Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues

In this tutorial we looked at information technology and ethical considerations. I have provided some definitions and informaion about these topics below.

Information Technology: Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is “the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-base information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware”. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology)

IT is now very common place in our society with the majority of office based environments using computers, fax machines, photo copiers, phones etc. It has also become very common place in our everyday life’s with a large number of people using computers and internet for study, leisure, information and communication.

I use a number of different forms of technology, such as the Internet, mobile phones, television and stereo’s. Technology is become more common in the Occupational Therapy field. Some examples of this are the use of Nintendo WII’s, laptops, cameras, intranet, voice recognition software and mobile phones.

Computer Ethics: Computer Ethics is a branch of practical philisophy deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. Computer ethics is a very important topic in computer applications.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics)

Intellectual Property: Intellectual property (IP) is a legal property right or IP created by the mind. It can be artistic or commercial, and, perhaps, in the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, traemarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property)

Informed Consent: Informed consent is a legal condition whereby a person can be said to have given consent based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications and future consequences of an action. In order to give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts at the time consent is given.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_Consent)

With all the technology now readily available to everyone there are a number of ethical considerations that have arisen. The internet in particular has caused a number of ethical issues such as privacy and misuse. It is important to have a knowledge about technology in practice so we can offer different forms of intervention for clients and also have ideas about what forms of information technology may be beneficial to them. We should also be aware of ethical considerations to ensure we do not put ourselves or the client in any danger.