Deck 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Question 1

All of the following are factors in U.S. federal sentencing guidelines with respect to business executives except:

A) the monetary value of the crime.
B) the presence of a conspiracy to prevent discovery of the crime.
C) the use of technology to commit the crime.
D) the use of structured financial transactions to hide the crime.
E) the failure to cooperate with prosecutors.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the effect that new information technology has on society?

A) It has a dampening effect on the discourse of business ethics.
B) It has a ripple effect, raising new ethical, social, and political issues.
C) It is beneficial for society as a whole, while raising dilemmas for consumers.
D) It has a waterfall effect in raising ever more complex ethical issues.
E) It has a magnifying effect, creating increasing numbers of ethical issues.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

________ means that you accept the potential costs and obligations for the decisions you make.

A) Responsibility
B) Accountability
C) Liability
D) Due process
E) Duty

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Identify the five moral dimensions that are involved in political, social, and ethical issues and briefly describe each. Of these, which do you think is the most difficult for society to deal with? Support your opinion.

Question 5

Which of the following is not one of the current key technology trends that raises ethical issues?

A) Decline in data storage costs
B) Advances in data analysis
C) Increase in data quality
D) Doubling of computing power every 18 months
E) Advances in networking technology

Question 6

Which of the following is not an example of the potential dark side of big data?

A) Police visits to individuals whom a computer system identified as likely to commit a crime in the future
B) Use of a device installed in a car to analyze driving habits
C) Use of a predictive modeling system that predicts life expectancy by using data about individual consumers' buying habits as well as personal and family medical histories
D) Use of computerized systems to filter and hire job applicants
E) Analyzing data from sensors installed in local parks to monitor soil moisture

Question 7

All of the following are steps in the process for analyzing an ethical issue except:

A) assigning responsibility.
B) identifying the stakeholders.
C) identifying the options you can reasonably take.
D) identifying and clearly describing the facts.
E) identifying the potential consequences of your options.

Question 8

In today's legal environment, managers who are convicted for the misuse of information systems are likely to be given a prison sentence.

Question 9

Advances in data storage and rapidly declining data storage costs have been responsible for multiplying databases on individuals maintained by private and public organizations.

Question 10

________ is a feature of social institutions that means mechanisms are in place to determine responsibility for an action.

A) Due process
B) Accountability
C) The courts of appeal
D) The judicial system
E) Liability

Question 11

A colleague at work takes small amounts of office supplies for her own personal use, saying that this is a tiny loss to the company. You tell her that if everyone were to take office supplies, then the loss would no longer be minimal. Your rationale expresses which of the following ethical principles?

A) Kant's Categorical Imperative
B) The Golden Rule
C) The Risk Aversion Principle
D) The "No free lunch" rule
E) The slippery-slope rule

Question 12

Ethics describes the principles of right and wrong that can be used by individuals to make choices to guide their behavior.

Question 13

________ is a feature of law-governed society and involves having laws that are known and understood, along with the ability to appeal to higher authorities to ensure that the laws are applied correctly.

A) Liability
B) Due process
C) Responsibility
D) Accountability
E) The judicial system

Question 14

Describe three technology trends that pose ethical issues, giving an example for each of its ethical or moral impact.

Question 15

The obligations that individuals and organizations have regarding the preservation of existing values and institutions fall within which of the following moral dimensions of the information age?

A) Family and home
B) Property rights and obligations
C) System quality
D) Accountability and control
E) Quality of life

Question 16

Which of the following is a data analysis technology that finds hidden connections between data in disparate sources?

A) HIPAA
B) FIP
C) NORA
D) COPPA
E) Spyware

Question 17

What is NORA and how does it work?

Question 18

Which of the following best describes how new information systems can result in legal gray areas?

A) They work with networked, digital data, which are more difficult to control than information stored manually.
B) They result in new situations that are not covered by old laws.
C) They are implemented by technicians rather than managers.
D) They are created from sets of logical and technological rules rather than social or organizational mores.
E) They are little understood by politicians or lawyers.

Question 19

The obligations that individuals and organizations have concerning rights to intellectual property involve which of the following moral dimensions of the information age?

A) Property rights and obligations
B) System quality
C) Accountability and control
D) Information rights and obligations
E) Quality of life

Question 20

The use of computers to assemble data from different sources to create digital dossiers of detailed information about individuals is known as which of the following?

A) Profiling
B) Phishing
C) Spamming
D) Targeting
E) Spyware

Question 21

Which of the following U.S. laws gives patients access to personal medical records and the right to authorize how this information can be used or disclosed?

A) HIPAA
B) Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
C) Privacy Protection Act
D) Freedom of Information Act
E) COPPA

Question 22

Identifying the stakeholders-people who have a vested interest in the outcome of the decision-is the last step in analyzing an ethical issue.

Question 23

In 2010, the FTC added all of the following recommendations to its privacy guidelines except:

A) firms should build products and services that protect privacy.
B) firms should increase the transparency of their data collection.
C) firms should require consumer consent and provide clear options to opt out of data collection.
D) firms should limit the length of time that any personal data is stored to six months or less.
E) consumers should be able to review and contest the accuracy and completeness of data.

