There are many ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals, this includes, an individual’s privacy, security, accuracy and integrity, and data retention. In order to solve these arising issues, there needs to be a multitude of technical measures, abiding by the law, establishing rules, and most importantly always protecting individuals rights and privacy. Regarding individuals’ privacy concerns, sensitive data such as names, addresses, social security numbers, financial information, and medical records, which can be easily stored electronically, is the most prevalent ethical issue. Unauthorized access to this data can result in identity theft, financial fraud, and discrimination. To reduce these privacy threats, it is important to incorporate data encryption, access restrictions, and compliance with privacy laws (such as the CCPA and GDPR). Firstly, regarding the issue of people’s privacy concerns, it’s clear that easy access to storing personal information electronically enables many individuals to store their information on their devices with little protection over these documents and information. This includes sensitive data such as, names, addresses, social security numbers, financial information, and medical records. Unauthorized access to this data can result in identity theft, financial fraud, and discrimination. To reduce these privacy threats, it is important to incorporate data encryption, access restrictions, and compliance with privacy laws (such as the CCPA and GDPR). In addition, an arising concern for storing electronic information for individuals is data security and breaches. Individuals incorporate weak protection over personal data and information, this leads to threatening factors such as, insider threats, cyber attacks, and other data breaches. Ensuring the security of these individuals is crucial, and these breaching incidents can cause significant harm, which could significantly impact an individual’s reputation. Furthermore, data accuracy and integrity are ethical issues in this topic as well. Data storage requires preserving electronic information accurately and with integrity. Issues such as out-of-date information may result in poor choices and misinterpretations, leading to various problems for individuals. Therefore, procedures for data validation and frequent updates should be established to prevent further complications. Additionally, ensuring transparency regarding data sources and verification procedures is essential to build trust. Finally, an ethical concern that arises when protecting an individual’s information is how long and for what purposes to preserve electronic information. Data retention can bring issues of unwanted access and present privacy problems. To protect individuals, organizations should incorporate guidelines that retain data required for specific purposes and remove data that is no longer needed. Providing transparent guidelines for data usage and retention can also assist individuals in making informed decisions about sharing their personal data.
