Watch the following tedtalk video. 

(https://www.ted.com/talks/cathy_o_neil_the_era_of_blind_faith_in_big_data_must_end/transcript)

In your own words, write about a  3-paragraph response to the author’s comment that ties to the textbook’s concerns. (Management Information Systems, 8th Edition, Hossein Bigoli,   ISBN-10: 1337406929, ISBN-13: 9781337406925, 2018) Chapters 4 & 5

  

Some questions one might ask are:

• Are you convinced that “weapons of math destruction” are a real problem ?   
• Is it sometimes better to trust one’s gut, then the data? 
• Are their ethical or legal implications to “machining choice” 
• Can a human touch be in itself a competitive advantage? 

NO REFERENCES NEEDED!!!!

NO PLAGIARISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

follow directions asap

Personal, Legal,
Ethical, and
Organizational
Issues of
Information
Systems

4

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be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly

accessible website, in whole or in part.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

2

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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4

1. Discuss information privacy and methods for
improving the privacy of information

2. Explain the privacy of e-mail, data collection
issues, and censorship

3. Discuss the ethical issues related to information
technology

4. Discuss the principles of intellectual property and
issues related to the infringement of intellectual
property

LEARNING OUTCOMES (continued)

3
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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4

5. Discuss information system issues that affect
organizations, including the digital divide,
electronic publishing, and the connection between
the workplace and employees’ health

6. Describe green computing and the ways it can
improve the quality of the environment

4MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Privacy Issues

• Employers search social networking sites for
background information on applicants

• Monitoring systems are adopted by
employers to check employee performance

• Healthcare organizations, financial
institutions, legal firms, and online-ordering
firms gather personal data and enter it in
databases

LO 1

5MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Privacy Issues (continued)

• Information about every aspect of people’s
lives is stored on various databases
• Many practices of government agencies, credit

agencies, and marketing companies using
databases would represent an invasion of
privacy

• Several federal laws regulate the collecting
and using of information on people and
corporations
• Narrow in scope and contain loopholes

LO 1

6MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Concepts of the Web and Network Privacy

• Set of rules specifying the legal and ethical use of a system
and the consequences of noncompliance

Acceptable use policy

• Issues involving both the user’s and the organization’s
responsibilities and liabilities

Accountability

• Method for binding all the parties to a contract

Nonrepudiation

LO 1

7MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Guidelines to Minimize the Invasion of Privacy

• Users should:
• Conduct business only with Web sites that have

privacy policies

• Limit access to personal information to those
with authorization

• Identify ways to prevent personal information
gathered from being disclosed without consent

• Be able to review their records and correct any
inaccuracies

LO 1

8MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Guidelines to Minimize the Invasion of Privacy
(continued 1)

• Organizations must:
• Ensure data’s reliability and take precautions to

prevent misuse of the data

• Make sure any data collection has a stated
purpose

• Use verification procedures to ensure data
accuracy

• Correct or delete incorrect data and delete the
data when it is no longer needed for the stated
purpose

LO 1

9MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Guidelines to Minimize the Invasion of Privacy
(continued 2)

• Not keep record-keeping systems that store
personal data a secret

• Take all necessary measures to prevent
unauthorized access to data and misuse of data

LO 1

10MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Federal Data Protection Laws

• Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)

• Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act
(FACTA)

• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA)

LO 1

11MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Privacy Issues Presented by E-mail

• Spam: Unsolicited e-mail sent for
advertising purposes
• Sent in bulk using automated mailing software

• Ease of access
• Individuals should assume that others have

access to their messages

• Any e-mails sent on company-owned computers
are the property of an organization

LO 1

12MIS8 | CH4
Copyright ©2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly

accessible website, in whole or in part.

Data Collection on the Web

• Number of people shopping online is
increasing rapidly because of convenience,
the array of choices, and lower prices
• Reluctant to make online purchases because of

concerns about hackers

• Information provided on the Web can be
combined with other information and
technologies to produce new information

LO 1

13MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Technologies Used for Data Collection

• Cookies: Small text files with unique ID tags
that are embedded in a Web browser and
saved on the user’s hard drive
• Help Web sites customize pages for users

• Considered an invasion of privacy when users’
information is used without prior consent

• Installing a cookie manager helps users disable
cookies

LO 1

14MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Technologies Used for Data Collection (continued)

• Log files: Record a user’s actions on a Web
site and are generated by Web server
software
• Help in identifying cases of identity

misrepresentation on Web sites

LO 1

15MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ethical Issues of Information Technologies

• Information technology offers opportunities
for unethical behavior because of the ease
of collecting and disseminating information
• Increase in cybercrime, cyberfraud, identity

theft, and intellectual property theft

• Organizations can reduce unethical
behavior of employees by developing and
enforcing codes of ethics

LO 2

16MIS8 | CH4
Copyright ©2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly

accessible website, in whole or in part.

Types of Information on the Web

• Public information
• Posted by an organization or public agency

• Censored for public policy reasons

• Censored if the content is deemed offensive to a
political, religious, or cultural group

• Private information
• Posted by a person

• Uncensored because of constitutional freedom
of expression

LO 2

17MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Censorship

• Restricting access to the Web
• Countries such as China, Myanmar (Burma), and

Singapore restrict or forbid their citizens’ access
to the Web

➖ Internet neutrality: Internet service providers
(ISPs) and government agencies should treat
all data on the Internet equally

• Parents use programs such as CyberPatrol,
CyberSitter, Net Nanny, and SafeSurf to prevent
children’s access to a few Web sites

LO 2

18MIS8 | CH4
Copyright ©2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly

accessible website, in whole or in part.

