Topic 9.

1 Ethics and Technology

Technology
Ethics
McGraw-Hill ©2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8-1
 Discussing Questions
1. What is technology ethics?
2.Whether is technological innovation a good
thing or a bad thing?
3.What are the ethical issues in AI?
4. What may be the common technology ethics
challenge in the enterprise?

8-2
 1. What is technology ethics?

 Technology ethics is a field of study that seeks to

understand and resolve moral issues that surround
the development and practical application of
mechanical and electronic technology.
 Technology ethics focuses on subjects such as the
relationship between technology and human values
and well-being, the condition in which technological
advances occur and the social responses for
technological advancements.

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2. Whether is technological innovation a good thing
or a bad thing?

Technology has greatly improved our work

productivity and daily life, and at the same time
drastically replaced people at work. Technology
is the biggest challenge to ethics and compliance
in organizations today.
Every day we have innovative products and
services that announce their arrival in the market
place and others that go away from it. It is this
technology innovation that leads to ethical
issues, considering the competition to stay
ahead by innovating is immense. Issues like data
mining, invasion to privacy, data theft and
workplace monitoring are common and critical.
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2. Whether is technological innovation a good thing
or a bad thing?
1. In the first case we are compelled to think about the pace at which
technology is progressing. There are implications here, the things like
computer security or viruses that may invade the privacy of people.
2. Nowadays data storage is primarily on computer systems. With the
internet technology the world has got interconnected and data can be
accessed remotely by those who are otherwise unauthorized to do
the same. This is one of the pitfalls of innovation.
3. New products make their way and leave the existing ones obsolete.
In fact technological innovation is at the heart of consumerism, which
is bad for economy and environment in general. The recent
economic downturn makes up for a very good example.
4. Increasingly technological products are adding up to environmental
degradation. Computer screens, keyboards, the ink used in the
printers are some of the ways in which technology is polluting the
environment. All these produce toxins that cannot be decomposed
easily.
 .
8-5
2. Whether is technological innovation a good thing
or a bad thing?

5. Many scientists are of the opinion that the world will come to an end
with a war between the humankind and the technology. Technology
they say will advance to an extent beyond the control of those who
have made it.
6. No doubt technology has replaced people at work and made certain
others redundant. New manufacturing processes that are outsourced
either replace manpower there or either exploits the latter in the name
of employment by engaging them cheaper prices.
7. New cloning techniques, genetic modifications or other life saving
drugs need continuous monitoring and surveillance. Bioethics has thus
emerged as ethics in the field of medical technology.
8. Whereas we cannot talk of controlling technology and innovation, the
better way is to adapt and change. The role of ethics in technology is of
managing rather controlling the same. Continuous monitoring is
required to keep track of latest innovations and technological changes
and for ensuring fair practices.
9. .
8-6
 3. What are the ethical issues in AI?
Here is a list of issues with ethical relevance in AI:
1. Technical Safety (failure, hacking, etc.): Will AI systems work as
they are promised or will they fail? If and when they fail, what will be
the results of those failures?
2. Capacity for Evil: A perfectly well functioning technology, such as a
nuclear weapon, can, when put to its intended use, cause immense
evil. Artificial intelligence, like human intelligence, will be used
maliciously, there is no doubt.
3. Unemployment: Many people have already perceived that AI will be
a threat to certain categories of jobs. Indeed, automation of industry
has been a major contributing factor in job losses since the
beginning of the industrial revolution.
4. Economic Inequality: While prices may decrease due to lowered cost
of production, those who control AI will also likely rake in much of the
money that would have otherwise gone into the wages of the now-
unemployed, and therefore economic inequality will increase.

8-7
 3. What are the ethical issues in AI?
Here is a list of issues with ethical relevance in AI:
5. Robot Rights: Scientists are currently working on integrating artificial
intelligence with consciousness. Once machines are able to feel, act
and perceive, how should they be treated? It's a question that makes
people feel uneasy.
6. Car accidents: One of the most commonly discussed ethical AI
dilemmas involves driverless cars and whose life they would save in
an accident scenario. For instance, if a pedestrian were to step in
front of a driverless car, what would the car do? Would it swerve to
avoid killing the pedestrian, but risk killing him instead?
In a word, new technologies are always created for the sake of
something good – and AI, for example, offers us amazing new
powers and conveniences. Through the concerted effort of many
individuals and organizations, we can hope to use AI to make a
better world.

