The Ethical Dilemma: Data, Privacy, and Governance

This essay delves into the ethical considerations surrounding data governance in the digital age. It critically examines the balance between information access and individual privacy, specifically addressing the implications of governing bodies controlling all internet content. The essay highlights the potential for exploitation, manipulation, and the violation of individual rights, including confidentiality and consent. It explores the ethical dilemmas arising from the collection and use of big data, such as e-commerce and healthcare data, emphasizing the need for transparency and individual awareness. The author references the work of Elliott (2007) and Regan & Jesse (2018) to underscore the complexities of data integration, the importance of ethical frameworks, and the challenge of defining who should have access to information. The essay concludes by questioning the benefits of governmental data control, suggesting it may lead to public backlash if not handled ethically. The essay advocates for a thoughtful approach to data governance, emphasizing the need for regulations and norms to protect individual rights in an increasingly data-driven world.

Professional Ethics for the Digital
Age
There should exist a governing body to control all contents shared across the internet. The team is going
to present the argument against the motion.
In this era of information technology all the activities based on economics, finance, health and education
are done heavily on the basis of information. With the sudden growth and use of these technological
advances information are no more personal and everything is available to everyone (Elliott 2007). Due to
this advances in the technology, a number of issues has come into picture concerning right of
information access and right of privacy due to freely available information everywhere. If all the content
shared through the internet would be available to the governing body, the question here arises that
“Does the free availability of information justify its use by governing bodies?” The answer is no. As it
would result into exploitation rights to confidentiality, privacy and individual consent.
The rapid of use of Big data technology has allowed the government as well as private organizations to
collect huge amount of information from platforms such as social media, e-commerce, banking,
healthcare and others to process and utilize the data for their personal purposes. For example the data
retrieve from the e-commerce platforms can be used to understand the pattern of shopping by the
customers to send them targeted advertisement, irrespective of their private space being intruded. The
control of all such information by the governing bodies will make the public’s information available to
both legitimate as well as illegitimate users. The simultaneous and wider access to the information by
the governing bodies may give rise to manipulation and leakage of personal information as well.
Moreover, the people should be asked for their consent before controlling their personal space across
the internet as they may or may not want their information to be collected, controlled and used by the
other. How the governing bodies will use the information of individuals is another ethical dilemma. For
example most of the data collected from various sources are integrated into a single database by the
knowledge workers to retrieve meaningful information from them, but the ethical issue with this is that
whether the persons whose information has been retrieve knows that his/her information has been
integrated, for what purpose this integration is done?, is the integration in favor of the community? And
most importantly whether the information merged is accurate? (Regan & Jesse 2018).
The capabilities and power introduced to the governing bodies and organization with the advent of
technology requires a thoughtful analysis of whether the free availability of information justify its use,
and what regulations and norms should be there to control the use of this information. Still the biggest
question remains here that who would decide which part of the information should be accessed and
who would be accessing them? As every other individuals, organizations as well as governing bodies are
using the ocean of data for their own benefits and purpose. The use of data by the governing bodies will
result in no benefit other than public backlash.

References
Elliott, J 2007, Ethics and trust in the Public Sector: Issues in Australia.
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/EROPA/UNPAN029258.pdf (viewed on 23
April 2019)
Regan, P.M. & Jesse, J 2018, ‘Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: twenty-
first century student sorting and tracking’, Ethics and Information Technology.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2