CHAPTER 3
Ethics and Privacy
CHAPTER OUTLINE
3.1 Ethical Issues
3.2 Privacy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define ethics, list and describe the three fundamental tenets of ethics, and describe the four categories of ethical issues related to information technology.
2. Identify three places that store personal data, and for each one discuss at least one potential threat to the privacy of the data stored there.
3.1 Ethical Issues
Ethical Frameworks
Utilitarian approachRights approachFairness approachCommon good approach
General Framework for Ethics
1. Recognize an ethical issue
2. Get the facts
3. Evaluate alternative actions
4. Make a decision and test it
5. Act and reflect on the outcome of your decision
Ethics in the Corporate Environment
Code of ethics
Fundamental tenets of ethicsResponsibility
Accountability
Liability
Unethical vs. Illegal
What is unethical is not necessarily illegal.
Ethics scenarios
Ethics and Information Technology
Four categories of ethical issues involving IT applications:
Privacy Issues
Accuracy Issues
Property Issues
Accessibility Issues
3.2 Privacy
Court decisions have followed two rules:
(1) The right of privacy is not absolute.
Your privacy must be balanced against
the needs of society.
(2) The public’s right to know is superior to
the individual’s right of privacy.
Threats to Privacy
Data aggregators, digital dossiers, and profiling
Electronic Surveillance Personal Information in Databases Information on Internet Bulletin Boards,
Newsgroups, and Social Networking Sites
Data Aggregators, Digital Dossiers, and Profiling
© Ilin Sergey/Age Fotostock America, Inc.
Electronic Surveillance
© Ilin Sergey/Age Fotostock America, Inc.
Electronic Surveillance
See "The State of Surveillance" article in BusinessWeek
See the surveillance slideshow
See additional surveillance slides
And you think you have privacy? (video)
Personal Information in Databases
Banks
Utility companies
Government agencies
Credit reporting agencies
© Nicolas Nadjar/Age Fotostock America, Inc.
Information on Internet Bulletin Boards, Newsgroups, and Social Networking Sites
© Marina Bordjieva/Age Fotostock America, Inc.
Social Networking Sites Can Cause You Problems
Anyone can post derogatory information about you anonymously.
(See this Washington Post article.)
You can also hurt yourself, as this article shows.
What Can You Do?
First, be careful what information you post on social networking sites.
Second, a company, ReputationDefender, says it can remove derogatory information from the Web.
Protecting Privacy
Privacy Codes and Policies
Opt-out Model Opt-in Model
© Gunnar/Age Fotostock America, Inc.
Chapter Closing Case
• The Problem
• The Solution
• The Results