Intellectual Property

• Legal umbrella covering protections that
involve copyrights, trademarks, trade
secrets, and patents developed by people
or businesses

LO 2

19MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Categories in Intellectual Property

• Industrial property
• Inventions, trademarks, logos, and industrial

designs

• Copyrighted material
• Literary and artistic works

• Online materials such as Web pages, HTML
code, and computer graphics

• Fair Use Doctrine – Exception to the copyright
law that allows the use of copyrighted material
for certain purposes

LO 2

20MIS8 | CH4
Copyright ©2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly

accessible website, in whole or in part.

Intellectual Property Protections

• Trademark – Protects product names and
identifying marks

• Patent – Protects new processes
• Advantages of patents to organizations

➖ Generates revenue by licensing the patent

➖ Attracts funding for research and
development

➖ Keeps competitors from entering certain
market segments

LO 2

21MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Laws Covering Software Piracy

• 1980 revisions to the Copyright Act of 1976
include computer programs

• Laws covering legal issues related to
information technologies in the United
States
• Telecommunications Act of 1996

• Communications Decency Act (CDA)

• Laws against spamming

LO 2

22MIS8 | CH4
Copyright ©2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly

accessible website, in whole or in part.

Cybersquatting

• Registering, selling, or using a domain name
to profit from someone else’s trademark

• Typosquatting – Relies on typographical
errors made by Web users when typing a
Web site address into a Web browser
• Variation of cybersquatting

• Called URL hijacking

LO 2

23MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Digital Divide

• Divide created between the information
rich and the information poor by
information technology and the Internet

• Computers still are not affordable for many
people
• Increasing funding for computers at schools and

public places helps offset the divide

LO 2

24MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Impact of Information Technology in the
Workplace

• Creation of technical jobs, requiring
extensive training

• Increased consumers’ purchasing power
• Results in a stronger economy by reducing

production costs

• Direct effect on the nature of jobs
• Telecommuting enables people to perform their

jobs from home

• Organizations can use the best human resources
in a large geographical region

LO 3

25MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Impact of Information Technology in the
Workplace (continued)

• Job deskilling – Occurs when skilled labor is
eliminated by high technology

• Virtual organizations: Networks of
independent companies, suppliers,
customers, and manufacturers connected
via information technologies
• To share skills and cost

• To have access to each other’s markets

LO 3

26
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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4

Table 4.1 Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of
Telecommuting

Potential Benefits

Can care for small children or elderly parents and spend more time with family

Have fewer restrictions on clothing for work, thereby saving the expense of work wear

No commute, so distance and time factors are reduced as well as the effects of car
emissions on air quality

Able to work in more pleasant surroundings

Increased productivity

Decreased neighborhood crime because of more people being home during the day

Easier work environment for employees with disabilities

Reduced costs for office space and utilities

Reduced employee turnover and absenteeism

Able to find and hire people with special skills, regardless of where they are located

Fewer interruptions from coworkers

LO 3

27
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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4

Table 4.1 Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of
Telecommuting (continued)

Potential Drawbacks

Can become a workaholic (no hard boundaries between “at work” and “at home”)

No regulated work routine

Less interaction with coworkers

No separation between work and home life

Potential legal issues about workers’ injuries

Family interruptions and household distractions

Lack of necessary supplies or equipment

Could create a two-tiered workforce—telecommuters and on-site workers—
that affects promotions and raises

LO 3

28MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Information Technology and Health Issues

• Increasing popularity of touchscreens result
in stress-related injuries of the users’ hands,
arms, back, and eyes

• Health problems related to computer
equipment
• Vision problems

• Musculoskeletal problems

• Skin problems

• Reproductive problems

• Stress-related problems

LO 3

29MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Green Computing

• Promotes a sustainable environment and
consumes the least amount of energy

• Involves the design, manufacture, use, and
disposal of computers, servers, and
computing devices with minimal impact on
the environment

• Requires cooperation of both private and
public sectors

LO 4

30MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ways to Achieve Green Computing

• Designing products that last longer and are
modular in design
• Parts can be upgraded without replacing the

entire system

• Designing search engines and computing
routines that are faster and consume less
energy

• Replacing underutilized smaller servers with
one large server using a virtualization
technique

LO 4

31MIS8 | CH4
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ways to Achieve Green Computing (continued)

• Using computing devices that consume less
energy and are biodegradable

• Allowing certain employees to work from
their homes to reduce carbon footprints

• Conducting meetings over computer
networks to reduce business travel
• Encouraging carpool and non-motorized

transportation for employees

• Turning off idle PCs and recycling computer-
related materials

LO 4

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KEY TERMS

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accessible website, in whole or in part. 32

• Acceptable use
policy

• Accountability

• Nonrepudiation

• Spam

• Cookies

• Log files

• Intellectual property

• Cybersquatting

• Digital divide

• Virtual organizations

• Green computing

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SUMMARY

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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4 33

• Employers search social networking sites,
such as Facebook or Instagram, to find
background information on applicants

• Spamming presents serious privacy issues

• Two types of information available on the
Web are public and private

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SUMMARY (continued)

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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4 34

• Many associations promote the ethically
responsible use of information systems and
technologies

• Information technology has created many
new jobs

• Green computing is one of the methods for
combating global warming

35
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accessible website, in whole or in part. MIS8 | CH4