Ethics & Technology

Ethics & Technology

1. Technology in the Workplace

   • Modern technologies such as intranets, extranets, and telecommuting improve access to information, convenience, and worker productivity.

2. Privacy Concerns

   • Technology allows companies to:
     • Transfer customer data globally
     • Monitor employee emails and web activity
   • This creates serious concerns about loss of personal privacy

3. Productivity vs. Privacy Debate

   • Employer’s View
     • Employees are paid to work during office hours
     • Monitoring ensures efficiency and protects stakeholder interests
     • Privacy should not be expected at work
   • Employee’s View
     • Monitoring threatens civil rights and dignity
     • Employees should be informed about surveillance
     • Mass monitoring implies lack of trust

4. When Are You “At Work”?

   • Telecommuting blurs boundaries between:
     • Work time
     • Personal time
   • Employees can now be contacted anytime, anywhere, raising ethical questions about work-life balance

5. Employee Consent to Monitoring

   • Thin Consent: Employee agrees because they have no realistic alternative to keep their job
   • Thick Consent: Employee agrees freely because they can easily find other jobs

6. Electronic Paper Trail

   • Emails, documents, and browsing records:
     • Can be stored permanently
     • May be used as evidence
     • Can cause legal and reputational harm

7. Vicarious Liability & Cyberliability

   • Employers can be held legally responsible for employees’ online actions
   • This increases corporate risk in digital environments

8. Computer Ethics

   • Organizations should follow ethical principles (the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics) to ensure responsible technology use