Ethics in the Information Age Cases for Discussion

Case #1

A self-employed computer consultant is designing a data-base management system for the personnel office of a medium size company. The system will store sensitive information: employee performance reviews, salaries, health information for insurance claims, etc. Because the system is costing more than the client had anticipated, they are asking her to use a cheaper, but less secure design – a design that will make it fairly easy for employees and outside hackers to figure out how to access the data. She has tried to convince them that the extra cost of a more secure system is worth paying, but the CEO, the director of personnel, and the IT director all agree that less security is OK. She is wondering whether she should refuse to build the system as they wish.

Case #2

A purchasing agent for a computer store chain has just discovered that a valued supplier, who has been providing an excellent line of products at very low prices, is employing 'sweatshop' labor. The workers are recruited abroad and promised a job in the US. Upon arrival they are confined in the manufacturing facility and told that they must stay until they have worked off the fees for their transportation, etc. (It turns out that this takes several years.) By US standards their wages and working conditions are unacceptable (and illegal). They are beaten if they try to escape. The purchasing agent is under intense pressure to keep costs as low as possible and the store chain is under a good deal of pressure from competitors. The agent is considering continuing to buy from the supplier and pretending no knowledge of the sweatshops.

Case #3

A man has just discovered that a friend and co-worker of his is cheating their employer. (He is basically running his own business on the side, using company computers, internet access, time, etc.) He is sure that the employer, for whom he has a good deal of respect, would not want to keep his friend around, if she knew about his behavior. He is wondering whether he should tell her about it.

Case #4

Members of a legislature are considering passing a law intended to reduce the health problems associated with prolonged computer use. The law would require any organization that requires its employees to use computers for protracted periods of time to provide ‘ergonomically correct’ workstations. Though it is framed so as to avoid pushing anyone into bankruptcy, the law would impose significant costs on many organizations. The organizations would recoup some of those costs (but only some – let’s say one half) by reducing lost work time, reducing workman’s compensation claims, etc. Should they pass the bill?

Case #5

An internet service provider collects information about the interests and purchases of its users by keeping track of the web sites they visit and the purchases they make; it then sells this information to other merchandisers and ‘information aggregators’. Users are not asked if they wish to participate in redistribution of such information. Are they doing anything wrong? Is it enough if customers are ‘informed’ of this practice in vague language contained somewhere in the fine print of their user agreement?

Case #6

An IT graduate has been offered a job working for a company that is known to make most of its profits from its operations in a certain Third World country. In that country wages are so low that most children are malnourished, no environmental or safety regulations are imposed on businesses, and a corrupt and brutal government uses violent repression to keep people from organizing to change any of these circumstances. The job would be personally challenging and a good career move (in fact, it is by far the best job available to him from this point of view), but it would offer him no opportunity to influence the company's business practices abroad. He is wondering whether he should accept the job.