Discussion Five: Cyber Crime

Businesses have increasingly relied upon networks of computers and the rapid pace of technological presents a challenge in identifying risks and implementing strategies to deal with them.  Four ethical topics pertinent to organizations in the IT industry and organizations that make use of IT are: 1) use of nontraditional workers, 2) whistle-blowing, 3) green computing, and 4) ICT code of ethics.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the period from 2006 to 2014, networking and data communications positions are forecasted to grow by 50%.  In response to the projected shortfall of labor, employers are turning to contingent workers, H-1B workers, and outsourced offshore workers.

Additionally, IT security is of the utmost importance and organizations must safeguard data, protect against malicious acts, and yet balance these issues against other business needs and issues.  Systems are becoming more complex, and thus, the number of possible entry points into the system is expanding, increasing the risk of security breaches. One entry point into a system is through coworkers who give out their usernames and passwords and help desk personnel who are under productivity pressure and do not always verify users’ identities.

Discuss an emerging technology you believe has potential for ethical abuse or conflicts. Provide examples.

The following resources are recommended for use in composing an answer for this Discussion Topic:

Century contains discussion on malware, biometrics, ubiquitous computing, the digital divide, robotics and artificial intelligence, and technostress.

• Business Processes and Information Technology: Appendix 9A - Data Encryption and Public-Key Cryptography
• Nets, Webs, and the Information Infrastructure: Net for us (digital divide)
• Nets, Webs and the Information Infrastructure: Viruses, Privacy, and Security
• Information Technology and Ethics: Computer and Internet Crime
• Information Technology and Ethics: Consumer AI which is from the section entitled “The Impact of Information Technology on the Quality of Life