Ethics Of Information Technology And Software

Survey Results

Discuss About The Ethics Information Technology And Software?

The internet has now for a pretty long time been used globally for communications and trade among other human day to day activities. Due to the technicalities associated with a lack of face to face management with businesses, companies and parties on the other side of the internet, ethics has become a major concern. User data among other personal property abuse has become rampant. I am reporting on the ethical standards and actions of some major internet companies that majority of the internet users use from day to day, Hongladarom & Ess (2017). These companies are Google, Dell, Apple and Facebook. This report is a product of a short survey that I conducted about their ethical or code of conduct policies and how strictly they enforce these policies by comparing their policies and their actions, enabling me to draw informed conclusions about their actions. Google is the most popular search engine, Dell a major computer manufacturer and sell worldwide, Apple a great computer and mobile phone manufacturer and seller, and Facebook, a social media giant. All these companies have a broad customer and client base. This makes their ethics and code of contact matter of concern.

A survey conducted among a random sample of 10 people, to give their opinion about how ethical they each of the four companies listed above is gave the following findings.

The table above shows the answers or scores from 10 random individuals. A score of 1 means totally unethical and 10 completely ethical. The last column shows the average score of each company. The first row represents the persons who participated in the survey marked by numbers 1 to 10.

My own initial rating of the companies puts Google on top of the table at 9 out of a maximum of 10, followed by Facebook and Apple while Dell tails the list with 7. From the survey Google still tops the list as the most ethical while Dell once again closes the list. My own rating is based on the complaints filed by consumers of the companies’ services and products in comparison with the code of ethics outlined by the companies themselves. Google and Facebook in particular had the most comprehensive outlines of codes of ethics covering both employees, customers and affiliates. Most, if not all of the parties involved are therefore covered in their code of conduct policies. The similarities between the initial ethical rating and the survey results may suggest that the conclusions derived from the results are likely to be accurate.

Google’s Code of Conduct

‘Don’t be evil’ are the three key words that, according to Google, are the cornerstones of their code of conduct. The Google code of conduct is designed to achieve several goals. These include, service to their users, respect between them, their users and other associates, avoiding conflict of interests, preserving confidentiality, protecting Google’s assets, ensuring financial responsibility and integrity and obeying the law, O’Brien & Marakas  (2015).  To focus on a few of its goals in summary, Google serves its users maintaining high standards by keeping its principles of integrity, usefulness, responsiveness, freedom of expression, privacy and security and taking action immediately any moment the company notices there is a hiccup in its provision of service. Integrity is supposed to earn the company trust. The products, services and features provided should make the company more useful to all global users.

The second part Google’s ethics policy highlights support among employees and the company itself. Google is committed to creating a more than supportive working environment, allowing employees to achieve their full working potential. The workplace is supposed to be fee of intimidation, bias, harassment and unlawful discrimination. The company provides employee handbooks available to all the locations around the world to keep all its employees informed of their rights and responsibilities.

According to McCarthy et al (2015), Google provides guidance to several areas where conflicts of interest mostly occur. These areas include: personal investments, inventions, friends and co-worker relationships, outside employment, accepting gifts, entertainment and business chances found through work.

Preservation of confidentiality and privacy of Google users is top priority. These is achieved by safeguarding personal information that the organization receives from its users worldwide, and that which it receives from peer companies, properly labelling, securing and correct disposal of confidential material.

Finally, Google takes an initiative of obeying all the laws of the land laid down by each and every country in which it operates. Some of this legalities include trade controls, competition laws anti-bribery laws among other non- government relationships.

Google’s code of conduct is well structured, short enough and arranged into subtopics. Someone can easily pick out the section they want to check unlike Dell’s code that is long and full of pictures. It also has the strongest stand, Calluzzo & Cante (2014).

