Ethics Position paper
Topic: Is it ethical to track and analyze users’ data online under users’ permission?
What is defined as users’ data? (Personal data [or PII]; special category of data)
PD: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
Basically, any piece of information that can be used to directly or indirectly identify an individual.
SCD: is personal information that reveals a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life, or sexual orientation. It also includes genetic data or biometric data. It requires a higher level of protection.
For what purpose or to which level of utilization of the accumulated user data can be considered as ethical or unethical?
Ethical Position:
1. From companies: Big data analytics can help companies target customers precisely, save marketing and advertising cost and improve the ROI
2. From research/technology institutions: In terms of research and technology development, commercial data science practice brings more data to help develop the technology
3. From government: terrorist identification, criminal tracking, illegal transaction
Unethical Position:
1. From users: Privacy protection regulation: Technically, it is impossible for customers to get a complete transparent view or control of how their data will be used: consent not read; complicated to shut off all tracking settings; massive third-party analytical systems abuse ( the predicting programmatic ads model on google based on privacy [ https://www.pcworld.com/article/3299042/google-privacy-checkup-faq.html ; https://www.cbsnews.com/news/phone-listening-facebook-google-ads/ ] ; Facebook scandal; )
2. From users: Limit users’ information acquisition approaches (always shows what the data suggests those interest you)
3. From third-party: Data Science Bias: institutionalized bias (big data hiring).
1. Introduction - Together with background 3~4 pages
a. Describe the ethical issue
b. Describe the 2 positions (ethical and unethical)
c. Describe why ethical and unethical positions exist.
d. Describe why the ethical issue is important.
2. Background on the ethical issue including:
a. Background on the ethical issue, the 2 positions, and the individuals who have the opposing
positions.
a. Background on operations, i.e. accounting, financial reporting, as an electrical power supplier, information technology (IT), emissions testing, human resources, and any other operational area that is pertinent to each position.
b. Background on leaders, i.e. Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer, and any other leader who is pertinent to your position.
3. Operations: Ethical or Unethical Actions and Decisions - 4~5 pages
a. Describe at least 3 areas of operations from an ethical position (using the ethics theories). Present at least 3 arguments for each position you take, explain each argument, and support each argument with 3 research sources.
b. Describe counter arguments (or arguments in disagreement with your argument), support the counter arguments with research, explain why you disagree with the counter argument, support your disagreement with the counter argument with research.
c. Answer Question 1: Explain “what went wrong”?
4. Leadership: Ethical or Unethical Actions and Decisions - 4~5 pages
a. Describe at least 3 leaders from an ethical position (using the ethics theories). Present at least 3 arguments for each position you take, explain each argument, and support each argument with 3 research sources.
b. Describe counter arguments (or arguments in disagreement with your argument), support the counter arguments with research, explain why you disagree with the counter argument, support your disagreement with the counter argument with research.
c. Answer Question 2: Is myopic (narrow minded) thinking responsible for the issue?
5. Lessons Learned - together with conclusion 3~4 pages
a. Answer Question 3: What lessons can one learn from this scandal with regard to ‘ethics and leadership’, and the role of government in corporate America?
6. Conclusion
a. Describe the positions of the members of the group and close the paper.
b. Remember not to write in the 1st person (use phrases such as, 2 members of the group agree with the ethical position because...).
Resources:
https://time.com/4695/7-controversial-ways-facebook-has-used-your-data/
https://time.com/5215274/facebook-messenger-android-call-text-message-data/
https://time.com/2949565/heres-what-facebook-can-do-with-your-personal-data-in-the-name-of-science/
https://time.com/5211705/facebook-breach-data-scandal-privacy/
https://time.com/5197255/facebook-cambridge-analytica-donald-trump-ads-data/
https://time.com/5516453/facebook-data-research/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/technology/facebook-privacy-hearings.html
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/why-facebooks-data-collection-practice-is-so-messy.html
https://jsis.washington.edu/news/facebook-data-privacy-age-cambridge-analytica/