Ethics: A Definition
The art and science that seeks to bring sensitivity and method to the discernment of moral values.
The Importance of Information Ethics
In
our increasingly complex and technologically dependent society, many
critical issues relevant to information access and usage are misunderstood,
overlooked, or simply ignored. Some of these issues involve an individual’s
privacy vs. the public’s “right to know.” Other issues
include the extent to which an employer may have access to its employees’ medical
records, e-mail, personnel files, and other confidential information.
Still other issues concern the increased need for security of information
content and systems to protect against terrorist attacks.
In a growing number of cases, difficult decisions across the full life cycle of information – from its creation and generation; through its organization, management, and preservation; to its evaluation, dissemination and use – are placing information practitioners in sensitive and sometimes vulnerable positions.
The expertise of information professionals entails an inherent measure of power. This power is rooted in the professional’s ability to almost instantly locate, access, and retrieve information using resources located, quite literally, at his or her fingertips. Information professionals, as well as those who rely upon them to provide a wide array of information, must recognize and understand the responsibilities associated with this power. Even those who use information obtained in a responsible and ethical manner face continual struggles in a society in which the capabilities of technology often outpace full comprehension of its moral implications.
The Goal of the Information Ethics Course at the School of Information Sciences
Decision-making and problem solving should include ethical reflection. By recognizing, understanding, and evaluating potential solutions to problems associated with information, information professionals can undertake their responsibilities in an efficient, confident, and ethical manner. Providing a framework that will help to prepare and guide information professionals as they encounter and respond to ethical challenges, which impact their decision-making processes, is the goal of the Information Ethics course at the School of Information Sciences (SIS).