Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Privacy - Essay Example As apparent, effective data management, entails adherence to ethical, social and legal standards that guide individuals or institutions when transmitting information. The standards are significant especially in the current environment where various institutions are facing immense challenges in data management. The standards present requisite incentives that ensure information within institutions is used effectively. Data privacy is of fundamental concern within several institutions, for example, banks, hospitals, and learning centres. Privacy emphasises the need for appropriate and safety management of client’s data to boost their confidence. This paper discusses privacy because it is a fundamental aspect that ensures quality administration of data within institutions. Ethical, social and legal issues relevant to Information Systems As noted Information technology (IT), systems are software or hardware used by individuals and institutions to execute activities. The systems fac ilitate effective and efficient delivery of services in various facets of operations, and are recognisable as key pillars that influence data privacy. They aid information capturing, encoding, processing, storage and dissemination. The administration of such activities or information should be reliant on excellent privacy standards (Moon2010, p.1). The standards should assume social, legal and ethical dimensions. Furthermore, they should focus on an institution’s capacity to enhance sustainability. Ethics defines moral processes in institutions. It sets clear standards and moral values that stakeholders should obey in various jurisdictions. Ethical standards ensure delivery of quality services and optimal utilisation of resources, as well as enhancement of privacy in information administration. Institutions should formulate viable ethical principles, for example, the golden rule, utilitarian and risk aversion principles (Quigley 2004, p.2). This creates a favourable environme nt where every stakeholder is treated with diligence and respect. This is significant since institutions that operate with inferior ethical guidelines cannot maintain their clients in the current dynamic world that experiences immense competition. Code of ethics requires employees within institutions or individuals to use client information with confidence. They should also enhance privacy, security in data management and treat clients with respect. Exhibition of high level of cautiousness, prudence, timely delivery of services and accountability also form key ethical guidelines. The standards are integral in facilitating performance since they encourage accountability, responsibility and adherence to due processes while executing activities. Each profession has set ethical guidelines that guide execution of activities (Moon 2010, p.1). The professions, for example, nursing and accounting focuses on data privacy based on the information that individuals in such professions possess. Information conveyed through IT system significantly affect social processes. Poor management of information may lead to increased social incoherence, animosity and damage mutual understanding. This stalls performance and delivery of quality services to clients. Institutions should adopt the recommended information management practices to advance social integration. They should also adopt best practices to facilitate effective mitigation of social issues (Wilson, 2004, p. 119).