The Dell code of conduct opens with a reassuring message from CEO who emphasizes on integrity as a virtue that’s is vital in the relationship between Dell, its customers or clients. They also promise they will be committed in upholding their code of conduct under all kinds of weather. They promise to leverage the code so that it equally benefits both the company and clients, Mason (2010).

Dell’s Code of Conduct

For the customer, Dell documents that protects personal information and keeps privacy of the customers, they compete fairly, follow regulations of the government, promote proper pricing, promote favourable contracting and are committed to safety, security and quality of their solutions.

For both the employees and customers, Dell values diversity, respect and equal opportunity, they prevent discrimination and harassment, uphold human rights, protect the environment and work safely, ensure a non-violent workplace and protect team members’ privacy including their personal information.

In addition, Dell corporation is involved in innovation while safeguarding their confidential information and that of others, communicating responsibly, using information technology wisely and promoting a sustainable approach towards business, Weckert & Adeney (2009).

They also avoid conflicts of interests, engage in charitable contributions and promise to investigate and address concerns accordingly.

Dell’s code of conduct employs the use pictures for attraction but is relatively long compared to all the others. 59 pages of pictures, illustrations and text are not attractive at all to the reader.

According to Introna (2017). Apple assures the public of its commitment to making sure that working or operating conditions in their supply chain are as safe as possible, ensuring its workers in all departments are treated with dignity and respect. The manufacturing processes should be environmentally responsible. The company’s suppliers also agree in all of their endeavors to adhere fully to the rules, laws and regulations laid down by the countries in which they operate. The company requires its suppliers to implement the ethics policies through by the management illustrated in the code of conduct document.

The labor and human rights clause decrees that Apple suppliers must uphold and respect human rights of all workers and treat all with dignity to the standards of the international community. Particularly, suppliers are not supposed to discriminate against any customer worker based on age, color, race, sexual orientation, religion, union membership, ethnicity, disability, marital status, employment practices or national origin. They also commit to providing a work environment free of harassment. Involuntary labor and all forms of human trafficking will also be prevented. Apple shall also prevent underage labor protect juvenile workers, and restrict a work week to 60 hours except in emergency situations. Wages and benefits shall be paid to all workers as per the minimum wage requirements by the law. Workers have freedom to associate with others and the supplier.

Health and safety is maintained through prevention of occupational injury, chemical exposure prevention and emergency preparedness, response and prevention. Apple’s code also states that it has put in place occupational safety systems and procedures including improving ergonomics to make work easier and more comfortable, Demiris (2015).

Apple’s Code of Conduct

Other areas that the ethics policy tackles include: environmental impact of the company’s activities, business integrity, management responsibility and accountability, documentation and records and training and communication ethics.    

Apple’s code of conduct is also shorter and arranged in topics too. It’s easier to understand though has the weakest stand.

Facebook employees, subsidiaries or affiliates performing on behalf of Facebook are expected to act honestly, ethically, lawfully in the best interests of Facebook. If any part of the Facebook code of conduct conflicts with any local regulations or laws, only respective sections of the ethical policy will apply. Any policies that are applicable to an individual’s jurisdiction will precede to the extent at which they conflict with the code, Buchanan & Hvizdak (2009)..

Conflicts of interests are handled amicably by the code of conduct. Personnel are expected by Facebook to use their good judgement at all times to act in the best interests of the company. Facebook personnel are required by all means to try to avoid apparent or actual conflicts of interest. Facebook personal are also required to get approval from the committee of conflicts ([email protected]) before beginning any business, employment or consultation relationship with another company. Receiving of gifts and entertainment from current or future clients is prohibited since it can create conflicts of interest.

Facebook prohibits unlawful mistreatment and harassment of workers, clients, guests or agency in a work related circumstance on the basis of ethnic origin, color, sex, race, religion, veteran status, genetic information, marital or sexual orientation. Under communications, employees are required to ensure that communications and business records including texts, emails and Facebook messages are accurate and clear. Facebook is also committed to the integrity and transparency of all publicly filed communications and reports.

