Four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals:
Storing electronic information about individuals or organizations leaves room for many ethical concerns that must be addressed. Overall, these concerns stem from the idea of personal security and safety. There are many regulations and privacy rights that must be considered. In our current digital age, the severity of the information we store electrically is growing. Systems and organizations face the struggle of providing protection measures that protect the information, the users, and the organization itself. The integrity and maintenance is heavily monitored for its ethical standing, this can be the rise or fall of a corporation/company.
Storing information electronically leaves information exposed and vulnerable to outside threat. There must be a proper infrastructure and method of protecting users information within a network/ computer system. These methods must also follow privacy laws and regulations. The next focus is the attacks on such protection. Organization’s should be committed to the protection of their clients and users data. To mitigate issues and risk, organizations may rely on regular security updates and monitoring, data encryption, and more.
Maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It is crucial for organizations to ensure that the information stored is only available to authorized users, accurate and unchanged, and readily available when needed. There must be methods of updating outdated information to maintain accuracy. Without proper correction, that stored information loses its integrity. Organizations must find the most effective ways to limit and eliminate inaccuracy.
Increased surveillance on individuals private and personal information. There are many data collection methods as individuals peruse the internet. The largest ethical concern in this is autonomy. Are individuals privacy and rights being protected. We consider the issue of violations, what data can be collected without the consent of an individual. How can users stay more informed, beyond the fine print. No matter the information being collected, an organization should display their regard for ethical violations, learning and adapting with the increasing digital reliance.