Ethics in Information
Technology, Second
Edition
Chapter 4
Privacy
Objectives
What is the right of privacy, and what is the basis for protecting personal
privacy under the law?
What are some of the laws that authorize electronic surveillance by the
government, and what are the associated ethical issues?
What are the two fundamental forms of data encryption, and how does
each work?
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Objectives (continued)
What is identity theft, and what techniques do identity thieves use?
What are the various strategies for consumer profiling and the associated
ethical issues?
What must organizations do to treat consumer data responsibly?
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Objectives (continued)
Why and how are employers increasingly using workplace monitoring?
What is spamming, and what ethical issues are associated with its use?
What are the capabilities of advanced surveillance technologies, and what
ethical issues do they raise?
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What does privacy mean
to you?
The Right of Privacy
Definition
“The right to be left alone—the most comprehensive of
rights, and the right most valued by a free people”
“The right of individuals to control the collection and use
of information about themselves”
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The Right of Privacy
(continued)
Legal aspects
Protection from unreasonable intrusion upon one’s
isolation
Protection from appropriation of one’s name or likeness
Protection from unreasonable publicity given to one’s
private life
Protection from publicity that unreasonably places one in a
false light before the public
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Key Privacy and Anonymity
Issues
Government electronic surveillance
Data encryption
Identity theft
Customer profiling
Need to treat customer data responsibly
Workplace monitoring
Spamming
Advanced surveillance techniques
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Data Encryption
Cryptography
Science of encoding messages
Only sender and intended receiver can understand the
messages
Key tool for ensuring confidentiality, integrity,
authenticity of electronic messages and online business
transactions
Encryption
Process of converting electronic messages into a form
understood only by the intended recipients
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Data Encryption (continued)
Encryption key
Variable value applied using an algorithm to encrypt or
decrypt text
Public key encryption system uses two keys
Message receiver’s public key - readily available
Message receiver’s private key - kept secret
RSA - a public key encryption algorithm
Private key encryption system
Single key to encode and decode messages
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Public Key Encryption
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Data Encryption (continued)
Most people agree encryption eventually must be built
into
Networks
File servers
Tape backup systems
Seagate Technology hard drive
Automatically encrypts all data
U.S. Arms Export Control Act controls the export of
encryption technology, hardware, and software
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Identity Theft
Theft of key pieces of personal information to gain
access to a person’s financial accounts
Information includes:
Name
Address
Date of birth
Social Security number
Passport number
Driver’s license number
Mother’s maiden name
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Identity Theft (continued)
Fastest growing form of fraud in the United States
Lack of initiative in informing people whose data was stolen
Phishing
Attempt to steal personal identity data
By tricking users into entering information on a counterfeit Web site
Spear-phishing - a variation in which employees are sent phony e-mails that
look like they came from high-level executives within their organization
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Spyware is software that aims to gather
information about a person or organization
without their knowledge, that may send
such information to another entity without
the consumer's consent, or that asserts
control over a device without the
consumer's knowledge
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Spamming
Transmission of the same e-mail message to a large
number of people
Extremely inexpensive method of marketing
Used by many legitimate organizations
Can contain unwanted and objectionable materials
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