CH03 - Ethics and Privacy

Question 1

Definition of Ethics

Answer 1

It refers to the principles of right and wrong that individuals use to make choices that guide their behavior.

The terms unethical or ethical describe an individual’s subjective moral judgment of right / wrong or good/bad

Question 2

What are the 5 ethical frameworks?

Answer 2

• Utilitarian
• Rights
• Fairness
• Common good
• Deontology approach

Question 3

What’s the Utilitarian approach?

Answer 3

states that an ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm.

The ethical corporate action would be the one that produces the greatest good and does the least harm for all affected parties—customers, employees, shareholders, the community, and the physical environment.

Question 4

What’s the Rights approach?

Answer 4

an ethical action is the one that best protects and respects the moral rights of the affected parties.

(who has what right? Can we list them all and agree upon them?)

Question 5

What’s the Fairness approach?

Answer 5

posits that ethical actions treat all human beings equally, or, if unequally, then fairly, based on some defensible standard.

For example, most people might believe it is fair to pay people higher salaries if they work harder or if they contribute a greater amount to the firm. However, there is less certainty regarding CEO salaries that are hundreds or thousands of times larger than those of other employees.

Question 6

What’s the common good approach?

Answer 6

This approach argues that respect and compassion for all others is the basis for ethical actions. It emphasizes the common conditions that are important to the welfare of everyone.

These conditions can include a system of laws, effective police and fire departments, health care, a public educational system, and even public recreation areas.

Question 7

What’s the Deontology approach?

Answer 7

morality of an action is based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules - not based on consequences of the action

(forget about self-defense)

Question 8

What are the steps for the ethical decision-making Traditional approach?

(IMPORTANT + TABLE)

Answer 8

1. Recognize an ethical issue
2. Get the facts
3. Evaluate alternatives actions
4. Make a decision and test it

Question 9

What are the steps for the ethical decision-making

Giving voice to value approach? (IMPORTANT + TABLE)

Answer 9

1. Identify an ethical issue
2. Purpose and choice
3. Stakeholders analysis
4. Powerful response
5. Scripting and coaching

Question 10

What’s a code of ethics?

Answer 10

• a collection of principles that are intended to guide decision making by members of an organization.

Question 11

What are the 3 ethic fundamental tenets?

Answer 11

• Responsibility: accepting consequences
• Accountability: determining who is responsible when a situation occurs
• Liability: legal concept about having the right to recover for damages done to them.

*What is unethical is not necessarily illegal

Question 12

Four categories of IT ethical issues + their definitions

Answer 12

1. Privacy issues involve collecting, storing, and disseminating information about individuals.
2. Accuracy issues involve the authenticity, fidelity, and correctness 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 pay a fee for this access.

Question 13

What’s privacy?

Answer 13

The right to be left alone and be free of unreasonable personal intrusions.

Question 14

What’s information privacy?

Answer 14

• Right to determine when, and to what extent, information about you can be gathered or communicated to others ( applies to individuals, groups and institutions).

Question 15

Two rules that countries follow closely for privacy

Answer 15

1. The right of privacy is not absolute. Privacy must be balanced against the needs of society.
2. The public’s right to know supersedes the individual’s right of privacy.

Question 16

What are Data aggregators and profiling (creation of digital dossiers)?

→ Threat to privacy

Answer 16

• Digital dossier: An electronic description of an individual and their habits.
• Profiling: The process of forming a digital dossier.
• Data aggregators include LexisNexis, Acxiom and Statistics Canada

Question 17

What is Electronic surveillance?

→ Threat to privacy

Answer 17

Using technology to monitor individuals as they go about their daily routines

• The law supports the right of employers to read their employees’ e-mail and other electronic documents and to monitor their employees’ Internet use.
• Time Doctor (Employee Monitoring Software) lets you view employee computer activity.
• How much observation is intrusive?

Question 18

What does personal information in the databases represents?

→ Threat to privacy

Answer 18

• Examples of potential locations of personal data in databases:
• Banks and financial institutions
• Utility companies
• Employers
• Government agencies (e.g. CRA)
• Credit reporting agencies (e.g. Equifax Canada)
• Hospitals
• Schools and universities

Question 19

Information on internet bulletin boards, newsgroups, & social networking sites

→ Threat ton privacy

Question 20

What is Data Aggregation?

Answer 20

• Process of gathering data and presenting it in a summarized format.
• Useful for everything from finance or business strategy decisions to product, pricing, operations, and marketing strategies.
• statistics on customer demographic and behavior metrics, such as average age or number of transactions.

Question 21

What differentiate Data Aggregation vs. Privacy

Answer 21

Data Aggregators collect public and non-public data (e.g., social insurance numbers and financial data) then integrate these data to form digital dossiers on most adults in North America.

Question 22

What are privacy codes and policies?

Answer 22

An organization’s guidelines for protecting the privacy of its customers, clients, and employees

Question 23

What are the 2 Methods of Informed Consent?

Answer 23

• Opt-out model: Informed consent permits the company to collect personal information until the customer specifically requests that the data not be collected
• Opt-in model: Prohibits organizations from collecting any personal information unless the customer specifically authorizes it