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Personally Identifiable Information Essay

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Information gathering, through networking, social media, and both on and offline storage have made it easier to collect information about an individual than ever before, with many concerns having arisen over the years about privacy and the ability to protect that privacy. As debates over personally identifiable information continue, one cornerstone remains a constant, ethics. Ethics are defined as “the standard by which human actions can be judged right and wrong (Online, 2012)”, but even that can be debated when discussed within the realm of information technology. Have you ever been to an internet shopping site and “trusted” the secure connection? Essentially, you are entrusting an inanimate system developed by an individual or group …show more content…

The first questions to ask when it comes to e-mail and websites at work is, “Am I being watched?” The answer is most likely yes. Employers have begun to watch their employee’s activities with greater detail over the years. In 2001, CNN.com posted an article titled, Is your PC watching you? Find out!, which looked into this further. In this article “A study by the Privacy Foundation claims employers are monitoring the Internet and e-mail use of 14 million employees. (Articles.CNN, 2001)” While it can be assumed that number has grown over the last decade, it can also be said with certainty that measures have been put in place to ensure information transmitted via business internet connections have increased. The U.S. government, for example, has set up content filters and points of encryption to safeguard against system penetrations and intrusions. Although these measures are not practical for home use, limiting the information you supply to through the internet will help. One topic of contention that does not seem to have a resolution, however, is the subject of electronic medical records. The utilization of electronic medical records has been highly ethically debated. According the Journal of Information Systems Education, “Building knowledge and skills in biometrics creates a mutual understanding between IS professionals and health practitioners. (Cellucci, 2011)” Although the thought process is sound, the

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