- Describe four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals.
Privacy is a major issue when it comes to the storage of personal information. Using the example of electronic health records, storage of information containing HIPPA protected information requires multiple levels of security and permissions in order to ensure its safety. People trust that their diagnostic information will be safe with their healthcare professional, but in a massive data base, it would be difficult to guarantee that their record will not be access by another employee, or left open on a communal computer.
Confidentiality is expected to be provided by the healthcare professional, however an electronic database may not be as secure from outside access as expected. Data storage companies sell data frequently to mining companies, who utilize it for marketing by targeted ads, as well as intelligence collection on a certain demographic. Privacy and confidentiality go hand in hand.
Security breaches cannot always be prevented. Whether it be accessed by someone with the correct credentials but no need to access the files, to a full on data breach were the database was externally intruded upon, sensitive health information is something that no only would contain social security numbers, but also incredibly personal details that can be used to steal identities or lead to other criminal uses.
Data inaccuracies due to loss of connectivity or system glitches could also happen easily. Forgetting to click save on a diagnostic note, uploading the wrong labs into a patient’s file, all could result in extreme inaccuracies that could possibly affect lifesaving treatment.
Source : Ethical Issues in Electronic Health Records by Fouzia F Ozair, Nayer Jamshed, Amit Sharma, and Praveen Aggarwal, published in the National Library of Medicine
- Compare cybersecurity risks in the U.S. and another country.
US vs Canada
Comparing two countries with similar cyber advances, and shared technology proves more difficult than expected. While the US ranks fourth on the Cyber Defense Index, Canada is close behind at fifth. A major difference is that Canada aligns more with the ideology of the EU. They share the vision that the cyberspace should be open, free, and secure. The US on the other hand in recent years has cracked down on the limits of freedom on the internet, with many politicians wanting to ban apps and operating systems. Both monitor for terrorist activity as well as some key word monitoring for hate and extremism.
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