8-8
 4. What may be the common technology
ethics challenge in the enterprise?
 A common challenge of technology ethics in the enterprise
surrounds the use of customer data on social media platforms. A
company can collect information users put on a social media website
to profile each user and use that information to target advertising to
them. The same information can be sold and used to sway political
opinions. This circumstance occurred in 2018 when it was revealed
that the consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica was collecting
information of around 50 million Facebook users. Many people
feel third party companies are collecting and selling user data.
 In 2018, the European Union enacted a new directive, called the
General Data Protection Regulation. It aims to keep businesses
transparent and expand the privacy rights of data subjects for EU
citizens. Organizations outside of the EU must comply with the
regulations if they wish to be active in the EU market.

8-9
 Test Questions

1. Many people have already perceived that

AI will be a threat to certain categories of
jobs.
TRUE FALSE
2. A common challenge of technology
ethics in the enterprise surrounds the use
of customer data on social media
platforms.
TRUE FALSE
8-10
 Test Questions （ TT ）

1. Many people have already perceived that

AI will be a threat to certain categories of
jobs.
TRUE FALSE
2. A common challenge of technology
ethics in the enterprise surrounds the use
of customer data on social media
platforms.
TRUE FALSE
8-11
Topic 9.2 Ethics and Technology

Technology
and Employee
Rights
McGraw-Hill ©2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8-12
 Discussing Questions
1. What are employee privacy rights?
2.What are the rights of employers at
workplace?
3.What are the rights of employees at
workplace?
4.What are the basic responsibilities of
employers at workplace
5.What are the basic responsibilities
employees at workplace?
6.What should employees d oto protect
their privacy rights?
8-13
 1. What are employee privacy rights?

 Employee privacy rights are the rules that limit how

extensively an employer can search an employee’s
possessions or person; monitor their actions, speech,
or correspondence; and know about their personal
lives, especially but not exclusively in the workplace.
 The nature and extent of these protections have
become a greater concern in recent years, especially
with the rise of the internet and social media. Many of
these means of communication may seem private,
but in truth, there is hardly any real privacy to be had
with them. Employers can usually search through
anything that appears on company computers, and
they can conduct searches of social media and the
internet, as well.

8-14
 1. What are employee privacy rights?

 Employee privacy rights include an employee’s activities

at work and personal information, but company policy will
often dictate those rights. Technology lets employers
keep tabs on many aspects of employee workplace
activity. Numerous kinds of monitoring are legal, and
most employers do monitor their employees’ activities on
some level. Many technologies allow employers to
observer their employees’ "digital footprints" and thereby
gain insight into employee behavior. Nearly any activity
on your office computer can be monitored, almost
completely without regulation. The employer may watch,
read, and listen to most of the employee's workplace
communications. Employees should remember that when
they use an employer's equipment, there expectations of
privacy should be limited.
8-15
 1. What are employee privacy rights?

 Employment law covers all the obligations and rights

concerning the employer-employee relationship,
regardless if one is a current employee, former employee,
or job applicant. This type of law involves legal issues
including wrong termination, discrimination, workplace
safety, taxation, and wages. Many of these issues are
governed by applicable laws. Where the employment
relationship is based on a valid contract made between
the employer and employee, state contract law alone may
dictate the rights and duties of the parties involved. The
rights of public employees, on the other hand, may differ
from the rights of private employees. But because laws
related to employee’s privacy expectations have not
caught up with the technology available to employers,
privacy claims have to be evaluated carefully case-by-
case within the workplace.
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2. What are the rights of employers at workplace?

(1) Telephone Privacy at Work

 Employers have the right to monitor telephone calls placed to and
from their locations, although some limits do apply.
The Electronics Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of the
US prohibits employers from monitoring employees' personal phone
calls even if the calls were made or received on an employer's
property. The Act also requires the employer to disclose the fact
that calls are being monitored and makes it a civil liability for
employers to read, disclose, delete, or prevent access to an
employee's voicemail.
 Different states may have different rules. Employers may listen in
on calls to customers or clients to monitor for quality control in some
states, but when a party receiving a call is in California, state law
says they must be told that the call is being monitored or recorded.
Numbers dialed from phone extensions can also be monitored with
a pen register device.
8-17
2. What are the rights of employers at workplace?

