Answer to Question #278020 in Computer Networks for DOHC44

Question

You are a system administrator with broad access to enterprise systems. Your

supervisor has asked you to begin archiving all of the emails and web activity

logs of one of your co-workers. Typically requests of this nature are initiated

through a formal communication from your campus’s legal office. You feel that

this request is inappropriate and possibly at odds with standard campus

procedure and processes.

What would you do? In your answer, refer to ethical codes and what IT

professionals need to commit to and mention a few general or common principles included in ethical codes.

Answer 1

Allegations are being made against an individual on campus. You believe the allegations could be disproved through an analysis of data to which you have access, but you would have to explore the data to prove it. You don’t believe that this information would otherwise be discovered or disclosed.

A number of resources help IT professionals searching for ethical guidance within the scope of their job duties. For example, IEEE has a code of ethics for its members; the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) has a code of ethics and standards of conduct; and SANS has published an IT code of ethics.