SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND

COMPUTING

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Computer Ethics and Social Issues (CSE 5312)

Assignment (25%)

Group Member Name Id Number Section

1.Birhanu Hailu A/UR4802/09 5
2.Biru Alemu A/UR4628/09 5
3.Firew Mohamed A/UR5070/09 5
4.Beki Abebe A/UR4530/09 5
5.Anteneh Teshome A/UR4748/09 5
3. Privacy is not only important its essential especially in the digital world where information is
everything, if that information is not protected by the law or regulation eventually the burden
will become too heavy to bear even for the authorities themselves since we live in the
information age; power resides with those who control information if not properly checked this
has the potential to be dangerous for example various global tech giants collect user data; they
not only collect it they model every user according to their preference in order to make their
product an essential item for the customer by exploiting the user wants and need based on the
data they collected this is very obvious if one is a YouTube user there is a large amount of videos
but the ones we get are uniquely crafted based on the choices we make while using the platform.
To make matters worse the also use the data to change our behaviors ever so slightly by injecting
their contents in a repetitive manner in order to get the user conditioned to a desired behavior. In
conclusion privacy is important and should be protected by law.
4. “With the help of technology, companies today sweep up huge amounts of customer data. But
they tend to be opaque about the information they collect and often resell, which leaves their
customers feeling uneasy. Though that practice may give firms an edge in the short term, in the
long run it undermines consumers’ trust, which in turn hurts competitiveness”, say authors
Morey, Forbath, and Scoop.
To build trust, companies must be transparent about the data they gather and offer consumers
appropriate value in exchange for it. Simple legal disclosures aren’t enough, however; companies
must actively educate their customers and incorporate fairness into their products and models
from the start. Companies that get this will win consumers’ goodwill and business and continued
access to their data. Companies that don’t will find themselves at a serious disadvantage, and
maybe even shut out

With the explosion of digital technologies, companies are sweeping up vast quantities of data
about consumers’ activities, both online and off. Feeding this trend are new smart, connected
products—from fitness trackers to home systems—that gather and transmit detailed information.

Though some companies are open about their data practices, most prefer to keep consumers in the
dark, choose control over sharing, and ask for forgiveness rather than permission. It’s also not
unusual for companies to quietly collect personal data they have no immediate use for, reasoning
that it might be valuable someday.

As current and former executives at frog, a firm that helps clients create products and services that
leverage users’ personal data, we believe this shrouded approach to data gathering is shortsighted.
Having free use of customer data may confer near-term advantages. But our research shows that
consumers are aware that they’re under surveillance—even though they may be poorly informed
about the specific types of data collected about them—and are deeply anxious about how their
personal information may be used.
 Fair Information Practice Principles
(1) The Collection Limitation Principle. There should be limits to the collection of personal data
and any such data should be obtained by lawful and fair means and, where appropriate, with the
knowledge or consent of the data subject.
(2) The Data Quality Principle. Personal data should be relevant to the purposes for which they
are to be used and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, should be accurate, complete and
kept up-to-date.
(3) The Purpose Specification Principle. The purposes for which personal data are collected
should be specified not later than at the time of data collection and the subsequent use limited to
the fulfillment of those purposes or such others as are not incompatible with those purposes and
as are specified on each occasion of change of purpose.
(4) The Use Limitation Principle. Personal data should not be disclosed, made available or
otherwise used for purposes other than those specified, except a) with the consent of the data
subject, or b) by the authority of law.
(5) The Security Safeguards Principle. Personal data should be protected by reasonable security
safeguards against such risks as loss or unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or
disclosure of data.
(6) The Openness Principle. There should be a general policy of openness about developments,
practices and policies with respect to personal data. Means should be readily available of
establishing the existence and nature of personal data and the main purposes of their use, as well
as the identity and usual residence of the data controller.
(7) The Individual Participation Principle. An individual should have the right:
a) to obtain from a data controller, or otherwise, confirmation of whether or not the data
controller has data relating to him;
b) to have data relating to him communicated to him, within a reasonable time, at a charge, if
any, that is not excessive; in a reasonable manner, and in a form that is readily intelligible to him;
c) to be given reasons if a request made under subparagraphs (a) and (b) is denied and to be able
to challenge such denial; and
d) to challenge data relating to him and, if the challenge is successful, to have the data erased,
rectified, completed or amended;
(8) The Accountability Principle. A data controller should be accountable for complying with
measures which give effect to the principles stated above.
# Companies absolutely shouldn't be able to sell to third parties and profit from a specific
customer's data! To do so is a violation of privacy rights and unconstitutional. However, there
are two ways in which companies might appropriately and legally profit from the use of
individual customer data
5. The major issues concerning privacy in the information age is the conflict between personal
privacy and the state, society, or related organizations, which involves online privacy,
employee monitoring, tradeoffs between security and privacy and good business results versus
privacy, etc.

#TECHNOLOGY AS A THREAT TO PRIVACY:

As a CSE especially Computer Ethics and Ethical Issues students we suggest as follows, we are
currently living in the so-called information age which can be described as an era were economic
activities are mainly information based (an age of informationalization). This is due to the
development and use of technology. The main characteristics of this era can be summarized as a
rise in the number of knowledge workers, a world that has become more open - in the sense of
communication (global village/Gutenberg galaxy) and internationalization (trans-border flow of
data).
This paradigm shift brings new ethical and juridical problems which are mainly related to issues
such as the right of access to information, the right of privacy which is threatened by the
emphasis on the free flow of information, and the protection of the economic interest of the
owners of intellectual property.

The things that should be done if any threat on the privacy are
First of all, there are a number of ways to keep our personal information safe in this
digital age as computer science students to recommend, these are: -
* Using a VPN. ...
* Encrypting our email. ...
* Being careful with links and attachments in emails. ...
* Looking for privacy indicators on websites. ...
* Using anti-malware and anti-virus protection. ...
* Using strong passwords and change them often. ...
* Automating software updates
There is state of laws related to digital privacy: -
The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a) protects personal information held by the federal
government by preventing unauthorized disclosures of such information. Individuals also have
the right to review such information, request corrections, and be informed of any disclosures
The US instead has vertically focused data federal privacy laws for finance (GLBA), healthcare
(GLBA), children's data (COPPA), as well as a new wave of state privacy laws with California
Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) being the most significant. April 2,2021
In the case our country Ethiopia there is the constitution Disclosure to any other
person can only be made with the written consent of the person to whom the information relates,
and other organs authorized by law
The Constitution

The Constitution contains provisions pertaining to the protection of privacy that

mirror the protections enshrined in major international human rights instruments.
Accordingly, Article 26 of the Constitution provides that 'everyone has the right to
privacy [including] the right not to be subjected to search of his [or her] home, person
or property, or the seizure of any property under his [or her] personal possession'.
Moreover, Article 26(2) stipulates that 'everyone has the right to inviolability of his
[or her] notes and correspondence including postal letters, and communication made
by telephone, telecommunications, and electronic devices.' Article 26(3) of the
Constitution envisages exceptions where these rights could be limited. As such, the
right to privacy can be restricted in 'compelling circumstances and in accordance with
specific laws whose purposes [are] safeguarding of national security or public
purpose, the prevention of crimes or the protection of health, public morality or the
rights and freedom of others.'

Ethiopia is also a party to a number of international and regional human rights

instruments that provide for the right to privacy and protection of personal information
including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights 1948, International Covenant on
Civic and Political Rights 1966, the Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989, and
the African Charter on Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990. According to Article 9 of
the Constitution, these and other human rights instruments ratified by Ethiopia form an
'integral part' of the laws of the country…(Ethiopian Constitution)