Matters involving finances of the company are dealt with responsibly and with sound judgement, complying with the internal controls of Facebook’s system. Facebook personnel are required to keep the company’s confidential information confidential, using it only for business purposes. Confidential information includes proprietary data, product plans, laboratory notebooks, designs, engineering, employee data, inventions, product designs among others, Reynolds (2011).

Other areas highlighted in the ethics policy include compliance with laws, protection of user data, use and protection of Facebook assets and prohibition of retaliation. Amendments or waivers of any part of the Facebook code must always be approved by a section of the Facebook’s board of directors, called the Compensation and Governance Committee.

Facebook’s Code of Conduct

The Facebook ethics policy document is short, easy to read and understand and comprehensive.

In march 2018, Cambridge Analytica allegedly collected and shared personal information. Up to 50 million Facebook users were affected by this scandal. This was grossly unethical. It was not tandem with the ethics that Facebook claims to uphold. Lucky enough, The Facebook management suspended the company involved in the scandal, Schwalbe (2015). .

Back in January 2016, user reported utter of Dell’s code of conduct by one of the staff members (https://www.dell.com/community/Customer-Care/Unethical-Customer…/4718874). The user accuses the customer service agent of lying repeatedly. This is gross violation of any ethical policy in existence. It’s against what Dell claims to stand for. Dell suppliers were also accused of human rights violations in China in November 2013.

Google has also been accused of several violations such as copyright violations, having made several attempts to complete the Google’s book project with copyrighted material. It was accused of taking sides in the USA’s general elections by interfering with the search results to favor a candidate.

In the year 2014/2015, Google paid 12 million AUSD out of the 439 million AUSD in profits that year. This is mere 2.7% of the total earnings. This was clearly not close to a fair share at all. Both Apple and Google have faced lawsuits and increased scrutiny of their tax behavior. This shows the unfairness with which they respond to taxes. Facebook and Google are now reportedly paying tax fairly to the country, Venkatesh (2012).

Conclusion

The four companies have a good code of conduct put in place but most are not as ethical as they claim. Some companies such as Google are better than, for example, Dell. Its recommended that companies improve on their action part and not just writing down the policies as a show and a marketing asset. Having done my research, my final ethical rating for the companies is as follows:

References

Hongladarom, S., & Ess, C. (2017). Information technology ethics: Cultural perspectives. Idea Group Publishing.

O’Brien, J. A., & Marakas, G. M. (2015). Introduction to information systems (Vol. 13). New York City, USA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

McCarthy, R. V., Halawi, L., & Aronson, J. E. (2015). Information technology ethics: a research framework. Issues in Information Systems, 6(2), 64.

Calluzzo, V. J., & Cante, C. J. (2014). Ethics in information technology and software use. Journal of Business Ethics, 51(3), 301-312.

Mason, R. O. (2010). Applying ethics to information technology issues. Communications of the ACM, 38(12), 55-57.

Weckert, J., & Adeney, D. (2009). Computer and information ethics. Greenwood Publishing Group Inc..

Reynolds, G. (2011). Ethics in information technology. Cengage learning.

Introna, L. D. (2017). Maintaining the reversibility of foldings: Making the ethics (politics) of information technology visible. Ethics and Information Technology, 9(1), 11-25.

Demiris, G., Afrin, L. B., Speedie, S., Courtney, K. L., Sondhi, M., Vimarlund, V., … & Lynch, C. (2015). Patient-centered applications: use of information technology to promote disease management and wellness. A white paper by the AMIA knowledge in motion working group. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 15(1), 8-13.

Venkatesh, V., Thong, J. Y., & Xu, X. (2012). Consumer acceptance and use of information technology: extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. MIS quarterly, 157-178.

Schwalbe, K. (2015). Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.

Buchanan, E. A., & Hvizdak, E. E. (2009). Online survey tools: Ethical and methodological concerns of human research ethics committees. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 4(2), 37-48.

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