Digital Dilemmas Information Technology

Question: Discuss about the Digital Dilemmas for Information Technology. Answer: Introduction: The Stealthgenie app was designed and marketed by Hammad Akbar in 2014 that helps to track ones partner by tapping their phones and tracking their locations. This smart phone app is highly unethical as it violates ones privacy. It greatly violates ones right to privacy, communication, information and possession. It is a way to hamper ones personal and private belongings. The app helps a person to gain control of ones physical condition by tracking their movement via an online map (Zapotosky, 2017). This essay will present an argument regarding the monitoring of people through a stalker app. This app violates the ethical theory from three perspectives of utilitarianism, deontological and privacy. All these three perspectives present the Stealthgenie app as unethical and pose a threat to ones privacy. The utilitarianism ethics in information technology is defined as the rights or actions that are intended to provide happiness to a large number of people, society or group (Friedman et al., 2013). However, the Stealthgenie app was designed to monitor other peoples activities by tracking their phone calls and gain physical control by tracking their locations via an online map. It is highly unethical and violates a persons personal and physical rights to communication, information, possession or communication (Kernaghan, 2014). It also violates the moral conduct by controlling ones behavior and movement. The inception app is against the utilitarian theory of ethics as it leads to unh appiness among relationships by tracking cheaters in love and the victims of domestic violence people are highly affected. Nevertheless, from a utilitarian point of view, it is controversial as it helped the youngsters and spouses to save themselves from cheaters and people benefit from the app promoting business conduct. However, the Government of Australia said that this kind of surveillance app could be used by parents in tracking their children and monitoring older adults by their caregivers. Surveillance is sub-issue under privacy and it is related to intruding a persons personal information and control over their whereabouts. According to Immanuel Kants deontological theory, it is unethical for the parents to track their children by installing software in their childrens smart phones. It is the complete violation of a child's rights and it is a perfect duty of a person to provide privacy to others by not spying or monitoring them without their knowledge (Raj Roy, 2016). He said ones actions and the outcomes is ones personal and independent thing. It is ones personal behavior to lie or cheat the other person. It is a duty of a person not to lie or cheat other people and monitoring them through a smart phone app is unethical. However, millions of dollars are spent by the information technology companies over surveillance systems to track their employees and monitor their activities. They are used for monitoring web activity, emails and phone calls of the employees. Privacy is an important aspect of information technology ethics. The right to private communication is where a person wants to keep his or her information private. It is ones privacy rights over their personal information, bodies, thoughts and personal communications with others and occupied space (Chadwick, Levitt Shickle, 2014). This app violates a persons privacy by tracking their phone calls. It also violates the right to personal information where a person has the right to share and keep their information only a specific person. The Stealthgenie app also tracks ones location through an online map that violates a persons right to possession. The app installed in the phone of the partners without their knowledge is highly unethical and pose a threat to their privacy. Despite these unethical issues associated with the app, this app gained popularity among the youngsters in catching their cheating lovers and spouses in monitoring their partners. The unauthorized intrusion into one s life poses a threat to relationships and gives rise to serious fights. The domestic violence is a perfect example where this app has greatly hampered. The victims of domestic violence requested to the government to knock down this app as they are abused by their spouses. The main issue related to this phone tracking software is that it threatens individual freedom (Taylor Rooney, 2016). From a parent or spouses point of view, it is an unambiguous question regarding the need for a tracking app. No person or child would accept the fact of being tracked or monitored by tracking software. It damages a persons right to freedom of action. This spying software has gain negative popularity with time as it gives a clear picture of a persons contacts, interactions and relocations. As a matter of fact, the stealth mode is used by governments in defense and not in the case of domestic spying hampering personal privacy. It also violates ones trust among the relationships. Privacy is a utilitarian value as it is important to conceive a persons personal information (Whitten, Hightower Sayeed, 2014). There are consequences like personal embarrassment and financial loss. Moreover, it compromises a persons privacy with a risk to inception that is unlawful. The privacy of women, children and minorities are at risk due to the use of these spying devices. These devices also encourage the invasion of privacy. From a deontological point of view, it is defined as the duties or rights that are focused on the actions that are right not because of its consequences rather right in themselves. Concisely, it is the act that recognizes morality and in respecting the rights of a person in regard to information, communication or possession (Moore Katell, 2015). It is a persons natural fundamental right and it is an important tool for advancing the social structures and does not view it as a platonic thing. Stealthgenie app is a perfect example that demonstrates the different ethical aspects related to information technology and pose a threat to privacy. It made attempts of private invasion and is unethical and illegal in its consequences. It is a complex issue that requires strict vigilance to protect a persons privacy (Levy, 2014). Through these kinds of spying apps, parents, spouses and jealous partners are able to intercept their partners. It is highly unethical and violates a persons right to personal information, communication or possession. Monitoring ones life or spying over their personal interactions and location is unethical from the utilitarian and deontological perspective. As the behavior means that spying others activities promote greater unhappiness among the relationships. The consequences are highly unethical as the spying devices used by people are a medium of abusing their partners. The victims of domestic violence are badly affected by this tracking software. From the informational technologys ethical perspective, it harms a persons privacy and surveillance to a persons personal information is a sub-issue under privacy (Camp, 2015). The manufacturing companies of spying software greatly benefit through these devices by gaining popularity among parents and spouses. However, with time it loses its popularity as the minorities, children and women are abused through these tracking devices. The Australian government has imposed laws like Privacy Act includes Privacy principles that impose strict vigilance towar ds this tracking software and revises the information technology policies to protect ones privacy and respect autonomy (Butler Rodrick, 2015). The government should impose stringent laws against the companies that are intended to make such tracking devices and strict regulation is required over them. Therefore, from any perspective, the stalking and spying apps are unethical and unacceptable. References Butler, D. A., Rodrick, S. (2015).Australian media law. Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Limited. Camp, L. J. (2015). Respecting people and respecting privacy.Communications of the ACM,58(7), 27-28. Chadwick, R., Levitt, M., Shickle, D. (Eds.). (2014).The right to know and the right not to know: genetic privacy and responsibility. Cambridge University Press. Friedman, B., Kahn Jr, P. H., Borning, A., Huldtgren, A. (2013). 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StealthGenie maker fined for 'stalker' app. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 January 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/maker-of-smartphone-surveillance-app-fined-avoids-jail-time-20141126-11upqs.html