1. Describe four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals. 2. Compare cybersecurity risks in the U.S. and another country.

Data privacy is an area that focuses on the data collected on individuals and how it is used by companies. Storing information about individuals electronically, usually happens in situations where data is collected on things like social media apps and it happens to people more often than not. This is often happening because developments in technology have made it easier for companies to store customer data. One area where ethical issues most often arise when storing electronic information about individuals is Electronic Health Records.There is a lot of controversy when it comes to data ethics especially with sociaty and technology changing at the rate it does. One ethical issue that arises when storing electronic data is companies collecting more data than necessary from customers. This means that companies could take more than they originally asked to take from customers which would be unethical because they may not have permission for that information to be stored. Another ethical issue can come from the possibility of companies selling customer data to anyone they compete with. This happens often especially when employees choose to sell access codes or steal data (“Accounting Information Systems”). Another ethical issue that can occur when storing electronic information is confidentiality issues. It is said that patient information for example should only be shared within what the patient decides or the law. The fourth ethical issue that I know can arise when storing electronic information is integrity. This follows the idea that data is accurate. This is also especially important in things like electronic health records (Ozair).

Cybersecurity risks tend to vary greatly across different cultures. Different countries tend to have different views when it comes to how they view cybersecurity and what legislation they view is necessary. Two countries that see a lot of issues with cybersecurity are the United States and The United Kingdom. In the U.S some of the top cybersecurity risks seen are data breaches, hacking, and single factor authentication (Kingori). Europe sees a lot of the same problems but they work to fix these problems by using strategies that develop defense and aim to reduce cybercrime as a whole (“Breaking down the Cybersecurity Policy Landscape in the EU and the U.S.”). The cybersecurity risks in the U.S and the UK are comparable in the idea that they are high in both countries. The U.S leads the world in cybersecurity threats and the United Kingdom follows behind them. 

Citations: “Accounting Information Systems: The Processes and Controls, 2nd Edition.” O’Reilly Online Learning, O’Reilly Media, www.oreilly.com/library/view/accounting-information-systems/9781118162309/c13-26.html. 

“Breaking down the Cybersecurity Policy Landscape in the EU and the U.S.” AEGIS, AEGIS, 30 July 2018, aegis-project.org/cybersecurity-policy-landscape-eu-us/. 

Kingori, Duncan. “Top 10 Cybersecurity Risks For 2019.” United States Cybersecurity Magazine, American Publishing LLC, 17 Jan. 2019, www.uscybersecurity.net/risks-2019/. 

Ozair FF, Jamshed N, Sharma A, Aggarwal P. Ethical issues in electronic health records: A general overview. Perspect Clin Res 2015;6:73-6.