Ethics for the Information Age Chapter 5: Information Privacy - PDF

Chapter 5: Information Privacy 1-1 Chapter Overview Introduction Perspectives on privacy Information disclosures Data mining Examples of consumer backlash 1-2 1-2 5.1 Introduction...

Chapter 5: Information Privacy 1-1 Chapter Overview Introduction Perspectives on privacy Information disclosures Data mining Examples of consumer backlash 1-2 1-2 5.1 Introduction 1-3 1-3 Information Technology Erodes Privacy Collection, exchange, combination, and distribution of information easier than ever, lessens privacy Scott McNealy: “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.” We will consider how we leave an “electronic trail” of information behind us and what others can do with this info 1-4 1-4 NON SEQUITUR © 2005 Wiley Ink, Inc. Dist. By UNIVERSAL UCLICK. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. 1-5 1-5 5.2 Perspectives on Privacy 1-6 1-6 Defining Privacy Privacy related to notion of access Access – Physical proximity to a person – Knowledge about a person Privacy is a “zone of inaccessibility” Privacy violations are an affront to human dignity Too much individual privacy can harm society Where to draw the line? 1-7 1-7 Harms of Privacy Cover for illegal or immoral activities Burden on the nuclear family Hidden dysfunctional families Ignored people on society’s fringes 1-8 1-8 Benefits of Privacy Individual growth Individual responsibility Freedom to be yourself Intellectual and spiritual growth Development of loving, trusting, caring, intimate relationships 1-9 1-9 Is There a Natural Right to Privacy? Privacy rights stem from property rights: “a man’s home is his castle” Coercive Acts before American Revolution led to 3rd Amendment to U.S. Constitution Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis: People have “the right to be let alone” Judith Jarvis Thomson: “Privacy rights” overlap other rights Conclusion: Privacy is not a natural right, but it is a prudential right 1-10 1-10 Do People Have the Right to Be Left Alone? PhamousFotos / Splash News/Newscom 1-11 1-11 Privacy and Trust Perhaps modern life is actually more private than life centuries ago – Most people don’t live with extended families – Automobile allows us to travel alone – Television v. public entertainment Challenge: we now live among strangers Remedy: establishing reputations – Ordeal, such as lie detector test or drug test – Credential, such as driver’s license, key, ID card, college degree Establishing reputation is done at the cost of reducing privacy 1-12 1-12 Case Study: New Parents Sullivans have a baby girl Both work; they are concerned about performance of full-time nanny Purchase program that allows monitoring through laptop’s camera placed in family room They do not inform nanny she is being monitored 1-13 1-13 Rule Utilitarian Evaluation If everyone monitored nannies, it would not remain a secret for long Consequences – Nannies would be on best behavior in front of camera – Might reduce child abuse and parents’ peace of mind – Would also increase stress and reduce job satisfaction of child care providers – Might result in higher turnover rate and less experienced pool of nannies, who would provide lower-quality care Harms appear greater than benefits, so we conclude action was wrong 1-14 1-14 Social Contract Theory Evaluation It is reasonable for society to give people privacy in their own homes Nanny has a reasonable expectation that her interactions with baby inside home are private Sullivan’s decision to secretly monitor the nanny is wrong because it violates her privacy 1-15 1-15 Kantian Evaluation Imagine rule, “An employer may secretly monitor the work of an employee who works with vulnerable people” If universalized, there would be no expectation of privacy by employees, so secret monitoring would be impossible Proposed rule is self-defeating, so it is wrong for Sullivans to act according to the rule 1-16 1-16 Virtue Ethics Evaluation Sullivans are responsible for well-being of their daughter Chose nanny through concern for baby: characteristic of good parents Daughter is truly defenseless, unable to communicate with them Decision to monitor can be viewed as characteristic of good parents Would also expect them to cease monitoring once assured nanny is doing well 1-17 1-17 5.3 Information Disclosures 1-18 1-18 Public Records Public record: information about an incident or action reported to a government agency for purpose of informing the public Examples: birth certificates, marriage licenses, motor vehicle records, criminal records, deeds to property Computerized databases and Internet have made public records much easier to access 1-19 1-19 Records Held by Private Organizations Credit card purchases Purchases made with loyalty cards Voluntary disclosures Posts to social network sites 1-20 1-20 Data Gathering and Privacy Implications Facebook tags Enhanced 911 services Rewards or loyalty programs Body scanners RFID tags Implanted chips OnStar Automobile “black boxes” Medical records Digital video recorders Cookies and flash cookies 1-21 1-21 Facebook Tags Tag: Label identifying a person in a photo Facebook allows users to tag people who are on their list of friends About 100 million tags added per day in Facebook Facebook uses facial recognition to suggest name of friend appearing in photo Does this feature increase risk of improper tagging? 