(2) Video Surveillance

Employers have the right to monitor their employees by
camera, including in a parking structure for both security
and employee safety. However, employers are required to
notify employees, customers, and all others in range of the
cameras that their property is under video surveillance.
Furthermore, surveillance cameras must only be used
where there is a legitimate business need to deter violence
or theft (including internal theft) or to monitor employee
productivity and they generally may not be used in break
rooms, rest rooms, locker rooms, or other locations where it
is reasonable to expect privacy. Additionally, The National
Labor Relations Act prohibits employers' use of video
surveillance to monitor the union activities of employees.
8-18
2. What are the rights of employers at workplace?

(3) Drug Testing

 Private companies have the right to test their employees for drugs
and alcohol, but records of these tests cannot be legally released,
and many states restrict an employer's ability to enforce drug
screening of existing employees. There are a few exceptions,
however, and they include:
 Employees working in jobs that carry substantial safety or health
risks for themselves or others.
 Injured employees whose job-related accident is suspected to have
involved the use of drugs.
 Employees suspected of using drugs on the job, such as slurred
speech or bloodshot eyes.
 Policies regarding the when, how, and why of these tests do not fall
under law enforcement. That said, any company should clearly state
its drug policy to protect itself from lawsuits.

8-19
3. What are the rights of employees at workplace?

Basic employee rights:

 Basic employee rights extend to every employee, and these include
the rights to freedom from discrimination, fair compensation, and
privacy. Job applicants also have rights before they are hired,
including the right to not have to face discrimination based on
gender, age, race, religion, or national origin during hiring.
 Employees have a right to privacy in the workplace, as well. This
right applies to the worker's personal items, which include briefcases
or handbags, as well as storage lockers and private email accessible
only by the employee. Other employee rights include:
• Being free from harassment and discrimination of all types.
• Being able to expect a workplace free of toxic substances,
dangerous conditions, and other safety hazards.
• Being free from punishment for making a complaint or claim
against a company, known as "whistleblower" rights.
• Being able to expect fair wages for one’s work….
8-20
4. What are the basic responsibilities of employers
at workplace?

Basic employer responsibilities at workplace include:

• The obligations to be ensured such as minimum wages,
hours of work, rest periods, eating periods, overtime
pay, paid public holidays, vacation with pay, pregnancy
or parental leave, and termination or severance notice
and pay. However, many of these are minimums, and an
employee may be entitled to additional protection either
in common law or pursuant to an employment contract.
• Other laws affecting the workplace govern health and
safety, human rights, retirement and health benefits,
workers’ compensation, and employment insurance, and
others.

8-21
5. What are the basic responsibilities of employees
at workplace?

(2) Basic employee responsibilities at workplace

include:
• Showing up for work on time
• Working for the required hours
• Behaving honestly
• Following the employer’s instructions
• Keeping trade secrets
• Doing the job to the best of one’s ability

8-22
 6. What should employers and employees do to
protect their rights?
• Employers and employees should sign employment contracts:
• In addition to employment legislation, an employment contract can
affect and clarify the rights and obligations of both employers and
employees. In the absence of a written employment contract, there are
issues that may cause confusion or problems later on in the
relationship. Therefore, many employers enter into employment
agreements with their employees. The contract may include such things
as:
• an obligation on the part of the employee to give a certain amount of
notice before quitting,
• an obligation on the part of the employee to keep certain information
confidential,
• a requirement that the employer gives the employee more notice than
the law requires before being fired,
• a right for the employee to take a longer paid holiday than
the law stipulates.
8-23
 Test Questions
1. Many technologies allow employers to observer
their employees’ "digital footprints" and thereby
gain insight into employee behavior.
TRUE FALSE
2. Employers are required to notify employees,
customers, and all others in range of the
cameras that their property is under video
surveillance.
TRUE FALSE

8-24
 Test Questions (TT)
1. Many technologies allow employers to observer
their employees’ "digital footprints" and thereby
gain insight into employee behavior.
TRUE FALSE
2. Employers are required to notify employees,
customers, and all others in range of the
cameras that their property is under video
surveillance.
TRUE FALSE

8-25
Topic 9.3 Ethics and Technology

Technology and
Employee
Surveillance
McGraw-Hill ©2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8-26
 Discussing Questions
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
recent technological advances?
2. What are the different views of employers and
of employees about privacy at work?
3. What is the difference between thin and thick
consent?
4. What is the concept of vicarious liability?
5. What may be the future surveillance for
employees?

