Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
with vulnerable populations would have no expectation of privacy, and it would be
impossible for employers to secretly monitor their work. Hence the proposed rule is self-
defeating, and it would be wrong to act according to this rule.
We can also evaluate this situation using the second formulation of the Categorical
Imperative. As parents, the Sullivans are responsible for the well-being of their baby. In
order to be more confident that their baby is safe in the care of the nanny, they choose
to secretly observe the behavior of the nanny. The observation is the means to their
desired end of having their baby well cared for. The nanny naturally assumes that her
interactions with the baby in the Sullivan residence are private. By not disclosing to the
nanny the fact that she is being watched remotely, the Sullivans have treated the nanny
as a means to an end. Hence the action of the Sullivans is wrong.
VIRTUE ETHICS EVALUATION
As parents, the Sullivans are ultimately responsible for the well-being of their daughter.
Rather than put their daughter in a day care facility they considered to be second-rate,
they decided to spend more money and hire a personal nanny to care for her. That
action is characteristic of good parents who put their children's needs before their own.
When the Sullivans heard about abusive nannies, it is only natural that they would
become worried about their daughter's welfare, particularly because as a baby she is truly
defenseless and unable to communicate with them. According to virtue theory, parents
should be partial toward their children. We can view the Sullivans' decision to use the
webcam as an action characteristic of good parents. However, we would also expect that
once the Sullivans are reassured they hired a fine nanny who is taking good care of their
infant daughter, they would trust the nanny and discontinue the secret monitoring.
SUMMARY
From the points of view of rule utilitarianism, social contract theory, and Kantianism,
we have concluded that it is wrong for the Sullivans to secretly monitor how well their
nanny takes care of their baby. However, from the perspective of virtue ethics, the action
of the Sullivans is characteristic of good parents.
As we go about our lives, we leave behind an electronic trail of our activities, thanks to
computerized databases. Some events result in the creation of public records. A
pub-
lic record
contains information about an incident or action reported to a government
agency for the purpose of informing the public [22]. Examples of public records are birth
certificates, marriage licenses, motor vehicle records, criminal records, deeds to prop-
erty, and the salaries of state employees (including your professor, if you are studying at
a public institution). Making government records public is one way to hold government
agencies accountable for their actions and help ensure that all citizens are being treated
fairly.
When public records were written on paper and kept in county courthouse base-
ments, they were relatively hard to retrieve. Computerized databases and the Internet
