College of Engineering Science & Technology

School of Mathematical and Computing Science

Computer Science & Information Systems Department
CIN 711 – Social & Professional Issues in IT - Semester 2, 2021

Assignment 1 & 2– Weighting 7% Marks 42

INDIVIDUAL WORK

Due Date: Wednesday 25th August, 2021 before 6pm.

You are required to answer all questions. Answers should be written in paragraph forms with evidence
and support or quotes and examples if needed. Do not repeat questions in your answer sheet. Use your
own words and do proper referencing when using others material. Assignments are to be uploaded in
Moodle by the due date. Please note the University Plagiarism policy and anyone not adhering to it will
be penalized.

Question 1 (Essay 30 marks)

Discuss what is self-serving bias. Imagine your supervisor in your workplace possesses those
traits. In what ways can that have an impact on you and your colleagues’ career and
professional development? What would the workplace be like? What impact can that have on
the company’s performance? What measures can a company put in place to protect itself from
negative impact of self-serving bias on the part of supervisors/managers? How will you as an
employee and subordinate staff of the manager deal with that situation? How will you avoid
getting swayed away in picking up, harnessing or collaborating with individuals with those
characteristics so that your decision making in every aspect remains ethical?

You are to do wider reading to understand the topic. Plan out your essay in detail, the
questions posed will lead you into thinking and are only a guide. You can elaborate more and
include other relevant points. The essay needs to be about 800-1000 words well written in your
own words, be of good academic standard , demonstrating in-depth understanding and
developing an approach for yourself. Go to the detail in terms of discussion and arguments.
Sources used will need to properly referenced.
Question 2: Case Study (12 marks)

Read the article below and answer the questions that follow. Use your own words.

CompTIA
5 Ethical Issues in Technology to Watch for in 2021
July 01, 2021 | By Ashley Watters

Ethics certainly creates a buzz in the business world. Ethical issues such as how we treat others, use
information, engage with employees, manage resources, approach sustainability, and impact the world
around us all affect how we view companies. In fact, the inappropriate treatment of people and the
communities we live in are often the subject of scrutiny and can signal the difference between business
success or failure. That’s why businesses (even tech giants such as Microsoft) often strive for ethical
decision making and practices.

Most Important Ethical Issues in Technology

Businesses today are faced with several ethical challenges. Critical decisions have to be made to ensure
we are protecting personal freedoms and using data appropriately. Which ethical issues are the most
important in 2021? Here are the top five.

Misuse of Personal Information

One of the primary ethical dilemmas in our technologically empowered age revolves around how
businesses use personal information. As we browse internet sites, make online purchases, enter our
information on websites, engage with different businesses online and participate in social media, we are
constantly providing personal details. Companies often gather information to hyper-personalize our
online experiences, but to what extent is that information actually impeding our right to privacy?

Personal information is the new gold, as the saying goes. We have commoditized data because of the
value it provides to businesses attempting to reach their consumer base. But when does it go too far?
For businesses, it’s extremely valuable to know what kind of products are being searched for and what
type of content people are consuming the most. For political figures, it’s important to know what kind of
social or legal issues are getting the most attention. These valuable data points are often exploited so
that businesses or entities can make money or advance their goals. Facebook in particular has come
under fire several times over the years for selling personal data it gathers on its platform.

Misinformation and Deep Fakes

One thing that became evident during the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections was the potential of
misinformation to gain a wider support base. The effect created polarization that has had wide-reaching
effects on global economic and political environments.

In contrast to how information was accessed prior to the internet, we are constantly flooded with real-
time events and news as it breaks. Celebrities and political figures can disseminate opinions on social
media without fact checking, which is then aggregated and further spread despite its accuracy—or
inaccuracy. Information no longer undergoes the strenuous validation process that we formerly used to
publish newspapers and books.

Similarly, we used to believe that video told a story that was undeniably rooted in truth. But deepfake
technology now allows such a sophisticated manipulation of digital imagery that people appear to be
saying and doing things that never happened. The potential for privacy invasion and misuse of identity is
very high with the use of this technology.

Lack of Oversight and Acceptance of Responsibility

Most companies operate with a hybrid stack, comprised of a blend of third-party and owned technology.
As a result, there is often some confusion about where responsibility lies when it comes to governance,
use of big data, cybersecurity concerns and managing personally identifiable information or PII. Whose
responsibility is it really to ensure data is protected? If you engage a third party for software that
processes payments, do you bear any responsibility if credit card details are breached? The fact is that
it’s everyone’s job. Businesses need to adopt a perspective where all collective parties share
responsibility.

