CISB 412 Social and Professional Issues

1. CISB 412Social and Professional Issues Understanding Privacy

2. Reference • Materials used in this presentation are extracted mainly from the following texts, unless stated otherwise. Michael J. Quinn “Ethics for the Information Age”, 3rd edition. Pearson 2009

3. Learning Outcomes • At the end of this lesson you should be able to • Explain the perspectives of privacy • Describe ways privacy can be compromised through the usage of technology • Apply the ethical principles on the issues of privacy to establish morality of the action

4. Defining Privacy • Discussions about privacy revolve around the concept of ‘access’ • Access can be seen from 2 perspectives: • Physical proximity to a person • Knowledge about a person • You exercise your privacy when you : • lock the door behind you when using a restroom • choose not tell the clerk at the video shop your mobile number

5. Defining Privacy • Social arrangement that allows individuals to have some level of control of who is able to gain access to their physical selves and their personal information. • Violating someone’s privacy is considered an insult to the person’s dignity.

6. Harms of Privacy • People may take advantage of privacy to plan and cover up illegal or immoral activities • Examples: • Family violence • Social and economics inequities • A challenge in parenting duties • Love thy neighbour – who is my neighbour?

7. Benefits of Privacy • Individual growth, individual responsibility – a way society acknowledge and communicates to an individual that he/she is responsible or his own development as a unique person • Freedom to be yourself, allow us to remove our public persona • Shut out the world, be more creative • Development of loving, trusting, caring, intimate relationships – privacy ladder

8. Privacy and Trust • Trusting is easier a couple of centuries ago • Greater emphasis on community, lesser on individual • Pressure to conform

9. Privacy and Trust • Modern life more private • Challenge: living among strangers • How can we be sure that … • Taxi driver will get us to our destination without hurting us? • The teachers at school are not child molesters? • Bank knows that if it loans someone money, it will be repaid?

10. Privacy and Trust • In order to trust, we must rely on the reputations • This was easier in the past. • Today’s society must get information out of people to establish reputation: • Through ordeal e.g. lie detector, drug test • Through issuing/requesting credentials e.g. drivers license, badge, id, degree transcript etc • Establishing reputation  reducing privacy

11. Disclosing Information • Public record • Contains information about an incident or action reported for the purpose of informing the public • E.g. • Birth certificates, death certificates, criminal records, police report • Census Record • Internal Revenue (Taxation)

12. Disclosing Information • Public information • Information you have provided to an organization that has the right to share it with other organization • E.g. • Listing in phone directory • Rewards, Loyalty Programs • Digital Video Recorder • Automobile Black Box • Implanted Chips • Spyware, Cookies

13. Disclosing Information • Personal information • undisclosed information, will remain personal information as long as you never disclose to a party that has the right to share with others • E.g. Your religion, your mobile number • Types of disclosures • Voluntary (e.g. form filling) • Involuntary (e.g. CCTV) • Statutory (e.g. obtaining license, loan)

14. Data Mining • Data mining • Searching for patterns or relationships in one or more databases • Way to generate new information • Secondary use: information collected for one purpose used for another purpose • Information about customers is a valuable commodity

15. Ownership of Transaction Information • Who controls transaction information? • Buyer? • Seller? • Both? • Opt-in: consumer must explicitly give permission for the organization to share info • Opt-out: consumer must explicitly forbid an organization from sharing info

16. Identity Theft • Identity theft: misuse of another person’s identity to take actions permitted to the owner • Credit card fraud #1 type of identity theft • Ease of opening accounts contributes to problem • 10 million victims in 2004 alone

17. Identity Theft • Not necessary the result of IT, information can also be obtained through low-tech method : dumpster diving, shoulder surfing • Example of high-tech method : use of skimmer/wedges at ATM, credit card machines, phishing

18. Encryption • The process of transforming a message in order to conceal its meaning • A valuable tool for maintaining privacy • Information can be deemed worthless unless it can be decoded

19. Symmetric Encryption • Single key used to encrypt and decrypt a message • Both sender and receiver must have the key • Problem: How does sender get key to receiver? • If bad guy gets key, security is broken

20. Public Key Encryption • An example of asymmetric encryption • Each person has two keys: public and private • To send R a message, encrypt it with R’s public key • R decrypts message with R’s private key • No need to communicate keys • Strong encryption: virtually impossible to figure out private key.

21. Try this • Is privacy a negative right or a positive right? • What is the difference between a public record and a public information • Which is easier to control: public records or public information? • List five pieces of information about a person that are public records • Name 2 ways criminal can steal information at ATMs • Should parents implant microchip s in their children? Why? • Video surveillance is used widely at public places. Do you agree with this approach of ‘maintaining public safety’? What is the advantages and disadvantages.

22. Questions?