Four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals that should be considered when put in such a situation is…

• Protecting user’s / customer’s personal information

-The protection of the data and information should be top priority, and making sure those that have access to it are not only trained to handle confidential information, but also trustworthy to have access to it in the first place.

• Being responsible with said data

-Responsibility over the storing and retrieving of data is also an important ethical factor. If you lack ethical values, that will transfer over into how you handle the data long term. This can lead into lack of care towards how safely and securely you’re containing the data, which will be an easy weak spot for attackers or breaches to happen later on.

• Using the appropriate means and technology in order to store the data

-Careful consideration and planning should be done for the physical storage of data, and how secure it is. Properly equipped servers with regular backups and recovery testing is a must for the proper protection of user data.

• Having a plan in place in case a breach of information or an attack occurs

-Having no plan in place in case a breach or attack happens is disastrous for not only those whose information was compromised, but also for the organization storing the data. Their reputation will forever be tarnished because of their negligence. Speed to recover and replenish is vital to emergency management, and to reduce the total amount of damage done in a compromise like this. Ethically, I feel as if a lot of organizations put their priorities into other aspects of their business, even profiting off of mishandling user data and information. Sometimes, it’s not until years later when people find out a compromise has happened, because it was kept under wraps by the organization.