Understanding Digital Ethics

With recent regulatory action, there are increased concerns about technology’s ethical effects. And because of the drive to attract more customers, employees, and investors, companies need to demonstrate a commitment to good business practices. Digital ethics can assist businesses in achieving benefits such as increased customer satisfaction and staff loyalty, and faster tech adoption rates. By incorporating digital ethics into policies and procedures, you establish a governance framework within your technology systems and workforce culture.

What is Digital Ethics?

Privacy and protection regulations in Singapore like the Computer Misuse Act, Cybersecurity Act, and Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) are designed with rules in place to govern what companies can and cannot do with information and computer systems in online and offline environments.

Digital Ethics, on the other hand, takes into account what should and should not be done with data based on ethical practices and company values. Take, for example, a Singapore-based organization with customers in Europe and the United States. The European customers’ data would need to adhere to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) but the USA only has some data protection for specific industries such as healthcare.

So, while there may not be specific regulations for customers in the states, digital ethics poses the question of whether your company should still provide the same level of trust that you would for local or EU customers.

Digital Ethics in an Information Management Strategy

Although you need to comply with domestic regulations and country-specific laws, consider integrating digital ethics in your overall information management strategy to foster trust across the board through ethical decisions. After all, trust is everything in any relationship, whether business or personal. And it will always be an important factor for any company handling information and data.

Entrench Digital Ethics into the Company Culture

Clear principles should be shared within the company. This drives the business to use its values to guide behavior and decision-making. Data must be used responsibly that is not intrusive, unscrupulous, or disrespectful. Benefits should be mutual (for all concerned parties) and not exploited for financial gain.

Records Management Structure

Documents administrators are frequently confronted with ethical dilemmas, such as improper disclosure, destruction, or withholding of records. A competent records management framework necessitates the use of professional ethics by those in control. On a tangible level, robust security and accessibility should be implemented and managed.

Records Integrity

The preservation of record quality is an important part of preserving records management ethics. The organization’s records should show uniformity, completeness, and accuracy to ensure credibility. A controlled central repository drives these objectives and manages the creation, growth, archival, and destruction of records according to defined policies.

Accountability

Because not all employees are responsible for the organization’s records, the records management, and ethics policy must clearly state who is in charge. They must be qualified and familiar with industry standards and take the lead in developing and constantly improving the records management policy.

Make It Count

KRIS Document Management System (DMS) is a functional records management system that is designed to address all aspects of protecting company records while offering flexible but controlled accessibility. By defining who is to access data, your business can avoid having personally identifiable information fall into the wrong hands.

Personal or confidential information, as well as sensitive or commercial information such as financial data, may be found in business documents. It’s critical that these are kept safe through security measures, such as data encryption and the usage of strong passwords. We provide the tools necessary that will help you embed digital ethics throughout your information lifecycle.