1-22 1-22 Enhanced 911 Services Cell phone providers in United States required to track locations of active cell phones to within 100 meters Allows emergency response teams to reach people in distress What if this information is sold or shared? 1-23 1-23 Rewards or Loyalty Programs Shoppers who belong to store’s rewards program can save money on many of their purchases Computers use information about buying habits to provide personalized service – ShopRite computerized shopping carts with pop-up ads Do card users pay less, or do non-users get overcharged? 1-24 1-24 Body Scanners Some department stores have 3-D body scanners Computer can use this information to recommend clothes Scans can also be used to produce custom-made clothing 1-25 1-25 Body Scanner Takes Measurements AP Photo/Richard Drew 1-26 1-26 RFID Tags RFID: Radio frequency identification An RFID tag is a tiny wireless transmitter Manufacturers are replacing bar codes with RFID tags – Contain more information – Can be scanned more easily If tag cannot be removed or disabled, it becomes a tracking device 1-27 1-27 Implanted Chips Taiwan: Every domesticated dog must have an implanted microchip – Size of a grain of rice; implanted into ear – Chip contains name, address of owner – Allows lost dogs to be returned to owners RFID tags approved for use in humans – Can be used to store medical information – Can be used as a “debit card” 1-28 1-28 OnStar OnStar manufactures communication system incorporated into rear-view mirror Emergency, security, navigation, and diagnostics services provided subscribers Two-way communication and GPS Automatic communication when airbags deploy Service center can even disable gas pedal 1-29 1-29 RFID Tags Speed Inventory Process © Marc F. Henning / Alamy 1-30 1-30 Automobile “Black Boxes” Modern automobiles come equipped with a “black box” Maintains data for five seconds: – Speed of car – Amount of pressure being put on brake pedal – Seat belt status After an accident, investigators can retrieve and gather information from “black box” 1-31 1-31 Medical Records Advantages of changing from paper-based to electronic medical records Quicker and cheaper for information to be shared among caregivers – Lower medical costs – Improve quality of medical care Once information in a database, more difficult to control how it is disseminated 1-32 1-32 Digital Video Recorders TiVo service allows subscribers to record programs and watch them later TiVo collects detailed information about viewing habits of its subscribers Data collected second by second, making it valuable to advertisers and others interested in knowing viewing habits 1-33 1-33 Cookies Cookie: File placed on computer’s hard drive by a Web server Contains information about visits to a Web site Allows Web sites to provide personalized services Put on hard drive without user’s permission You can set Web browser to alert you to new cookies or to block cookies entirely 1-34 1-34 Flash Cookies Flash cookie: File placed on your computer’s hard drive by a Web server running the Adobe Flash Player Flash cookie can hold 25 times as much information as a browser cookie Flash cookies not controlled by browser’s privacy controls Some Web sites use flash cookies as a way of backing up browser cookies. If you delete browser cookie, it can be “respawned” from the flash cookie Half of 100 most popular Web sites use flash cookies 1-35 1-35 5.5 Examples of Consumer Backlash 1-48 1-48 Marketplace: Households Lotus Development Corporation developed CD with information on 120 million Americans Planned to sell CD to small businesses that wanted to create mailing lists based on various criteria, such as household income More than 30,000 consumers complained to Lotus about invasion of privacy Lotus dropped plans to sell CD 1-49 1-49 Facebook Beacon Fandango, eBay, and 42 other online businesses paid Facebook to do “word of mouth” advertising Facebook users surprised to learn information about their purchases was shared with friends Beacon was based on an opt-out policy Beacon strongly criticized by various groups Facebook switched to an opt-in policy regarding Beacon 1-50 1-50 Netflix Prize Netflix offered $1 million prize to any group that could come up with a significantly better algorithm for predicting user ratings Released more than 100 million movie ratings from a half million customers – Stripped ratings of private information Researchers demonstrated that ratings not truly anonymous if a little more information from individuals was available U.S. Federal Trade Commission complaint and lawsuit Netflix canceled sequel to Netflix Prize 1-51 1-51 Malls Track Shoppers’ Cell Phones In 2011 two malls recorded movement of shopper by tracking locations of cell phones – How much time people spend in each store? – Do people who shop at X also shop at Y? – Are there unpopular areas of mall? Small signs informed shoppers of study After protest, mall quickly halted study 1-52 1-52 iPhone Apps Upload Address Books In 2012 a programmer discovered Path was uploading iPhone address books without permission Internet community pointed out this practice violated Apple’s guidelines CEO of Path apologized; app rewritten Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram also implicated for same practice 1-53 1-53 Instagram’s Proposed Change to Terms of Service Late 2012: Instagram announced changes – Privacy policy – Terms of service Legal experts: Instagram and Facebook would have right to use photos in ads without permission Instagram CEO: New policy misunderstood Changed advertising section of terms of service agreement back to original version 1-54 1-54