishable by a prison sentence of 3 -25 years. researchers estimated that 1 of 700 identity crimes were led to conviction.CONSUMER PROFILING Companies openly collect personal information about Internet users. They to a fault obtain information without users permission through the use of cookies. marketing firms uses this information in building databases that contains consumer behavioral data. They indispensableness to know about who the users are, what they like, how they behave, and what motives them to buy. Cookies a text file that a website puts on your enceinte drive so that it can remember your information later on. Affiliated Websites is a group or collection of websites served by a single advertising network. 3 Types of Data GatheredPOST it is entered into a blank handle on an affiliated website when a consumer signs up for a service. GET it reveals what the consumer requested product in a specific store. Click-Stream Data it is the tracking of the information the user sought and viewed.4 Ways to Limit/ closedown deposit CookiesSet browsers to limit or stop cookies or browse the web using the incognito(predicate) browsing mode which will remove all marks of your browsing. Manually delete cookies in your hard drives.Download and install cookie management program.Or use anonymous proxy websites to browse websites.However, some websites lock users to browse in their page when cookie is disabled.Personalization software it is used by marketers to optimize the number, oftenness and mix ture of their ad placements. It is also used to evaluate how visitors react to new ads.Types of Personalization computer softwareRule-based used business rules that are tied to customer provided preferences or online behaviors to determine the most appropriate page views and product information to display. Collaborative Filtering offers consumer recommendations based on the types of product purchased by other people with similar buying habits.Types of Personalization Software (Continued)Demographic Filtering it augments click stream data and user supplied data with demographics information associated with user zip codes to make product suggestions. Contextual Commerce associates product promotions and other e-commerce offerings with specific content a user may receive in a new story online.Platforms for Privacy Preferences (P3P) shields users from site that dont provide the level of privacy protectionthey desire. Instead of forcing users to find and read through the privacy po licy for each site they visit, P3P software in the computers browser will download the privacy policy for each site, run out it and notify users if the policy does not match their preferences. The World Wide Web Consortium, an international privacy group whose members include Apple, Commerce One, Ericsson, and Microsoft, created P3P and is supporting its development. TREATING CONSUMERS DATA RESPONSIBILITY-Strong measures are required to avoid customer family relationship problems. Code of Fair Information Practices most widely accepted approach to treating consumers data responsibly. Guidelines of Code of Fair Information Practices and the 1980 OECD an organizations collects only personal information that is necessary to deliver its product and services. Company ensures that the information is carefully protected and accessible only by those with a need to know, and that consumers can review their own data and make corrections. Company informs customers if it intends to use its information for research or marketing, and it provides a means for them to opt out.Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) executive to oversee data privacy policies and initiatives. Duties of CPOAvoid government regulations and still customers that their privacy will be protected. Stop or modify major company marketing initiatives. prep employees about privacy and checking the companies privacy policy for potential risks. Figuring out if gaps exist and how to fill them. developing and managing a process for customer privacy disputes.WORKPLACE MONITORINGEmployers monitor workers Ensures that corporate IT usage policy is followedFourth Amendment cannot be used to limit how a private employer treats its employees. Public-sector employees have far greater privacy rights than in the private industry. Privacy advocates want federal legislation To keeps employers from infringing upon privacy rights of employees.SPAMMING the transmission of the same email message to a large number of people. Spammer s target individual users with direct email messages, building their mail list by scanning Usenet postings, buying mail lists or searching the web for addresses. extremely two-a-penny method of marketing. used by many legitimate organizations. can contain unwanted and objectionable materials. arrogant the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing(CAN-SPAM)the act says it is legal to email provided that the message meet a few prefatory requirements (1) spammers cannot disguise identity, (2) there must be a label in the message specifying that it is an ad or solicitation, and (3) include a way that the recipient can stop the receiving of spam. The act failed to slow the flow of spam but instead, it actually increased the flow of spam by legalizing it.ADVANCED SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGYAdvanced surveillance technology provide a new data gathering capabilities, however, these advance can also diminish individuals privacy.Advocates of the technology argue that people have no leg itimate expectations of privacy in a public place. Camera Surveillance is one of the most common advanced system used in surveillance nowadays. It has the capability to record events, detecting unusual behaviour, automatically capturing important events, and used in supervise day to day events in different places. Facial Recognition SoftwareThere have been many experiments with facial recognition software to help identify criminal suspects and other undesirable characters. It has been first well-tried by the Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department and yielded a result. Global Positioning System (GPS)These are chips placed in different devices to monitor locations of theusers. It is useful in locating callers of 911, parents monitoring their children, etc.