Ethics and Technology paper

STEP I: CASE STUDY AND FINAL PAPER

TITLE OF ARTICLE/ISSUE (list it here – 50-150 words): Misuse of Personal Information and Data

A. LIST THE RELEVANT FACTS. State facts in complete sentences. List more than five facts (add rows below as needed). At the end of your list, reference your source(s); you should have at least seven, three of which should be scholarly secondary sources.

1.	One of the primary ethical dilemmas in our technologically empowered age revolves around how businesses use personal information
2.	Companies often gather information to hyper-personalize our online experiences,
3.	As we browse internet sites, make online purchases, enter our information on websites, engage with different businesses online and participate in social media, we are constantly providing personal details.
4.	Data misuse for personal benefit occurs when someone with access to personal data abuses that power for their own gain.
5.	Ambiguity occurs when organizations fail to explicitly disclose how user data is collected and what that data will be used for in a concise and accessible manner
6.	Advances in technology provide a number of useful products and services that can either enhance or threaten personal privacy,
7.	Data misuse is the use of information in ways it wasn’t intended for. User agreements, corporate policies, data privacy laws, and industry regulations all set conditions for how data can be collected and used. Data misuse violates these requirements.
8.	81% of Americans think the potential risks of data collection by companies about them outweigh the benefits
9.	The ‘terms of use’ are often dense and challenging to process.
10.	Misuse of personal data can inflict harm on another person

REFERENCES(S): Abuse and misuse of - alec.org. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://alec.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Abuse-and-Misuse-of-Personal-Info-Final-03202013.pdf

Atske, S. (2020, August 17). Americans and privacy: Concerned, confused and feeling lack of control over their personal information. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/

Bermuda, P. C. (2021, December 2). What's the harm if personal information is misused? PrivComBermuda. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.privacy.bm/post/what-s-the-harm-if-personal-information-is-misused

Black Hat Briefings. (2021, July 20). Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://i.blackhat.com/USA21/Wednesday-Handouts/us-21-Michaels-Use-And-Abuse-Of-Personal-Information-wp.pdf

How can personal data be misused? - The World Financial Review. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://worldfinancialreview.com/how-can-personal-data-be-misused/

Sham, S. (2022, March 10). What is data misuse? Okta. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.okta.com/blog/2020/06/data-misuse/

Warby, S. M., Strong, C., & Garrick, A. (2016, January). 2115 Misuse of Private Information. Academic.oup.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://academic.oup.com/book/41317/chapter-abstract/352233478?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Watters, A. (2021, July 1). 5 ethical issues in technology to watch for in 2021. Default. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://connect.comptia.org/blog/ethical-issues-in-technology

Welcome to Lexisnexis - Choose Your Path. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/lexispsl/ip/document/393989/5DS5-S4G1-F18C-X077-00000-00/Privacy+and+misuse+of+private+information%E2%80%94overview

What are the most common breaches of the right to personal data protection (Personal Data Misuse)? (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://gov.hr/en/what-are-the-most-common-breaches-of-the-right-to-personal-data-protection-personal-data-misuse/1882

What constitutes misuse of data? Higgs Newton Kenyon Solicitors. (2022, March 17). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://hnksolicitors.com/news/what-constitutes-misuse-of-data/

B. What ethics/values are in question from the above facts/ (list as many as apply, but there should be at least 3).

1.	Privacy
2.	Integrity
3.	accountability
4.	Social contract theory
5.

C. LIST STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED. List the individuals/groups who are/may be affected by this issue and how. Be specific.

Who are affected/Who may be affected? (i.e., users, platforms, government(s), nonprofits, institutions, others – be specific about roles, situations, titles, when relevant)	How are they affected by the dilemma/OR could be affected?
Users	Users information are being misused
Companies	Wrong move could result in a data leak and loss in trust with the company

STEP II: CASE STUDY AND FINAL PAPER

A. Write several statements or questions that are ethical dilemmas from this situation. Include as many as apply and that will help you sort out issues to be analyzed and discussed further.

1.	Misusing personal information for profit
2.	Leaking of personal data
3.	Should companies be allowed to sell personal data to third parties?
4.	Should our personal information be collected and stored?
5.
6.
7.
8.

B. What is the ethical dilemma to be resolved NOW? State it using the form: should someone/something do or not do something? Keep this statement simple but explanatory. For example: should people buy pirated software?

Should our personal information be collected and stored?

C. YOUR MAJOR ETHICAL DILEMMA QUESTION IS (this should be not only the question but an explanation of why it matters to the topic discussed, should be 100-250 words):

Should our personal information be collected and stored?

Personal information has become a gold mine. It’s basically a valuable currency. Data has been commoditized because of the value it provides to businesses attempting to reach their consumer base. For businesses, it’s extremely valuable to know what kind of products are being searched for and what type of content people are consuming the most. For political figures, it’s important to know what kind of social or legal issues are getting the most attention. These valuable data points are often exploited so that businesses or entities can make money or advance their goals. Facebook in particular has come under fire several times over the years for selling personal data it gathers on its platform. Most people don’t bat a second eye about this but they don’t realize their rights of privacy is being impeded on.