Prompt:

Describe four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals.

Entry:

Some ethical issues that arise when collecting and storing information about people include the amount and type of information that is collected, how that information is managed, what that information is used for, and how that information is gathered. The amount of information and what types of information are collected can prove to be unethical if that data invades the privacy of individuals. Excess data can also raise security concerns; if a data breach occurs and excess personally identifiable information (PII) about an individual is compromised, it could potentially lead to that individual having their identity stolen.

This is also an ethical concern of how the data is managed; if handled haphazardly there can be devastating effects such as data loss, theft, corruption, and more. Data under the control of a centralized entity should be managed effectively to reduce the risk of digital harm, and if not properly attended to then the data is essentially being handled unethically. And similarly, the way in which data about a person is used raises ethical concerns, such as if that individual is aware or not of their data being used as well as how that information is being used. And, it is very easy to use data unethically for purposes it was not intended for.

Ethical issues also arise with how different information about people is collected, again including if the individual is aware of their data being collected but also the method in which data is collected must be ethical. PII should not just simply be collected by any method for any reason, and proper security of that data collection must be considered. For instance, it is important that bank information be properly encrypted when collected across an IT (Information Technology) solution, and medical information must also be well-secure. Again if not securely and ethically considered, the data can be compromised. There are other ethical issues with the collection and storage of information about individuals, but these are a few general problems that can easily be accidentally replicated.