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

When it comes to keeping electronic data about individuals, there are so many ethical issues that come up. These issues include data security, data preservation and transparency, data veracity and integrity, and privacy concerns. Ensuring the security of electronically stored data is very essential when it comes to data security. Individuals could suffer serious consequences from data breaches. This includes things such as identity theft, monetary loss, and reputational ruin. It is so important that organizations who use electronic storage systems have strong security measures due to ethical concerns in order to shield confidential data from hacking, illegal access, and unintentional exposure. When discussing data preservation and transparency, the ethical issues surrounding data retention center on the duration and goals of data storage. Holding data beyond what is necessary can put individuals’ privacy and security at risk. Transparency is important because individuals need to be aware of what data is being kept and where. Transparency provides a certain level of trust. As we speak of data veracity and integrity, another ethical dilemma that often comes up has to do with guaranteeing the truth and integrity of data that is electronically stored. So, data that is altered or inaccurate might result in unfair treatment, discrimination, or even personal injury. Organizations need to have safeguards in place in order to stop data manipulation and tampering. Last but not least, the most important ethical problem when discussing privacy concerns has to be invasion of privacy. Storing electronic data increases the risk of privacy violations due to illegal access to personal information. Individuals have the right to be in charge of all of their personal data, and any system that stores such data, needs to ensure only authorized parties have access to it for privacy reasons. In order to protect individuals rights, it is crucial to put the appropriate data management policies into place.