Describe four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals.
Confidentiality – One of the most prolific ethical issues surrounding the storage of data about individuals is the matter of privacy. Sensitive data is constantly being shared by individuals through third parties such as apps, instant messengers, and email. We expect this sensitive information to remain secure and confidential, as breaches in privacy can have detrimental effects on one financially and personally.
Integrity – Minimizing inaccuracies and ensuring quality data is another ethical issue surrounding the storage of individual data. The spread of false or tampered-with data can have serious consequences for individuals, especially if the data was tampered by malware or other viruses.
Availability – This ethical concern has to do with ensuring that network recourses are readily available when they’re needed. While preventing unauthorized users from accessing data that doesn’t concern them, those who are authorized should be able to access their own information without struggle.
Ownership – The concept of who “owns” the data is another ethical concern surrounding data storage. This goes hand and hand with the ideas of confidentiality and integrity, as most third parties technically “own” data willingly surrendered, it is their duty to protect it from data breaches and being modified without consent from authorized individuals.
Compare cybersecurity risks in the U.S. and another country.
The United States is a global superpower with an economy that’s deeply intertwined with our extensive digital infrastructure, and businesses, and reliant on the protection of sensitive data. This makes cybersecurity measures a matter of national security. Data breaches and state-sponsored espionage attacks not only put the sensitive information of thousands of Americans at risk this can also harm U.S. digital infrastructure and businesses, which in turn damages the economy.
Other countries, for example, Thailand, have vastly different cyber maturity and risks associated with cyber attacks, making their national security less sensitive to any acts of state-sponsored espionage. This is not to say they cannot be affected by cybercrime or that they have no need for cybersecurity measures, however, they have much less to lose compared to the United States in terms of risk in regards to cybersecurity.