 SOCIAL, ETHICAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES RAISED BY
INFORMATION SYSTEM
 INFORMATION SYSTEM
“An Information System is a combination of hardware, software, infrastructure and trained personnel organized to facilitate planning, control, coordination and decision making in an organization.”
Information Technology have both dark and bright sides. At one end, IT has revolutionized our lives especially it ease the doing of business. With the use of IT, businesses are able to increase sales and profit and had a wide reach of potential customers. But on the other end, IT had given birth to different issues which can ultimately results in crime.
 SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
The main ethical, social and political issues raised an information system are:
1.
Information Rights and Obligations
2.
Accountability and Control
3.
System Quality
4.
Quality of Life
5.
Property Rights and Obligations
 KEY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS THAT RAISE ETHICAL ISSUES
IT has heightened ethical concerns and made some laws obsolete or severely crippled. There are four key technological trends responsible for these ethical issues: i.
DOUBLING OF COMPUTER POWER
The doubling of computer power every 18 months has made it possible for more organizations to depend on information systems for

their core production processes. This has increased our vulnerability to system errors and poor data quality. ii.
RAPIDLY DECLINING DATA STORAGE COSTS
Advances in data storage techniques and declining storage costs have been responsible for increase in databases of individual employees, customers and suppliers. These advances have made the routine violations to individual privacy both cheap and effective. iii.
ADVANCES IN DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
Advances in data analysis techniques for large pools enables companies and government agencies to find out highly detailed personal information about individuals.

PROFILING
Combining data from multiple sources to create dossiers of detailed information on individuals.

NON-OBVIOUS RELATIONSHIP AWARENESS (NORA)
Combining data from multiple sources to find obscure hidden connections that might help identify criminals or terrorists.
It includes tracking of individual cell phones.
 BASIC CONCEPTS OF ETHICAL ANALYSIS
1.
RESPONSIBILITY
This means that you accept the potential costs, duties and obligations for the decisions you make.
2.
ACCOUNTABILITY
It means mechanisms are in place for identifying who took responsible actions and who are the responsible parties.
3.
LIABILITY
Liability is a feature of the political systems in which a body of laws permits individuals and firms to recover damages to them by other actors, systems or organizations.
4.
DUE PROCESS

This is a related feature of law-governed societies and is a process in which laws are well known and understood and there is an ability to higher authorities.
 ETHICAL PRINCIPLES a) Golden Rule b) Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative c) Descartes Rule of Change d) Utilitarian Principle e) Risk-aversion Principle f) Ethical “no free lunch” Rule
 LAWS IN WORLD TO AVOID THESE ISSUES
Following are the laws in the world which help to avoid these issues:
I) Electronic Commerce Act (Ireland)
II) Electronic Transaction Act (UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore)
III) Electronic Transaction Ordinance (Hong Kong)
IV) Information Technology Act (India)
V) Information Communication Technology Act Draft (Bangladesh)
 LAWS IN PAKISTAN
1) ELECTRONIC TRANSACTION ORDINANCE 2002

Formed in 2002 by national lawmakers.

Laid the foundation for comprehensive legal infrastructure.

It is heavily taken foreign law related to cyber crime.
2) ELECTRONIC CRIME BILL 2007

It was promulgated by the President of Pakistan on the 31 st
December, 2007.

The bill deals with the electronic crimes including:
 Data damage

 Electronic fraud
 Electronic forgery
 Unauthorized access to code
 Cyber Spaming
 Cyber Stalking
 Cyber Terrorism