Question 24

Which ethical rule states that if an action cannot be taken repeatedly, it is not right to take at all?

A) Slippery slope rule
B) Lemming rule
C) High-failure cost rule
D) Utilitarian principle
E) Golden Rule

Question 25

Which of the following is considered the most important U.S. federal statute setting forth conditions for handling information about individuals?

A) The Privacy Act
B) The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
C) The Freedom of Information Act
D) COPPA
E) HIPAA

Question 26

Define the basic concepts of responsibility, accountability, and liability as applied to ethical decisions. How are these concepts related?

Question 27

Due process is a feature of political systems and allows individuals to recover damages done to them by others.

Question 28

Identify and discuss the six ethical principles discussed in the chapter.

Question 29

Which of the following ethical guidelines suggests that you put yourself in the place of others, and think of yourself as the object of the decision?

A) Kant's categorical imperative
B) the risk aversion principle
C) the utilitarian principle
D) the Golden Rule
E) the "no free lunch" rule

Question 30

According to ________, you should take the action that produces the least harm.

A) Kant's categorical imperative
B) the risk aversion principle
C) the utilitarian principle
D) the Golden Rule
E) the "no free lunch" rule

Question 31

The FIP principle of Notice/Awareness states that:

A) customers must be allowed to choose how their information will be used for secondary purposes other than the supporting transaction.
B) data collectors must take responsible steps to assure that consumer information is accurate and secure from unauthorized use.
C) there must be a mechanism in place to enforce FIP principles.
D) consumers should be able to review the data collected about them.
E) websites must disclose their information practices before collecting data.

Question 32

The ethical "no free lunch" rule states that:

A) if an action cannot be taken repeatedly, then it is not right to be taken at any time.
B) one should take the action that produces the least harm or incurs the least cost.
C) one can put values in rank order and understand the consequences of various courses of action.
D) if something someone else has created is useful to you, it has value, and you should assume the creator wants compensation for this work.
E) if an action is not right for everyone to take, it is not right for anyone to take.

Question 33

Which of the following best describes Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative?

A) If an action cannot be taken repeatedly, then it is not right to be taken at any time.
B) One should take the action that produces the least harm or incurs the least cost.
C) One can put values in rank order and understand the consequences of various courses of action.
D) If an action is not right for everyone to take, it is not right for anyone to take.
E) You should act towards others as you would like them to act towards you.

Question 34

Because of their special claims to knowledge, wisdom, and respect, professionals take on special rights and obligations.

Question 35

Which of the following is not a U.S. federal law affecting private institutions?

A) COPPA
B) HIPAA
C) Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
D) Video Privacy Protection Act
E) Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act

Question 36

What are the steps in conducting an ethical analysis?

Question 37

When a cookie is created during a website visit, it is stored:

A) on the website's server.
B) on the hard drive of the visitor's computer.
C) on the ISP's servers.
D) in the browser's application settings.
E) nowhere, because they are only used during a visit and are discarded once a visitor leaves the Web site.

Question 38

A man steals from a grocery store in order to feed his starving family. Which of the following best expresses the utilitarian principle in evaluating this situation?

A) His action is acceptable, because the grocer suffers the least harm.
B) His action is acceptable, because the higher social value is the survival of the family.
C) His action is wrong, because the man would not want the grocer to steal from him.
D) His action is wrong, because if everyone were to do this, the concept of personal property is defeated.
E) His action is wrong, because the grocery store owner is harmed.

Question 39

FIP principles are based on a belief in which of the following?

A) Accountability of the record holder
B) Responsibility of the record holder
C) Mutuality of interest between the record holder and the individual
D) Privacy of the individual
E) Difference between the interests of the individual and commercial organizations

Question 40

All of the following laws apply to actions by the federal government except:

A) the Freedom of Information Act.
B) the Privacy Act.
C) the Computer Security Act.
D) the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
E) the E-Government Act.

Question 41

What percent of global Internet users use Google Search and other Google services?

A) Less than 10 percent
B) Around 25 percent
C) About 50 percent
D) Nearly 80 percent
E) Over 90 percent

Question 42

"Look and feel" copyright infringement lawsuits are concerned with:

A) the distinction between tangible and intangible ideas.
B) the distinction between an idea and its expression.
C) using the graphical elements of another product.
D) using the creative elements of another product.
E) violation of a monopoly on the ideas behind a product.

Question 43

In the ________ model of informed consent, personal information can be collected until the consumer specifically requests that his or her data not be collected.

A) opt-in
B) opt-out
C) P3P
D) PGP
E) safe harbor

Question 44

Which of the following adjusts copyright laws to the Internet age by making it illegal to circumvent technology-based protections of copyrighted materials?

A) Digital Millennium Copyright Act
B) Privacy Act
C) Freedom of Information Act
D) Electronic Communications Privacy Act
E) Computer Software Copyright Act

Question 45

Which of the following is not true about the GDPR?

