If something is not against the law, is it allowed?

Not necessarily. Information ethics are about what is appropriate in an information society, whether or not a law exists. Many acts that no law names are still wrong — publishing a photo of a classmate asleep, for instance.

What exactly is a geotag?

The location — latitude and longitude — that a smartphone records inside a photo or video by default. Anyone who receives the file can read it, which is how a picture of a desk can reveal a home address.

Can I be harmed online if I never go online?

Yes. Identity theft and leaked personal information reach the person the data is about, not the person who was browsing. Your name, your number and your picture can be in other people's hands.

Lesson 1-2

Information Ethics

Unit 1 — What is Information?

Information and Communication Technology — Baccalaureate Year 1

Textbook pages pp. 8–11Published

What is appropriate in the information society, whether or not a law says so: privacy, copyright, rumours, geotags, online bullying and the habits that cost a student a year.

Learning objectives

01Define information ethics and explain why they hold whether or not a law applies.
02Name the rules of conduct in the information society and apply each to a situation.
03Explain what a geotag is and the risk that follows from it.
04Distinguish harm that requires you to be online from harm that does not, such as identity theft.
05Write practical rules against internet addiction and phone use while walking.

Summary

Information ethics are the foundational concepts and attitudes needed to act appropriately in an information society — and the lesson's opening move is to say that they hold regardless of the presence or absence of laws. That single clause answers most of the questions built on this lesson: 'no law forbids it' is never an answer, because something can be inappropriate without being prohibited.

From there the book lists what goes wrong. Publishing images or videos whose copyright belongs to someone else. Sharing another person's personal information without permission. Infringing privacy. Slander and online bullying. Spreading disinformation and baseless rumours. Each is stated as a rule of conduct, not as a legal clause, and each is tied to the two properties of information the first lesson established: it spreads easily, and once it is out it does not really disappear.

Two specific risks get their own treatment. A geotag is the latitude and longitude embedded automatically in photos and videos taken with a smartphone — useful, and enough to locate the person who posted them. And identity theft and the leakage of personal information can reach someone who is not online at all, because the data that identifies them lives in other people's hands. 'I do not use the internet, so nothing can happen to me' is the misconception the exam likes best.

The lesson closes on habits rather than crimes: internet addiction, being immersed in the internet to the point that it interferes with daily life, and using a smartphone while walking. Both are behaviour, both are measured by their effect on the rest of the day, and both are answered by rules a student can actually keep — a time, a place, a phone out of the bedroom.

Key terms

Information ethics: The foundational concepts and attitudes needed to act appropriately in an information society, regardless of the presence or absence of laws.
Privacy infringement: Publishing or sharing what belongs to a person's private life without their permission — a public place does not cancel a person's privacy.
Copyright of images and video: Content produced by someone else may not be published without permission; naming the source does not replace asking.
Slander and online bullying: Attacking or humiliating a person through what is written or shared about them online.
Disinformation and rumours: Untrue or unverified claims spread deliberately or carelessly; verification is the reader's responsibility, not a guarantee given by any site.
Geotag: The latitude and longitude embedded automatically in photos and videos taken with a smartphone, from which the place — and the person — can be identified.
Identity theft: Using another person's identifying information as if it were your own. It can happen to someone who does not use the internet at all.
Internet addiction: Being excessively immersed in the internet to the extent that it interferes with daily life.

Sample questions

01State the definition of information ethics, and explain in one sentence why 'there is no law against it' is not a defence.Understand
02A student posts a daily photo of her desk taken straight from her phone, sometimes showing the door of her building. Name the data that may be embedded without her writing it, and explain exactly what the risk is.Analyse
03A classmate says: 'I do not use the internet at all, so it is impossible for me to be a victim of cybercrime.' Judge the claim and justify your judgement.Evaluate

Answers are on the portal, graded there.

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Information Ethics

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