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

There are many ethical issues that come with storing other people’s data. The first problem that comes up is when dealing with people’s private information. Being able to keep people’s addresses, passwords, and Social Security numbers is very important. Leaking people’s addresses can be very harmful because if the person is burglarized because of this the company could be at fault. Keeping passwords is also very important because they could be the same passwords for other accounts too. Social security numbers are also another thing that should never be public.

Being able to keep people’s bank account information is also very important, for example, if you are using Stockbroker websites. I will use Robin Hood as an example. When you create a Robinhood account, it requires you to log in with your bank account information. If that information gets leaked, and the person whose account gets leaked is poor. They would not be able to pay bills, for instance.

Next, I will talk about keeping minors’ information safe. A Lot of the time, when minors sign up for accounts on things, they need a parent’s permission. This parent is placing their trust in you that you would not leak their child’s or the parent’s information, for instance, their bank account.  If the parents’ or child’s information is leaked, it could really harm the family.

Lastly, I want to discuss a more recent problem with data collection. Some websites have been using ads that target people for what they are interested in. It goes farther than that though, some websites are basing ads on age too. This is a problem because the websites are getting information without permission, and it is an even bigger problem when minors are involved too.