SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES

With the rapid, widespread use of information technology many social and ethical issues have been brought to light by some groups or individuals. These social and ethical issues fall under various different categories including:

Cybersecurity
Data validation (Bias, accuracy, timeliness, relevance)
Copyright
Privacy
Ergonomics

Social and Ethical Issues at NASA

Because NASA is a government authorise organisation, the social and ethical issues raised by groups or individuals have to be quickly and thoroughly dealt with before they get out of hand or cause unwanted consequences.

Because all of the data and information that is used by NASA is mostly sourced from their own research, it is unlikely that a copyright or fair usage issue will not become a problem. Likewise, a privacy-related issue is not likely, same as an ergonomic related issue since all of the staff will be adequately trained and equipped to handle the information systems present at the workplace.

Instead, a cybersecurity or data validation issue is probably the most likely social and ethical issue to occur.

NASA has a growing reliance on the data and information that they process and a system attack could come with heavy repercussions including a damaged reputation, loss of income as well as a loss of resources.

In order to counteract this the organisation's cybersecurity department maintains a number of effective programs and capabilities including:

Vulnerability Assessment Program (VAP)
Security Testing
Assessment and Authorization (A&A)
Risk Assessment
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Compliance
Training

These programs are designed to constantly check and assess NASA's defence systems in order to fend off an unwanted attack.

Alongside this, a data validation issue could also come with serious consequences to the organisation as NASA is marketed and renowned for its accurate scientific experimentation and research.