Information Systems – Malpractice and Crime

The term computer abuse refers to practices that are unethical but not illegal. Ethics in general is concerned with making the choice between doing right and wrong. A code of ethics has been produced by the Association of Computing Machinery (an American professional body). Its main points are:

1. Contribute to society and human well being, by sharing expert knowledge freely to help colleagues and others.

2. Avoid harm to others. Be careful in what is passed on and follow company procedures.

3. Be honest and trustworthy.

4. Honor property rights, copyrights, and patents.

5. Give proper credit to the intellectual property of others. Do not pass other peoples’ work as your own.

6. Respect the privacy of others. Do not gossip about confidential information. Do not read other people’s e-mail.

Unethical behaviour has, at its roots, selfishness. It is as unethical to browse through someone’s computer files as it is to snoop at their diary. It is as unethical to send a rude message via e-mail as it is on paper. What difference is there in using unlicensed software to travelling on a train without paying the fare?

Unethical behaviour can be regarded as a disciplinary matter in some companies.

Sometimes you may come across conflicting demands. You can apply the following guidelines to help you:

- Do to others what you would have them do to you. Think your actions through. How would they affect others?

- Consider what is the greatest good or the least harm.

- If the action is not right for everyone to take, then it’s not right for anyone to take. What would happen if everyone did what you propose to do?

- The Slippery Slope Rule: actions that produce acceptable changes can produce unacceptable changes in the long run. Therefore, they shouldn’t be done in the first place.

Unethical behaviour can be mostly traced back to individual selfishness.

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