With generative AI being used more by the public and businesses alike, discussions around ethics in IT have increased. From business leaders to governments, people are taking a closer look at the ethical issues faced by IT professionals.
The Connection Between IT and Ethics
Psychology Today defines ethics as “the moral code that guides a person’s choices and behaviors throughout their life.” Because information technology permeates every aspect of our lives, IT professionals must think about how people may use the technology they’re developing. Does its helpfulness outweigh its potential harm?
“There are a lot of good things about technology, but it has also facilitated some harmful outcomes as well,” says Susan Ferebee, PhD, faculty member in the School of Business and Information Technology at Purdue Global. “Social media, for example, has led to cyberbullying and the dissemination of false information.”
Not only must IT professionals consider ethics when ideating new software and technology, but they also must program the software/tech to make ethical choices as well. This is especially important as technology often outpaces the laws and ethical considerations that would apply.
“Both AI and the metaverse are in their early stages right now. IT professionals have to be thinking about ethics from the very beginning,” Ferebee says.
Ethical Issues Affecting IT
According to the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the five most important ethical issues this year are:
Misuse of Personal Information
How often do you peruse the internet, make a purchase, fill out surveys and forms, and use social media? Companies gather your information to personalize your online experience and provide targeted advertising. But how much information gathering is too much?
“Think about the use of drones in search and rescue,” Ferebee says. “While the drones are flying, they are recording videos of their surroundings. What happens to that video of private property and the people on that property? How is it stored and used?”
So far, five states have enacted more comprehensive consumer data privacy laws — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia — with eight more states set to join them by 2026 — Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas. “We’re going to see more and more states adopting stricter consumer data privacy laws,” Ferebee says.
Misinformation and Deep Fakes
The last two presidential elections brought to light the true potential for and consequences of misinformation. This is exacerbated by the proliferation of deepfake technology and websites that disseminate unverified news.
Lack of Oversight and Acceptance of Responsibility
Most companies today use a blend of owned and third-party tech, leading to confusion as to who is responsible for issues such as cybersecurity, managing personal information, and governance. Clear chains of responsibility are needed at every stage of a project.
Use of AI
The ethical consideration of artificial intelligence (AI) is a popular topic these days — and for good reason. Facial recognition software can be misused, resulting in the restriction of personal freedoms, especially when it comes to racial bias. There are also concerns over AI replacing jobs and how to keep health tracking data safe.
Even more concerning is how AI models are created. Ethical decision-making needs to be a consideration when creating these AI models. “One example is Amazon’s AI model created to recruit employees,” Ferebee says. “It ended up selecting mostly white males since the model was based on the prior recruiting practices and applicant pool.”
Autonomous Technology
There are autonomous drones, cars, and robots (such as Tesla’s Optimus) on the way.
“The issue becomes, how do we teach them ethical decision-making?” Ferebee asks. “For example, if an autonomous car sees two people in front of it, one a child and one an elderly person, and it can’t stop in time to avoid either, whom does it choose to hit?”
The Global Cybersecurity and the Environmental Impact of IT
Ferebee adds global cybersecurity and the environmental impact of IT to the above list of ethical issues.
Global Cybersecurity
“There’s a huge need for global cybersecurity alliances for critical infrastructure security,” says Ferebee. “It can no longer be each country doing it alone. They need to work together to create global policies for how to protect critical infrastructure.”
Organizations like the Global Alliance for Ethics and Impacts of Advanced Technologies (GAEIA) support global cooperation and collaboration in examining the ethical risks of advanced technologies such as AI and digital transformation. The new technical solutions often contribute to continuing social inequities while introducing new ethical dilemmas, such as algorithm bias, fraud, and scams.
“An example specific to cybersecurity is the global initiative, Common Good Cyber,” says Ferebee. “This organization works to galvanize efforts to strengthen the resilience of the internet, recognizing that protecting the internet is a shared, global responsibility. The internet powers our global world, and there is an ethical responsibility to ensure its secure availability.”
Because cybersecurity risks are global, Ferebee says they must be addressed with global collaborative efforts.
“The World Bank launched a new global fund, the Cybersecurity Multi-Donor Trust Fund, in 2021,” she says. “The fund applies a collective approach to ensuring that low- and middle-income nations grow more resilient against cyber attacks. This improved system resilience allows their continued economic growth and ability to participate in digital transformation.”
Environmental Impact of IT
Nearly every U.S. state contains at least one data center, the World Economic Forum reports. According to the Department of Energy, they account for approximately 2% of the total U.S. electricity use. As an example of the enormous size of these centers, data centers in Loudoun, Virginia, use 25 million square feet with another 4 million in development.
“There are data centers that take up vast swaths of land and consume large amounts of energy. From an ethical standpoint, we have to consider the environmental impact of these data centers,” Ferebee says.
Championing Ethics in the IT Industry
Establishing ethical IT practices is also important because people’s trust in the tech industry chips away each time they learn about unethical practices, especially in the wake of reports on data usage by companies such as Facebook and Google.
“If companies don’t have ethical IT practices in place, they’re going to lose the trust of their customers and clients,” says Ferebee. “IT professionals need to take it seriously. They also need to let the public know they take it seriously so the public feels safe using their products and services.”
Whether or not you’re in a leadership position, it is important to lead by example when it comes to ethics in IT.
“People are often afraid to speak up because they’re concerned with the repercussions,” says Ferebee. “But when it comes to ethics in IT, you need to speak up — lead by example, advocate for it, and talk about it all the time. That could include reporting ethical issues, sourcing or creating and then implementing ethics training, and developing internal frameworks for your IT department. You don’t have to be the director of IT to start implementing this.”
IT professionals can use the Association for Computing Machinery’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to get started.
Earn an Online IT Degree With Purdue Global
If a college degree or certificate could help you launch or grow your career in information technology, consider the online IT degrees and certificate programs offered by Purdue Global. Our programs are entirely online so you can continue working and tending to other obligations while you go to school.