Chapter 4 Module 2

Summary

This script delves into the ethical issues arising in the Information Age, exploring key moral dimensions such as information rights, property rights, accountability, and the quality of life in a digital society. It covers the challenges posed by rapid advancements in computing power, data storage, and mobile devices, including concerns over privacy, profiling, and non-obvious relationship awareness. The script also discusses ethical principles like the Golden Rule, Kant’s philosophy, and utilitarianism, as well as the legal frameworks protecting privacy, such as the COPPA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and HIPAA.

Takeaways

• 😀 Individuals and organizations have information rights and obligations, including the protection of personal data and intellectual property in a digital society.
• 😀 Ethical issues in the Information Age are influenced by technological trends such as Moore's Law, where computing power doubles every 18 months, affecting systems and creating vulnerabilities.
• 😀 The rapid decline in data storage costs has allowed organizations to collect vast amounts of personal data, leading to ethical concerns over privacy and the sale of personal information.
• 😀 Target marketing and profiling are used by companies to sell data to advertisers, raising questions about the ethics of collecting and utilizing personal data without consent.
• 😀 Non-obvious relationship awareness (NORA) is used by organizations, including security agencies, to identify connections between individuals and detect potential threats, such as criminals or terrorists.
• 😀 Ethical principles in decision-making include responsibility (acknowledging obligations), accountability (identifying responsible parties), and liability (allowing individuals to recover damages).
• 😀 The five-step ethical analysis process helps individuals assess ethical dilemmas: 1) Identify the facts, 2) Define the conflict, 3) Identify stakeholders, 4) Explore options, 5) Evaluate potential consequences.
• 😀 Ethical principles such as the Golden Rule (treat others as you wish to be treated), Kant’s categorical imperative (if an action isn't right for everyone, it’s not right for anyone), and the utilitarian principle (seek the greatest value) guide moral decisions.
• 😀 Professional codes of conduct by organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, and the Association for Computing Machinery provide frameworks for addressing ethical issues in various fields.
• 😀 Privacy is a fundamental right, protected by legal frameworks like the First and Fourth Amendments in the U.S., and various acts such as the COPPA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and HIPAA regulate privacy in different sectors.

Q & A

What are the five moral dimensions mentioned in the script?

The five moral dimensions are: Information rights and obligations, Property rights and obligations, Accountability and control, Quality of life, and System quality.

How does Moore's Law relate to the ethical issues discussed in the script?

Moore's Law predicts that computing power will double every 18 months. This rapid increase in computing power leads to faster systems, which can benefit society but also raises ethical issues, particularly in terms of system failures and their impact on organizations.

Why is the decline in data storage costs significant from an ethical standpoint?

As data storage costs decline, organizations can gather and store vast amounts of personal data on individuals. This raises ethical concerns regarding privacy, data security, and the potential for exploitation through targeted advertising without the individual's knowledge or consent.

What is 'non-obvious relationship awareness' (NORA), and how is it used?

NORA is a method of combining data from various sources to uncover hidden connections between individuals, potentially identifying criminals or terrorists. It uses databases like watchlists, telephone records, and transaction histories to create profiles and raise alerts.

What is the role of ethics in technology according to the script?

Ethics in technology involves understanding the responsibility, accountability, and liability associated with decisions and actions in the digital age. It is about balancing technological advancements with the protection of individual rights and societal welfare.

What is profiling in the context of data analysis, and what ethical concerns does it raise?

Profiling is the practice of combining data from various sources to create detailed profiles of individuals. Ethical concerns include invasion of privacy, unauthorized use of personal data, and the potential for discrimination based on these profiles.

What ethical principles are discussed in the script?

The ethical principles discussed include the Golden Rule (treat others as you want to be treated), Immanuel Kant's principle (if an action is wrong for one, it's wrong for all), the Slippery Slope rule (avoid actions that can't be repeated), and the Utilitarian principle (take actions that achieve the greatest good).

What is the purpose of professional codes of conduct like those from the American Medical Association and the Association for Computing Machinery?

Professional codes of conduct aim to regulate the behavior of professionals in various fields to ensure they act in the best interest of society, addressing ethical issues and promoting integrity and responsibility.

How does Facebook's data collection raise ethical concerns?

Facebook collects and monitors user data, which is then sold to advertisers and developers for targeted marketing. This raises ethical concerns about privacy, consent, and the potential for exploitation of personal information.

What are the key privacy laws mentioned in the script, and what do they protect?

Key privacy laws mentioned include the First and Fourth Amendments, the Privacy Act of 1974, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, and others. These laws protect individual privacy, safeguarding personal information from unauthorized surveillance, search, and seizure.