Social & Professional Issues

• Social issues are topics impacting many people and reflecting current/longstanding problems that are often difficult to resolve due to disagreements.
• Social issues are characterized by strong beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints, with debate being a natural outcome.
• A social problem is an issue within society hindering individuals from reaching their full potential.
• Examples of social issues: poverty, unemployment, unequal opportunities, racism, malnutrition, substandard housing, employment discrimination, and child abuse/neglect.
• Professional issues encompass a wide range of concerns within various professions, including socio-political/cultural contexts, employment, career development, relationships with other professionals, and personal reflections.
• Commonly experienced ethical issues in workplaces: discrimination, harassment, unethical accounting, technological abuse, data privacy concerns, health/safety issues, favoritism and nepotism.
• Personal ethics: ethics a person identifies with in respect to people and situations in everyday life.
• Professional ethics: ethics a person adheres to in respect to their interactions and business dealings.
• Ethical issue: circumstance where a moral conflict arises in the workplace, challenging a moral standard; these emerge and must be resolved within a corporation.
• Prominent ethical issues in IT: collecting, storing, and using personal data raises significant ethical concerns.
• Protecting individuals' privacy rights requires data privacy measures, informed consent, and robust security.
• Professional code of ethics: set of guidelines designed to set out acceptable behavior for members of a particular group, association, or profession.
• Principles and core values are essential for occupational groups.
• Practitioners in many professions subscribe to a code of ethics that governs their behavior.

Code Structure

• Codes of ethics include outlines of aspirations and lists of rules/principles which members are expected to abide by.
• Ethical behavior vs. laws: laws don't provide a complete guide to ethical behavior; an activity not defined as illegal does not mean it is ethical.
• Limitations of code of ethics: cannot provide an answer to every ethical dilemma and is not a definitive collection of behavioral standards.
• Following a professional code of ethics allows for ethical decision making as practitioners use a common set of core values and beliefs as guidelines for making ethical decisions.
• High standards of practice and ethical behavior reminds professionals of their responsibilities and duties, even under day-to-day business pressures.
• Trust builds from the general public based on expectation of ethical behavior, enhancing the reputation of professionals and their profession.
• Evaluation benchmark is provided by a benchmark for self-assessment and peer evaluation, aiding in recognition or censure.

Code of Ethics of the Filipino IT Professionals

• Promote public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of information technology.
• Consider the general/public welfare and public good in the performance of work.
• Advertise goods/professional services truthfully.
• Comply with intellectual property/patent laws/related laws in respect of information technology.
• Accept full responsibility for work, utilize skills with competence/professionalism.
• Make truthful statements on areas of competence and capabilities/qualities of product/service.
• No disclosure/use of confidential information without consent, unless required by laws.
• Strive to attain highest quality in products/services offered.
• Knowingly participate in the development of information technology.
• Uphold/improve the IT professional's standard through continuing profession in order to enhance the IT profession.

Code of Ethics of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)

• Governs professional behavior and decision-making of its members.
• Ensures IT professionals act with integrity, responsibility, and professionalism.
• Relevance of AITP: Although the AITP is now part of CompTIA, the principles of its code of ethics remain relevant to the profession.

CompTIA Overview

• Leading global organization provides training, certification, and advocacy for the IT industry.
• CompTIA was founded in 1982 and is a non-profit trade association.
• CompTIA Serves IT professionals/companies: Helps advance the IT industry through education, certification programs and policy advocacy.

AITP Code of Ethics Principles

• IT professionals must conduct themselves with honesty and integrity.
• Actions should benefit clients, employers, and society, avoiding conflicts of interest.
• Confidentiality: maintain confidentiality of information obtained during professional activities.
• Protect sensitive data and avoid unauthorized disclosure.
• Competence: Strive for continuous improvement in skills and knowledge.
• Ensure qualifications for performing work and seek professional development opportunities.
• Professionalism: Uphold the highest standards of professionalism.
• Responsibility to Employers/Clients: Be loyal to employers/clients, providing services in their best interest.
• Ensure high-quality work, transparency about limitations, and timely delivery.
• Fairness: treat everyone fairly/without discrimination and promote equal opportunities in workplaces/communities.
• Social Responsibility: Contribute positively to society and the public good; consider the broader impact of work and promote the ethical use of technology.
• Respect intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, and trade secrets.
• Avoid using/sharing proprietary information without permission.
• Compliance with Laws and Regulations: comply with all relevant laws/regulations governing work.
• Acting within legal/ethical boundaries and reporting unethical/illegal activities.
• Guidance: provides IT professionals with a framework for making ethical decisions and handling complex situations.
• Trust is built by adhering to ethical standards, which is crucial for the credibility and effectiveness of the IT profession.
• Professional Standards: helps maintain high standards within the IT profession, ensuring members uphold the values of honesty, integrity, and fairness.

