Firstly, Ethical Issues:
n Ethics
deals with
what is considered to be right and wrong
Deciding what is right or wrong is not always
easy or clear cut
n Code of Ethics
A collection of principles that are intended to
guide decision making by members of an organization.
Ethical Frameworks
n Utilitarian Approach
An ethical action is the one that provides the
most good or does the least harm
n Rights Approach
An ethical action is the one that best protects
and respects the moral rights of affected people
n Moral Rights:
ü The right to make your own
choices
ü The right to be told the
truth
ü The right of privacy
n Fairness Approach
Ethical actions treat all human beings equally,
or, if unequally, then fairly , based on some defensible standard.
n Common good Approach
Highlights the interlocking relationships that
underlie all societies.
This approach argues that respect and compassion
for all is the basis for ethical actions
Fundamental Tenets of Ethics
n Responsibility
means that you accept the consequences of your
decisions and actions.
n Accountability
a determination of who is responsible for
actions that were taken
n Liability
a legal concept meaning that individuals have
the right to recover the damages done to them by other individuals,
organizations, or systems
Consider the following decisions:
n Should organizations
monitor employees’ Web surfing and E-mail?
n Should organizations sell
customers’ information to other companies?
n Should organizations audit
employees’ computers for unauthorized software or illegal downloaded music or
video files?
Second, Privacy:
1. Privacy Issues
Privacy is the right to be left alone and to be
free of unreasonable personal intrusions.
Information Privacy: the right to determine
when, and to what extent, information about yourself can be gathered and/or communicated
The right of privacy is not absolute !.
Ø Your privacy must be
balanced against the needs of society.
Ø The public’s right to know
is superior to the individual’s right
of privacy.
2.
Accuracy Issues
involve the authenticity, fidelity and accuracy
of information that is collected and processed
3.
Property Issues
involve the ownership and value of information.
4.
Accessibility Issues
revolve around who should have access to
information and whether they should have to pay for this access.
Threats to Privacy
n Data aggregators
companies that collect public data (e.g.,
real estate records, telephone numbers) and nonpublic data (e.g., social
security numbers, financial data, police records, motor vehicle records) and
integrate them to produce digital dossiers
n Digital dossiers
an electronic description of you and your
habits
n Profiling
use of computers to combine data from multiple
sources and create digital dossiers of detailed information on individuals
n NORA (nonobvious
relationship awareness)
new data
analysis technique for even more powerful profiling
n Electronic Surveillance
The tracking
of people‘s activities ,online or offline,
with the aid
of computers.
Ø Cookies
Ø URL filtering
Protecting Privacy
n Personal Information in
Databases
Information about
individuals is being kept in many databases:
Ø Banks
Ø Utility companies
Ø Government agencies
Ø Credit reporting companies
- Social
Networking Sites
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20202935/ns/business-school_inc_/t/job-candidates-getting-tripped-facebook/
n Privacy Codes and Policies
An
organization’s guidelines with respect to protecting the privacy of customers,
clients, and employees.
n Opt-out Model
informed
consent permits the company to collect personal information until the customer
specifically requests that the data not be collected.
n Opt-in Model
informed
consent means that organizations are prohibited from collecting any personal
information unless the customer specifically authorizes it.
