Instructions: Review both scenarios below and answer the discussion questions. Students are expected to write in complete, well-structure sentences. Please proofread your post before submitting. Points will be deducted for sloppy writing. PLEASE PUT THE QUESTIONS WITH THE ANSWERES WITHIN THIS DISCUSSION PAPER, AND COMPLETE ALL SCENARIOS.
Scenario 1:
Voice data collected from the microphone of a person’s cellphone picked up a recording of two men talking about planting a bomb at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The men were unaware that their cell phones were listening when the conversation was taking place. A natural language processing (NLP) algorithm flagged the data as suspicious, it was immediately turned over to the police and the FBI. Law enforcement immediately responded and searched the grounds of the CDC during the period the bombing was scheduled to take place. Police dogs were able to sniff out the bomb and the bomb squad was able to deactivate the bomb before it detonated.
The men were apprehended, and no one got hurt.
Discuss:
What sort of data ethics violations are taken into question in this scenario?
Do you think it is ethical or legal to listen to people through their phone microphones without them being aware, in addition to collecting, storing, and using that data?
How do companies get around this type of data collection?
What could/would have been the outcome had law enforcement not had access to the data?
Even though it may feel unethical, are you glad this data was collected?
Scenario 2:
Gina and Toni were talking about a new pair of boots at lunch. The microphones on their cellphones picked up bits and pieces of their conversation, without their knowledge. Thirty minutes later, Gina logged onto her social media account. At the top of her feed was an advertisement for the exact pair of boots her and Toni were just talking about, with a discount coupon for the boots. At no point had Gina researched the boots, the only way the information could have been collected was through their conversation. Gina didn’t think too much of it and was excited about the discount. She clicked the link and ordered the boots. She is very happy with her purchase.
Discuss:
How does this scenario differ from the first one?
Are you willing to sacrifice privacy in order to receive target ads and coupons?
Was anyone harmed in the collection and use of this data?
Wrap Up Thoughts:
The data was collected in the same way in both scenarios. Hopefully it is easy to see the gray areas when it comes to the ethical collection and use of “personal” data. When you use certain applications (on your phone, your computer, the internet, etc.) and accept the terms and conditions without reading them, often you are giving permission to collect data. You are unknowingly giving them “informed consent” to collect data on you.
Discuss:
Is it ethical to bury this “consent”cix in the fine print and application settings?
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