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

With the advent of the internet and the increase of online commerce, it has become a necessity that companies and institutions must store patron, staff, and user data. There are four main conundrums that arise with this data storage, however. The first of this being the sale of user data to third parties. Opportunistic companies may try to make extra money by selling their user’s metadata or key information to advertising companies or other 3^rd party services. A second issue could arise when it comes to letting users know about data breaches. On one hand, it is imperative that customers should know if their credit cards, emails, or passwords are leaked so they can better protect their exposed data, but on the other hand, if customers were to learn about a breach this significant, it could potentially destroy the company’s reputation. A third issue could be exploiting the EULA. Rather than having simplified, clear and concise agreement, institutions could have users sign a lengthy end user license agreement. Hiding within the agreement could be provisions allowing usage or modification of data that some users would normally find inappropriate or improper. Not only could provisions be in place to sell or modify a user’s data, but also protect the company in question from legal repercussions. The fourth and final ethical issue in my opinion would be locking users out of their accounts. Banks, stores, and companies could lock users out of their accounts, keeping money, data, or personal information out of the user’s reach. This could potentially destroy someone’s life, and without proper due process, there could be no method to return all a user’s data in a timely fashion. To me, these are the four major ethical issues that companies and institutions face storing an individual’s data.