1. What does the term information systems ethics mean?
a. There are various ways of answering this question, but the answer should include something about
the application of ethics to the new capabilities and cultural norms brought about by information
technology.
2. What is a code of ethics? What is one advantage and one disadvantage of a code of ethics?
a. A code of ethics is a document that outlines a set of acceptable behaviors for a professional or social
group. Answers may differ for the second part, but from the text: one advantage of a code of ethics is
that it clarifies the acceptable standards of behavior for a professional group. One disadvantage is that
it does not necessarily have legal authority.
3. What does the term intellectual property mean? Give an example.
a. Intellectual property is defined as “property (as an idea, invention, or process) that derives from the
work of the mind or intellect.”
4. What protections are provided by a copyright? How do you obtain one?
a. Copyright protections address the following: who can make copies of the work, who can make
derivative works from the original work, who can perform the work publicly, who can display the work
publicly, and who can distribute the work. You obtain a copyright as soon as the work is put into tangible
form.
5. What is fair use?
a. Fair use is a limitation on copyright law that allows for the use of protected works without prior
authorization in specific cases.
6. What protections are provided by a patent? How do you obtain one?
a. Once a patent is granted, it provides the inventor with protection from others infringing on the patent.
In the US, a patent holder has the right to “exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or
selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States for a
limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.” You obtain a
patent by filing an application with the patent office. A patent will be granted if the work is deemed to be
original, useful, and nonobvious.
7. What does a trademark protect? How do you obtain one?
a. A trademark protects a word, phrase, logo, shape, or sound that identifies a source of goods or
services. You can obtain one by registering with the Patent and Trademark Office (US). There is also a
commonlaw
trademark.
8. What does the term personally identifiable information mean?
a. Information about a person that can be used to uniquely establish that person’s identity is called
personally identifiable information, or PII.
9. What protections are provided by HIPAA, COPPA, and FERPA?
a. The answers are as follows:
i. HIPAA: protects records related to health care as a special class of personally identifiable information.
ii. COPPA: protects information collected from children under the age of thirteen. iii. FERPA: protects
student educational records.
10. How would you explain the concept of NORA?
a. There are various ways to answer this. The basic answer is that NORA (nonobvious
relationship
awareness) is the process of collecting large quantities of a variety of information and then combining it
to create profiles of individuals.