A) The GDPR requires Internet companies to obtain explicit consent from consumers for the use of their personal data.
B) The GDPR requires Internet companies to delete information at the user's request.
C) The GDPR requires Internet companies to retain information only as long as absolutely necessary.
D) The GDPR rejects the right to be forgotten.
E) The GDPR applies only to all companies providing services in Europe.

Question 46

Which of the following protects the authors of a book from having their work copied by others?

A) Patent protection
B) Due process
C) Copyright law
D) Fair Use Doctrine
E) Trade Secret law

Question 47

________ prohibits an organization from collecting any personal information unless the individual specifically takes action to approve information collection and use.

A) A safe harbor
B) The opt-in model
C) FIP principles
D) P3P
E) The opt-out model

Question 48

The Online Privacy Alliance:

A) encourages self-regulation to develop a set of privacy guidelines for its members.
B) protects user privacy during interactions with websites.
C) has established technical guidelines for ensuring privacy.
D) is a government agency regulating the use of customer information.
E) is a safe harbor program established by the U.S. government.

Question 49

Which of the following is not protected by copyright law?

A) Musical compositions
B) Motion pictures
C) Maps
D) Artwork
E) Machines

Question 50

Which of the following forms of protection of intellectual property requires that the property be the subject of a nondisclosure agreement?

A) Copyright
B) Patent
C) All forms of intellectual property protection
D) Trademark
E) Trade secret

Question 51

In an examination of 50 of the most popular websites, researchers discovered that which of the following was the only one that had no tracking files?

A) Yahoo
B) Wikipedia
C) YouTube
D) Facebook
E) LinkedIn

Question 52

Which of the following is the world's largest collector of online user data?

A) Facebook
B) Yahoo
C) Google
D) Microsoft
E) Apple

Question 53

Advertisers use ________ in order to display more relevant ads based on a user's search and browsing history.

A) behavioral targeting
B) Web bugs
C) NORA
D) intelligent agents
E) FIP principles

Question 54

The NAI is an industry association formed to help with which of the following?

A) Copyright protection
B) Online privacy issues
C) Patent protection
D) Trademark protection
E) Trade secret protection

Question 55

Which of the following replaced the U.S. Department of Commerce safe harbor framework that enabled U.S. businesses to legally use personal data from EU countries?

A) COPPA
B) P3P
C) PGP
D) FIP
E) Privacy Shield

Question 56

All of the following are technical solutions to protecting user privacy except:

A) email encryption.
B) anonymous surfing.
C) anonymous email.
D) preventing client computers from accepting cookies.
E) data use policies.

Question 57

Which of the following is not a difficulty in establishing patent protection?

A) Length of time required to receive protection
B) The requirement that the work reflect some special understanding and contribution
C) The requirement that the work must be original
D) The requirement that the work must be novel
E) The requirement that the work must be a secret

Question 58

________ grants the owner exclusive ownership of the ideas behind an invention for 20 years.

A) Copyright law
B) Trademark law
C) Patent law
D) Trade secret protection
E) Privacy law

Question 59

Digital media differs from a physical book in all of the following ways except:

A) ease of replication.
B) ease of alteration.
C) ease of transmission.
D) ease of global distribution.
E) ease of establishing uniqueness.

Question 60

Which of the following were involved in what has been called the patent trial of the century?

A) Apple and Microsoft
B) Apple and Hewlett-Packard
C) Microsoft and Symantec
D) Microsoft and Facebook
E) Apple and Samsung

Question 61

Some forms of illegal sharing of music files have declined as legitimate online music stores have expanded.

Question 62

Malicious software that is installed secretly on your computer by other applications and that tracks your online movements is called spyware.

Question 63

Describe how a cookie works.

Question 64

Which of the following is not a file-sharing service?

A) The Pirate Bay
B) Megaupload
C) Morpheus
D) Pandora
E) Grokster

Question 65

A Facebook user's visit to a website can be tracked even if they do not click a Like button.

Question 66

The European Parliament has banned unsolicited commercial messaging.

Question 67

Any intellectual work product that isn't based on public knowledge can be classed as a trade secret.

Question 68

Copyright is a legal protection given to creators of certain types of intellectual property.

Question 69

Web beacons are tiny, invisible software programs hidden in email messages and web pages that are used to track and report a user's online behavior.

Question 70

European countries do not allow businesses to use personally identifiable information without consumers' prior consent.

Question 71

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 11 web browser no longer includes an opt-out of tracking policy as the default.

Question 72

Software programs were unprotected by copyright law until the early 1990s.

Question 73

Most Internet businesses do very little to protect the privacy of their customers.

Question 74

The problem with web browsers' Do Not Track options is that websites aren't obligated to honor these settings.

Question 75

What are the major issues concerning privacy in the information age? Do you believe the need for homeland security should overrule some of the personal privacy and information rights we have previously taken for granted? Why or why not?

Question 76

COPPA is a set of five principles developed by the FTC that most American and European privacy law is based on.

Question 77

One of the key concepts in patent law is originality.

Question 78

Discuss the history of Apple's and Samsung's patent battle against each other.

Question 79

How does protection of privacy in Europe differ from the United States?

Question 80

Although online tracking gathers an enormous amount of information on individual users, it is anonymous and can't be tied to a specific person.