Information ethics is the study of ethical issues that arise in a world driven by electronic data sharing. It involves defining ethical behavior in terms of protecting information, creating secure means to share data, and data archiving solutions. Information technology provides tools to promote ethical use of data, and ongoing discussions can help design better information systems and help consumers protect and share data appropriately.
“Information ethics” is a term used to describe the study and evaluation of the various ethical issues that arise in a world driven by electronic data sharing. Typically, this type of study will look closely at the morality involved in using information or data, how innovations in information technology can help promote the ethical use of information, and generally identify ways to practice workable ethics in virtual environments. From this perspective, information ethics are important for anyone who uses data electronically, from casual users using password-protected email accounts to large corporations storing and sharing proprietary data in some kind of virtual environment.
Central to most approaches to information ethics is the process of defining what constitutes ethical behavior in terms of protecting information that must be available only to authorized individuals, creating secure means to share data when and when needed, and data archiving solutions that streamline data retention for easy retrieval when needed. These concerns can apply to everything from protecting the security of an email account to preventing corporate espionage by setting up security protocols that prevent breaches to servers and other components in an information network. Problems common to information ethics often involve not only how to store and share data, but also how to prevent it from being used by people who shouldn’t have access to that information.
Information technology provides a number of tools that help promote the ethical use of data. Since this pertains to the study of information ethics, the development of technology can help defeat the use of spyware and various forms of malware while protecting proprietary information. For example, a company can practice strong information ethics by using technology that effectively prevents hackers from breaching servers and acquiring bank and credit card information collected while fulfilling customer orders. By blocking this access, the company maintains its ethical and moral responsibility to protect the information entrusted to it by its customers.
The broader scope of information ethics considers all aspects of using information in a way that is considered moral and ethical. Just as there has always been a need to exercise a degree of discretion with information obtained by non-electronic means, the reality of a world that largely operates on the use of the Internet, public and private networks, and a huge amount of electronic media stored in memory, there is a need to use and protect the information so that the result is productive and does not create undue hardship for others. From this point of view, engaging in ongoing discussions about information ethics can help companies design better information systems and also help consumers understand what they can do in terms of protecting and sharing data appropriately.
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