Similarly, many experts lobby for a global approach to governance, arguing that local policing is resulting
in fractured policy making and a widespread mismanagement of data. Similar to climate change, we
need to band together if we truly want to see improvement.

Use of AI
Artificial intelligence certainly offers great business potential. But, at what point do AI systems cross an
ethical line into dangerous territory?

 Facial recognition: Use of software to find individuals can quickly become a less-than-ethical
problem. According to the NY Times, there are various concerns about facial recognition, such as
misuse, racial bias and restriction of personal freedoms. The ability to track movements and
activity quickly morphs into a lack of privacy. Facial recognition also isn’t foolproof and can
create bias in certain situations.

 Replacement of jobs: While this is anticipated to a certain degree, AI is meant to increase

automation of low-level tasks in many situations so that human resources can be used on more
strategic initiatives and complicated job duties. The large-scale elimination of jobs has many
workers concerned about job security, but AI is more likely to lead to job creation.

 Health tracking: The pandemic brought contact tracing into the mainstream. Is it ethical to track
the health status of people and how will that impact the limitations we place on them?

 Bias in AI technology: Technology is built by programmers and inherits the bias of its creators
because humans inherently have bias. “Technology is inherently flawed. Does it even matter
who developed the algorithms? AI systems learn to make decisions based on training and coding
data, which can be tainted by human bias or reflect historical or social inequities,” according to
Forbes. Leading AI developer Google has even experienced an issue where AI software believes
male nurses and female historians do not exist.

Autonomous Technology
Self-driving cars, robotic weapons and drones for service are no longer a thing of the future—they’re a
thing of the present and they come with ethical dilemmas. Robotic machines in place of human soldiers
is a very real possibility, along with self-driving cars and package delivery via unmanned drone.

Autonomous technology packs a punch when it comes to business potential, but there is significant
concern that comes with allowing programmed technology to operate seemingly without needed
oversight. It’s a frequently mentioned ethical concern that we trust our technology too much without
fully understanding it.

Ethical Practices in Technology

Unlike business ethics, ethical technology is about ensuring there is a moral relationship that exists
between technology and users.

Respect for Employees and Customers

Businesses that engage in ethical technology have a firm moral sense of employee rights and customer
protections. Data is valuable, but the employees and customers who power your business are
undoubtedly your greatest asset. Take care to always observe responsible protections for employees
and customers to practice ethical technology.

Moral Use of Data and Resources

Data is undoubtedly something of value for businesses. It allows companies to target their marketing
strategies and refine product offerings, but it can also be an invasive use of privacy bringing many ethical
considerations to the forefront. Data protection measures and compliance procedures can help ensure
that data isn’t leaked or used inappropriately.

Responsible Adoption of Disruptive Tech

Digital growth is a business reality. Disruptive tech often isn’t just a way to outpace the competition—it’s
the only way to break even. But embracing new technologies doesn’t have to coincide with an ethical
challenge. Do your due diligence to ensure that the technology you adopt has protections in place and
you’ll be well on your way to practicing ethical tech.

Create a Culture of Responsibility

Ultimately, we need to create a culture of responsibility within technology. If the information technology
workforce and industry giants believe they are responsible for the safe and ethical usage of technology,
then we will see more governance and fair use of data.

Emerging ethical dilemmas in science and technology

New ethical problems regarding the use of science and technology are always arising. When is it right to
use science and technology to apply to real-life scenarios and when does it impede human rights?

 Health tracking and the digital twin dilemma: Should organizations be able to create your twin in
code and experiment on it to advance healthcare initiatives? And when does that become a
practice of exploitation?
  Neurotechnology and privacy: Neurotechnology is nothing new, but new advances allowing the
use of technology to gradually change behavior or thought patterns poses severe questions
about privacy.

 Genetic engineering: While possessing great potential for human health and the recovery from
damaging genetic mutations, there are considerable ethical considerations that surround the
editing of the human genome.

 Weaponization of technology: While there is a lessened chance for loss of life, there are sincere
ethical problems with weaponizing technology. At what point do we trust our technology to
fight a war for us?

Ethical decisions in technology should not be taken lightly. If we believe that technology can help to
solve the world’s problems, addressing the ethics involved is the only way to us get there.

Questions

1. What is the article about? (1 mark)

2. List the 5 which the author thinks are the top issues in 2021. Do you agree? Can you add others?
(1 mark)
3. What is ethical technology? (2 marks)
4. Why are Employees and customers seen as greatest asset? Explain (2 marks)
5. “Disruptive tech often isn’t just a way to outpace the competition—it’s the only way to break
even.” Discuss what that means. (3 marks)
6. Discuss what is “weaponization” of technology and what is the impact on society (3 marks)