Ethical Decision Making Assignment Situation 1
Google, Inc. had a unique advantage as of March 2012. By combining information about user
activity from its many popular applications (such as Gmail, Googleþ and YouTube), Google
algorithms were able to alert users when things might be of interest. This vast amount of
information, analyzed properly, gave Google a way to compete. By combining data with information from Internet searches, Google could better compete against applications such as Facebook. But this was a departure from its earlier privacy policy. In June 2011, the Executive Chairman of Google had declared, “Google will remain a place where you can do anonymous searches [without logging in]. We’re very committed to having you have control over the information we have about you.”
This may be possible for users who don’t login to a Google account, but for those with Gmail or other personal accounts or an Android mobile phone, it’s more difficult to remain anonymous. Offering a counter viewpoint, Chirstopher Soghoian, an independent privacy and security researcher said, “Google now watches consumers practically everywhere they go on the Web [and anytime they use an Android phone]. No single entity should be trusted with this much sensitive data.” Ethical Decision Making Assignment Help
Discussion Questions
1. Do you see any ethical issues involved in Google’s new approach to combining information from a particular user? Why or why not?
2. How might users change their behaviors if they were aware of this new approach?
3. How is Google’s combining data about individuals in one central location any different
ethically from the United Kingdom placing all individual’s necessary information on an
identity card?
4. Apply the normative theories of business ethics to Google’s new policy about combining user information?
Ethical Decision Making Assignment Situation 2
Spokeo is a company that gathers online data for employers, the public or anybody who is willing to pay for their services. Clients include recruiters and women who want to find out if their boyfriends are cheating on them. Spokeo recruits via ads that urge “HR-Recruiters—Click Here Now.”
Discussion Questions Ethical Decision Making Assignment Help
1. Do you think it would be ethical for a business to hire Spokeo to find out about potential
employees? If so, under what conditions would it be appropriate? If not, why not?
2. Do you think it is ethical for women to hire Spokeo to see if their boyfriends are cheating on them? Why or why not?
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