The Internet has given more and more U.S. workers access to sensitive or even illegal content, from private customer data to pornography, while on the job. But a panel on IT ethics at the InformationWeek fall conference in Tucson, Ariz., this week revealed that most IT managers believe it's not their role to decide whether their colleagues are behaving appropriately.

Presented with hypothetical situations involving possible employee or corporate misconduct, most panelists said they would do whatever is required by company policy but not go beyond that. For instance, IBM chief privacy officer Harriet Pearson said IT managers shouldn't open folders on employee desktops even if they suspect that the folders contain child pornography. "The absolute most they should do is alert security," said Pearson.

In another scenario, panelists said it's not up to database administrators to decide whether the files they are assembling are being used for nefarious purposes. They said inappropriate requests for data could be minimized if companies publish clear policies concerning data access. "We assume (the database administrator) has some basis for making a decision as to whether the person (requesting the data) is entitled to it," said James Hatch, VP and CIO at Pactiv Corp., a Lake Forest, Ill.-based developer of packaging solutions. IBM's Pearson added that business would grind to a halt if every employee took it upon themselves to determine the appropriateness of an information request. "At IBM, we don't stop and explain everything," she said.

While the panel confronted hypothetical scenarios, real-world events like South Carolina's recent passage of a law requiring IT workers to report colleagues they suspect are in possession of child pornography indicate that information technology is creating a Pandora's box of legal and ethical dilemmas that most IT managers will eventually have to confront. Panelists for the most part agreed that the best defense is a proactive approach. "IT has an obligation to put well-thought-out processes in place so you know how to respond appropriately," said Hatch.