Strengths of Codes

• Codes inspire ethical behavior, guide ethical choices, educate about professional obligations, discipline code violators, sensitize ethical issues, inform public about professions and enhance public perception.

Weaknesses of Codes

• Directives can be vague and conflicts can occur between directives.
• Professional code's directives are never complete/exhaustive and can be ineffective in disciplinary matters.
• Directives are sometimes inconsistent and do not always distinguish between micro/macro ethics, and can be self-serving.

Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

• Don't use a computer to harm others, interfere with their work, snoop in their files, or steal.
• Don't bear false witness, use/copy software without payment, or use other's computer resources without authorization.
• Not appropriate others' intellectual output and think about social consequences of programs.
• Use computers with consideration and respect.

Computer Ethics Overview

• Rapidly evolving as technology grows including both broad and narrow interpretations.
• Narrow interpretation is the application of traditional ethical theories to computer technology.
• Broad interpretation includes standards, codes of conduct, computer law, policy, corporate ethics, and topics in sociology/psychology of computing.
• Broadest sense studies and analyzes the social/ethical impacts of information technology.
• It is leading to new classes, conferences, workshops, professional groups, curriculums, books, articles, journals, and centers.
• Focuses on practical problems and moral action/responsibility, focusing on practical problems and taking appropriate response.

Problem of Computer Ethics

• Policy vacuum is a typical problem which arises due to a lack of policies on computer technology.
• Computers provide new capabilities, leading to new choices for action.
• A central task is figuring out what to do and a conceptual and policy vacuum often occurs.
• Moor said that computer technology is revolutionary because it is "logically malleable."

Stages Computer Revolution

• Technological introduction: development and refinement of computer technology that occurred during the first 40 years after WWII.
• Technological permeation: technology integration into everyday human activities/social institutions and changes the meanings of important items like "money," "education," "work," and "fair elections."
• Unique properties of computers give rise to raises unique problems.
• Computer have certain properties that raise unique issues, making them a special case.
• Moore foresaw the changing workplace and nature of work in 1985.
• Moore stated that Invisible factors in computer operations have ethical significance.
• Intentional unethical conduct using invisible computer operations constitutes invisible abuse.
• Invisible programming values constitute values embedded into a computer program by the programmer.
• Invisible complex calculation is when computers perform big calculations, so trusting it is an issue.
• Pop Computer Ethics: Sensitizing the public (media) to social and ethical consequences of technology.
• Para Computer Ethics: Engaging individuals with special ethics interest to collect and compare cases.
• Theoretical Computer Ethics: Applying scholarly social philosophy to deepen ethics understanding.

Engineering Opportunities

• Engineers do good or cause harm and they enable others as well,
• Safety-Critical system development is included in responsibilities.

Philippines and Social Media

• The country is still the social media capital of the world.
• Filipinos use platforms for 53 hours weekly, 11 hours more than the global average of 42 hours to connect with their families overseas.
• Makati is the selfie capital. Chat apps are widely used.

Posting images and videos

• Personal video/photo of a private person cannot be posted without consent, but entertaining pictures are fine but not offensive ones.
• There are some exemptions to consent.

Professionalism Overview

• Professionalism is primarily an attitude encompassing pride in work, commitment to quality, dedication to client interests, and the desire to help.
• It must be learned/internalized and is achieved through a lifelong set of beliefs/attitudes/behaviors and is achieved over time.
• Professionals should develop a persona and demonstrate proper dress, telephone etiquette, and proper demeanor.
• Personal interaction includes courtesy/respect and communication/listening skills.
• Transitioning to the workplace includes avoiding casual dress and lax attendance.

Professionalism Aspects

• Workplace listening involves be active by listening and understanding the listening process.
• Communication includes no lingo or slang and understanding work communication, reporting absences, etc.
• Rules also include no complaining without taking action and blaming the process not individuals.
• A work ethic includes hard worth, diligence including reliability, initiative, and still development.
• It is important to adhere to codes and standards by acting with ethics.

This quiz covers the Social & Professional Issues, Code of Ethics, focusing on IT professionals' responsibilities regarding confidential information, fairness, and conduct. It also includes questions about CompTIA's role and founding, as well as Moor's perspective on computer ethics.