Professional,ethical and moral issues faced by ICT users Essay

ABSTRACT This report is a study of computer ethics, morals and professional issues facing Information Communication Technology (ICT) users and its relevance to today’s society at large. This issues do not only face ICT users only but the world at large, because it may have effect positively and negatively. This report aims to build knowledge or enhance the understanding about ICT and its ethics, morals and professional issues. The report has identified and discussed the impacts of ethics, morals and professional issues facing ICT users and how this will have negative and positive effects on the users of ICT. The report concludes by discussing possible ways on how to solve this issues and what has been done to reduce this issues. INTRODUCTION According to (Anon., 2010) ICT is the technologies that makes people to be able to acquire information through telecommunications. It mainly focuses on communication technologies where people can communicate verbally and non-verbally. This includes the means of internet, wireless networks, cell phones, social networks and other innovated means of communication. Through ICT people can communicate from different countries and it has created a ‘global village’ in a situation where people communicate as if they living next door. Since users of ICT enjoy the easily life brought by ICT there are some issues faced by users of ICT which are ethical, moral and professional. This is through manipulating technology in a bad way to use or access information, due to such it brings up problems makes individuals to consider ICT in a more meticulous way. 1. ETHICAL ISSUES FACING ICT USERS (Kuzu, 2009) States that computer ethics is the change of studying involving facts, values, basis and policies due to rapid computer technologies. Whereas (T.Sembok, 2003) views ethics as the basic rules that humans ought to follow or do to refrain one from immoral acts such as stealing, fraud and murder. The good thing about ethics is that people are accountable for the choices and decisions they make. But the bad thing is that people may abuse their power and do bad things due to the human rights and do what best suits them. ICT aids the capability of humans to be able to capture, comprehend, keep process and destroy information at a vast speed and magnitude. (T.Sembok, 2003) Argues that the impact and changes due to ICT are not good. 1.1 Unemployment The rapid use of automated teller machines (ATM) has caused a drop in employment. This is due to the use of ATM’s to get money sent through cell phone from services like cell phone banking. The service of cell phone banking, one can send money to a person’s account through the pay to cell method and e-wallet. By this people no longer have to queue in lines to deposit money. But it is bad because people working at the bank lose out on their jobs due to people diverting to the innovated technology. It is a good approach by ICT because money can be sent instantly and collecting of money can be done anytime at ATM’s unlike collecting it at the bank which has stipulated working time. 1.2 Hacking Hacking computers is done by youngster this is because they have a complex understanding of cracking codes and hack into computers and become undetected. This is because they are taught how to use computers at a tender age. An example of this is when a boy called Michael Calce in February 8, 2000 when he took down big sites like yahoo. He said that his father bought hi a computer when he was six years old this typically shows that hacking is done by youngsters due to the fact that they are taught at young age. But it is good because they are being equipped with the knowledge on how to use computers. â€Å"December 29, 2001: A hacker intrusion on the Malaysian parliament website has reportedly generated criticism from some officials who claim the government has taken a slapdash approach to internet  security.† (T.Sembok, 2003) 2. MORAL ISSUES FACED BY ICT USERS Morals are rules that govern behaviour which actions are right and wrong. It is upon a person to choose a side which is right or wrong. The users of ICT use it in a wrong way like through: 2.1 PIRACY According to (T.Sembok, 2003) software piracy is the topic of conversation. Piracy is the unauthorized duplication of copyright content, the good thing about piracy is that people are able to purchase pirated goods at a lower price. But it has negative effects on the original producers of those goods like DVD, CD because their goods would not be bought due to the high price. So it entirely depends on the customers to do what is right or wrong for their interest. SOCIAL NETWORKING Social networking is one of the most innovations in the 21st century. The advantage of it is that one can be in touch with friends and families around the world. Business people can advertise their businesses in the social networks to get a variety of potential consumers. Most youngsters who use social networking in become addicted to Facebook, Whatsapp. They can spend a lot of their time on their gadgets communicating through the social networking hence ICT. This deprives their time of socialising physically and their school work. It also encourages cyber bullying because people can create fake accounts and use them to bully people which is bad. 3. PROFESSIONAL ISSUES FACED BY ICT USERS It is knowledge skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level. (T.Sembok, 2003) ict professionals sometimes face hardships (Gorniak-Kocikowska, 2006) CONCLUSION The report identified findings on ethical. Moral and professional issues facing ICT. On the ethical issue of unemployment due to innovation of ICT in bank services. Governments are trying by all means to try to find jobs for its people. They are trying to interlink technology and humans so that they  complement each other. These days there is internet security which protects ICT users to keep their computers safe from being hacked .this software protects computer users whilst browsing the internet to prevent it from being hacked. People are advised not to click pop ups in the internet as it is a way of hacking. But Michael Calce called mafia boy wrote a book on how he was able to hack the internet and how it is still vulnerable even though there is internet security. The title of the book is â€Å"How I cracked the internet and Why its still vulnerable†. He states that computer crime has changed from largely a matter of hackers seeking technical challenges to one of criminal s motivated strictly by money. The world international laws have put a stiff laws on piracy. Whoever is caught practising piracy will be severely punished also those who purchase pirated stuff. According to (Gorniak-Kocikowska, 2006) ICT can be used for ethical or unethical purposes. This is because the danger of ICT being used to harm humans is real.