8-27
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of recent
technological advances?
 Advantages of technology in the workplace.
• Internet
• Intranet
• Extranet
• Social media
These information technology advances are able to make vast
amounts of information available to employees and customers
 Disadvantages of technology in the workplace include
the loss of privacy in two key areas:
• Companies now have the technical capability to send their
personal data to any part of the world to take advantage of lower
labor costs.
• Employers now have capability of monitoring every email you
send and web site you visit in order to make sure that you really
are delivering on the promise of increased worker productivity.

8-28
1. What are the ethical advantages and disadvantages
of recent technological advances?
 Advantages of technology in the workplace.
• Internet
• Intranet
• Extranet
• Social media
These information technology advances are able to make vast
amounts of information available to employees and customers
 Disadvantages of technology in the workplace include
the loss of privacy in two key areas:
• Companies now have the technical capability to send their
personal data to any part of the world to take advantage of lower
labor costs.
• Employers now have capability of monitoring every email you
send and web site you visit in order to make sure that you really
are delivering on the promise of increased worker productivity.

8-29
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of recent
technological advances?
 Business Communication
• The advantage is that business communication has gone light years
beyond the 20th century. With cell-phones, you can contact your
employees anywhere, hold web conferences to deal with urgent
problems and trust employees to coordinate their work even when
they live a thousand miles apart. Customers can place orders on your
website in the dead of night, or using an app on their cell-phones.
• The disadvantage is that if there's a crisis, a customer with an urgent
complaint, an IT problem that needs instant fixing, companies can
reach their staff in the middle of meals, movies or even vacations. As
employers become more insistent on instant action, employees may
feel increasingly stressed.

8-30
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of recent
technological advances?
 Business Employment Needs
• The advantage is that technology has contributed to reduced
employment for years. Recorded "press one for sales, two for service"
answers reduce the need for receptionists. Automated checkout lets
stores cut their retail staff. Robots has taken place of more and more
manufacturing workers, so the company may be more efficient and
profitable.
• The disadvantage is that the savings come at the cost of customer
satisfaction. Customers who sit through a long list of "press" options
don't enjoy the experience. Automated checkouts may take longer for
customers to use than dealing with human cashiers.
• What we are concerning more importantly in this lecture is the
possible lose of employee privacy as a result of technological
advances and employee surveillance.

8-31
2. What are the different views of employers and employees
about privacy at work?

The Employer Position:

• As an employee of the organization, your allotted shift or

normal work period are at the discretion of the company.
• Other than lunch and any scheduled breaks, all your
activity should be work-related, and any monitoring of
that activity should not be regarded as an infringement or
violation of your privacy.
• If you want to do something in private, don’t do it at
work.
• It is part of the organization’s obligation to its
stakeholders to operate as efficiently as possible.
Employee surveillance is necessary for the employer.
8-32
2. What are the different views of employers and
employees about privacy at work?

The Employee Position:

• Employees argue that our labor agreement should not intrude

upon our civil rights as an individual – “I am an employee, not a
servant.”
• We should be notified of any electronic surveillance and the
purpose of that surveillance.
• The actions of a small number of employees in breaking company
rules should not be used as a justification to take away everyone’s
civil rights.
• Electronic monitoring implies that we can’t be trusted to do
our jobs – and if you can’t trust us, why are you employing us
in the first place? So employee surveillance is completely not
necessary for the employee.
8-33
3.What is the difference between thin
and thick consent?
 Telecommuting: The ability to work outside the office
(from your home or anywhere else) and log into your
company network (usually via a secure gateway such
as a VPN, virtual private network).
 Computer technology allows the capability of
telecommuting – working from anywhere by logging
into your company’s network remotely or working at
home, so the employee’s physical availability is now
defined as virtual accessibility.
– So, does this flexibility of telecommuting apply to
employees working in the office?
What is the difference between Thin and thick
consent?
8-34
3. What is the difference between
thin and thick consent?
THIN CONSENT to the monitoring policy
means that:
If an employee receives formal notification that the company will
be monitoring all email and web activity – either at the time of
hire or during employment – and it is made clear in that
notification that his or her continued employment with the
company will be dependent on the employee’s agreement to abide
by that monitoring, then the employee may be said to have given
‘thin’ consent. In other words, there are two options – agree to the
monitoring or ‘pursue other employment opportunities’.
If the employee agrees to the monitoring policy in this condition,
he or she is in a thin consent or does not really agree.

