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The term ethics is defined as a set of moral principles, or the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. One method for navigating new ethical waters is a code of ethics. A code of ethics is a document that outlines a set of acceptable behaviors for a professional or social group; generally, it is agreed to by all members of the group.
The code of ethics document details different actions that are considered appropriate and inappropriate. One of the major advantages of creating a code of ethics is that it clarifies the acceptable standards of behavior for a professional group. While to many, the guidelines may seem obvious, having these items detailed provides clarity and consistency. The varied backgrounds and experiences of the members of a group lead to a variety of ideas regarding what is acceptable behavior. Explicitly stating standards communicates the common guidelines to everyone in a clear manner. A good example of a code of ethics is the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. It was developed by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Their code of ethics provides many straightforward ethical instructions, such as the commitment to honesty and integrity.
Many organizations that provide technology services to the public require agreement to an acceptable use policy (AUP) before those services can be accessed. Similar to a code of ethics, this policy outlines what is allowed and what is not allowed while someone is using the organization’s services. Essentially, by agreeing to the AUP, you are committing to a set of acceptable behavior. Many AUPs have similar pieces of information, although the specific text may vary depending on the organization. The table below details the general components of an AUP.
| AUP Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Preface or Introduction | Provides details as to why the AUP is needed and how it will be implemented |
| Definition of Terms | Provides definitions of all terms unique to the AUP that are used within the policy |
| AUP Coverage | Explains to users the specific technology services covered by the AUP |
| Acceptable Use Policy | Explains to users what is appropriate. Details all specifics as to what is acceptable use of technology, software, network, etc. |
| Unacceptable Uses | Explains to users what is inappropriate. Details all specifics as to what is not acceptable use of technology, software, hardware, etc. |
| Consequences for violation | Details for users the actions that will be taken if the policy is violated |
An everyday example of this is the terms of service that must be agreed to before using the public Wi-Fi at Starbucks, McDonald’s, or even a university. Violations of these policies have various consequences. In most cases, such as with Wi-Fi, violating the acceptable use policy will mean that you will lose your access to the resource. While losing access to Wi-Fi at Starbucks may not have a lasting impact, a university student getting banned from the university’s Wi-Fi (or possibly all network resources) could have a serious impact on the student’s success.
Recall that under the terms of copyright, the author of a work controls what can be done with the work, including:
Plagiarism refers to the taking of another person’s work without any attribution and presenting it as your own. Typically, plagiarism is much broader, as its definition can also be inclusive of ideas, words, and other things that cannot be copyrighted. Although not always the case, many cases of plagiarism are also cases of infringement. A good example of plagiarism would be copying a paragraph from a published book and using it in your research paper without a citation or acknowledgement that the paragraph was written by someone else.
Source: Derived from Chapter 12 of “Information Systems for Business and Beyond” by David T. Bourgeois. Some sections removed for brevity. https://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Information%20Systems%20for%20Business%20and%20Beyond/Textbook.html
