Ethical Implications of Information Technology: A Case Study

This report analyzes the ethical implications of the Ashley Madison data breach, examining the actions of the website administrators and the impact on its users. The report explores issues such as lack of accountability, dishonesty, and the failure to uphold proper security measures. It highlights the ethical responsibilities of ICT professionals in protecting user data and ensuring privacy. The analysis covers the stakeholders affected, the ethical issues at stake, and potential solutions to prevent such incidents. The report emphasizes the importance of honesty, strong security practices, and the need for legal actions against those responsible for data breaches. References to academic literature are provided to support the analysis.

Running Head: TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS
Topics in information technology ethics
Names
Institutions

TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS 2
Topics in information technology ethics
The analysis
The Ashley Madison saga where the personal details of clients were hacked and exposed
to the public, irrespective of the company claiming that they had been deleted is one of the
questionable situation related to ICT professionals (Broke, 2012). This is one of the recent
scenarios following other different cases where different websites, companies and especially the
ICT departments fail to uphold the required ethics when handling customer details.
What is going on?
The Ashleymadison.com saga which involved hackers accessing confidential customer
information was not just a mare hacking because it involved some activities which would ruin
the users’ marital status and even allow access of their bank accounts by unknown people. This
social networking website was known as one of the premier site for married individuals seeking
for affairs was hacked and unknown people with unknown aim obtained carious customer details
like passwords, physical addresses, recently posted descriptions concerning the kind of person
who the users would like to have an affair with and so forth, and posted them online (Elizabeth,
2011). This issues frustrated the website users because the site administrators claimed that all
customer details had been deleted after getting directions from the authorities do terminate the
website.
What are the facts?
Exposing such details was posing risk to the customers especially those who had already
uploaded their confidential details to the customers especially those who had already provided

TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS 3
their confidential details (Joseph, 2011). This is because when such details are posted to the
public, anyone can use them to various activities which can lead to negative impact to the site
users. The website also had other personal information which the customers never wished to be
exposed to the third party, bearing in mind that the most of the users were married people
searching for affairs.
What are the issues?
One of the things which triggered this saga was lack of accountability among the site
administrators and also lack of being honest (Kenneth, 2014). This is because before the hacking
occurred, the administrators had assured its customers that their information had been deleted
from their database. The main aim of this hacking seems to be either exposing the customers to
the public. In this issues, the site administrators being ICT professionals had the responsibility of
ensuring proper security measures for the sake of preventing their customers’ confidential
information from third party access (Mark, 2012). The site administrators provided false
information by assuring their clients that their details had been deleted from their database. This
information gave the customers confidence that everything was secure until the hacking
occurred.
Who is affected?
The stake holders in this case are the website users (Richard, 2012). Exposing names,
phone numbers, addresses, passwords of the site users affected them in the fact that this site was
basically dealing with unfaithful husbands and wives. Exposing such information can make third
parties to have easy access to the customers’ money especially when the bank details are
exposed. It also revealed what the site users wished to remain confidential because being married

TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS 4
one should not sign up in such sites. In such a case where full details of unfaithful spouses are
exposed to the public, the chances of divorces are always high because no one wishes to stay
with cheating partner.
What are the ethical issues and their implications?
In this case, the persons in question should be the site administrators. This is because the
users might have no or little knowledge concerning how to secure their confidential information.
The site owners being ICT professionals were supposed to ensure the site is secure (Sue, 2012).
They were also supposed to advise their users about the likely risks associated with storing their
confidential information in their database. It was also not right for the administrators to inform
their uses that their information had been deleted if they had not done so. It is always unethical
for ICT professionals to provide wrong or misleading information to clients especially when
their confidential information is at risk.
What would have been done about this?
The best way of preventing this from happening was utilizing the ICT skills which the
site administrators had to secure their customers’ information (Toni, 2012). bearing in mind that
the information provided by the hackers indicated real physical addresses of the site users, it was
possible for anyone to use those details to trace those who signed up in that website. Although
this was an illegal website, the case was supposed to be investigated and proper legal actions
taken upon the culprits in order to prevent such incidences from happening in the future. The site
administrators were also supposed to be questioned about the issue of cheating their customers
that information their personal details had been deleted from their website.

TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS 5
What are the options?
In this case, the site administrators were ICT professionals and were supposed to ensure
the website had strong security measures. This could be probably installing software which can
detect hacking activities, encrypting passwords, informing their users to come up with strong
passwords and so forth (Richard, 2012). The site administrators were also supposed to inform
their users about the risks of storing confidential information in their website. Honesty was
another thing which could solve this issue because after the website was closed, the
administrators informed their site users that their personal information had been deleted from
their database.
Which option is the best and why?
Based on the fact that when the hacking took place the website was not active during that
time because authorities had directed its owners to close it down, the best option was to clear all
customer information and inform the users that their details had been cleared from the website.
This would have prevented the customer information from being accessed by the hackers (Toni,
2012). Although there was a communication made to the users by the site administrators that all
information had been cleared, this was not the case because the hacking revealed all information
which the users had provided was still present in the database.

TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS 6
References
Broke. B. (2012). Professional Ethics in the STEM Disciplines. Journal of STEM Education:
Innovations and Research, 13(1), 45-67.
Elizabeth. A. B. (2011). Looking Back, Looking Forward, and Transformation in Information
Ethics. Journal of Information Ethics, 20(2), 56-78.
Joseph. M. (2011). The Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics. Journal of Information
Ethics, 20(2), 123-132.
Kenneth. K. (2014). Digital Dilemmas: Values, Ethics and Information Technology. Canadian
Public Administration, 52(2), 56-59.
Mark. A. (2012). Twenty Years of Information Ethics and the Journal of Information Ethics.
Journal of Information Ethics, 21(2), 34-56.
Richard. S. (2012). Information and Computer Ethics: A Brief History. Journal of Information
Ethics, 21(2), 78-90.
Sue. B. (2012). The Ethics of Emerging Media: Information, Social Norms and New Media
Technology. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 89(3), 67-90.
Toni. S. (2011). Informing Information Ethics: Select Essays. Journal of Information Ethics,
20(2), 56-89.