8-35
3. What is the difference between
thin and thick consent?
THICK CONSENT to the monitoring policy
means that:
If employment conditions are at the other end of the
scale – i.e. jobs are plentiful and the employee would
have no difficulty in finding another position – then
the consent given to the monitoring policy could be
classified as ‘thick’ consent since the employee has a
realistic alternative if he or she finds the policy to be
unacceptable.
If the employee agrees to the monitoring policy in this
condition, he or she is in a thick consent or does agree.
8-36
4. What is the concept of vicarious liability?

• Vicarious Liability means: A legal concept that

means a party may be held responsible for injury or
damage even when he or she was not actively involved
in the incident.
• Cyber-liability means: Employers can be held liable
for the actions of their employees in their internet
communications to the same degree as if those
employers had written those communications on
company letterhead.
It indicates that the party or organization charged
should be responsible for the actions of his
subordinates or employees.

8-37
4. What is the concept of vicarious
liability?
 The extent of this new liability can be seen in the
top categories of litigation or legal charges in the
software or IT industry as follows:
– Discrimination
– Harassment
» Indecent word and sexual activity writing or picture
» False accusation
» Information leaks
» Spam or junk e-mail

8-38
4.What is the concept of vicarious liability?

• Once again,“vicarious liability is a legal concept that

means that a party may be held responsible for injury
or damage, when in reality they were not actively
involved in the incident. Parties that may be
charged with vicarious liability are generally in a
supervisory role over the person or parties
personally responsible for the injury/damage.
• The implications of vicarious liability are that the
party charged is responsible for the actions of their
subordinates.”

8-39
5. What may be the future surveillance for
employees?
In the future:
 An employer has the capabilities to surveillance
every keystroke on your computer, track every
website you visit, and record every call you make.
 Creating this type of environment may protect your
liability, but may drive those employees away who
are less comfortable with this method.
 Ten commandments of computer ethics carry a
strong message to future technology ethics.

8-40
5. What may be the future surveillance
for employees?
 The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics include:
1. Thou shall not use a computer to harm other people
2. Thou shall not interfere with other people’s computer work
3. Thou shall not snoop around in other people’s computer files
4. Thou shall not use a computer to steal
5. Thou shall not use a computer to bear false witness
6. Thou shall not copy or use proprietary software for which you
have not paid
7. Thou shall not use people’s computer resources without
authorization or proper compensation
8. Thou shall not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
9. Thou shall not think about the social consequences of the
program you are writing or the system you are designing
10. Thou shall not always use a computer in ways that ensure
consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

8-41
 5. What may be the future surveillance for
employees?
In the future:
– Demands of a technological-friendly school of ethics is likely
to continue.
– Due to the availability of instant access at the work place
means the line between work life and private life is much
less clearly defined.
– Invasive tools that exist to monitor employees at the
workplace as big brother of employee surveillance:
• Software can intercept, analyze and archive all communications on a
network, including employee email, chat sessions, file sharing and
internet browsing.
• Keystroke loggers can be employed to capture every key pressed on
a computer keyboard.
• Video surveillance is widely developed in the workplace
• “Smart” ID cards can track an employee’s location while he or she
moves throughout the workplace.
More related codes and laws will be passed, but arguments will
continue.
8-42
 Test Questions
1. According to employers, if you want to do something private, __.
A. do it during lunch
B. do it before entering your office
C. do it during a scheduled break
D. don't do it at work
2. The ability to work outside of your office and log into your company
network refers to ___.
A. telecommuting
B. cyber-networking
C. virtual officiating
D. blogging
3. If jobs are plentiful and the employee would have no difficulty finding
another position, then the consent given to the monitoring policy is ___.
A. thick consent
B. conditional consent
C. thin consent
D. mutual consent
8-43
 Test Questions (DAA)
1. According to employers, if you want to do something private, __.
A. do it during lunch
B. do it before entering your office
C. do it during a scheduled break
D. don't do it at work
2. The ability to work outside of your office and log into your company
network refers to ___.
A. telecommuting
B. cyber-networking
C. virtual officiating
D. blogging
3. If jobs are plentiful and the employee would have no difficulty finding
another position, then the consent given to the monitoring policy is ___.
A. thick consent
B. conditional consent
C. thin consent
D. mutual consent
8-44