As a society we have increasingly looked to technology to improve efficiency, expand productivity, and extend opportunity. Information technologies provide the opportunity to expand human capabilities to new levels, but the more we advance into the Information Age, the more we see how it is the interaction of interpersonal behavior and technologies that we must better understand and support. Without an understanding of human interpersonal behavior and ethical issues, technologies can complicate processes more than simplify them, creating confusion instead of communication and knowledge.

This program addresses the critical issues relevant to the entire life cycle of information—from its creation and generation, through its organization, management, and preservation, to its evaluation, dissemination, and use. These issues involve topics such as:

• protection of individual privacy versus the public’s right to know;
• the extent to which an employer may have access to employee’s confidential records;
• trust, credibility, and reliability on the Internet; and
• the ethics of filtering.

The very expertise of information professionals entails an inherent measure of power, and with this power comes responsibility. Information professionals must recognize and understand the associated responsibilities and strive to use information in a responsible and ethical manner. Understanding ethical issues and applying ethical reasoning to practical, professional work is essential for developing and implementing information policies for any organization.

Students across all SIS master’s and PhD programs often take elective courses or specialize in this area as part of the dual master’s degree with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). Careers in e-government, e-commerce, e-learning, health care, and many other fields are expanding.