The Edward Snowden Case: An Evaluation Using Ethics And The ACS Code Of Ethics
Information Ethics and its Significance in Today’s Business World
Discuss about the Ethical Issues Of Edward Snowden.
In today’s competitive business world, corporations rely on technologies for generating and maintaining a competitive advantage in the industry. The significance of information ethics has grown parallel with the popularity of technological advancements. The information ethics provides provisions regarding allocation, use, maintenance, and creation of technologies for ensuring a positive relationship with ethical and moral principles (Smith, Dinev and Xu, 2011). The importance of information ethics has grown globally. Organisations and people face a number of ethical issues while using modern technologies. The ethical issuing includes factors such as ownership of data, privacy concerns, collection of data and others. In this report, the case study of Edward Snowden will be evaluated by using the ‘doing ethics technique’. The Code of Ethics will also be evaluated in this report which is issued by the Australian Computer Society. These standards are required to comply by ICT professionals while discharging their duties which assist them in resolving different ethical dilemmas faced by them (Burmeister, 2013). The purpose of this report is to evaluate the ethical dilemma in the case study of Edward Snowden by using of doing ethics technique. The structure of this report will include an analysing of Edward Snowden case study by using the doing ethics technique. Furthermore, this report will evaluate the case study based on ACS Code of Ethics. Lastly, a conclusion will be drawn from the analysis and recommendations will be given in the report.
Edward Snowden was an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton where he was appointed as a defence contractor, and he was working at the National Security Agency (NSA). He was also a former officer of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During his employment at NSA, Snowden leaked classified information about a program of NSA which is considered as one of the most significant leaks in the history of the United States (BBC, 2014). He leaked data to the Guardian and the Washington Post regarding a confidential program of NSA. Through this program, NSA collected private data of US citizens and performed data mining of such data. The data was collected by NSA through smartphones and internet traffic records of people. The purpose of this program was to find any potential link to terrorists.
After the leak, Snowden flew away from the country in order to protect himself because the government charged him under the Espionage Act 1917. According to the government, he was charged under the act because his actions were considered as a betrayal towards the country; his passport was cancelled by the government as well. According to Snowden, he leaked the data in order to let people know about the confidential program of NSA which is a significant threat to their privacy (Franceschi, 2014). People were praising his actions because they resulted in terminating the program of NSA. However, many US citizens were criticising his actions as well because the program was helping the government in finding terrorists and their potential targets which saves millions of lives.
The Case of Edward Snowden and the ‘Doing Ethics Technique’
The facts of this case study include that Edward Snowden leaked information about the classified program of NSA through which the government collects and mines the data of US citizens. Snowden was a former CIA agent, and he has the skills to leak the information about the classified program of NSA without letting anyone knew about it. His actions were considered as a betrayal towards the country, and the government charged him under the Espionage Act. Quickly after the leak, Snowden flew away from the country. After flying away from the country, Snowden admitted that he only joined the job a Booz Allen Hamilton for collecting all the information about their security system which assisted him while leaking the data of NSA (Chabrow, 2013). His actions received mixed opinions from the US citizens as many people considered it an ethical act whereas other considered his actions dangerous to the nation’s security.
The primary issue, in this case, is unauthorised access and collection of information by Snowden regarding a program of NSA without asking for any prior permission of any government authority or the court. Snowden was an ICT professional, and he breached his professional duties which he owed towards NSA. Right after the leak, Snowden flew out of the country to avoid legal charges. Another issue is that he was charged under the Espionage Act since his actions are considered as a betrayal against the nation and many government officials criticised his actions for increasing the chances of national threat (West, 2015). Another issue is people’s mixed feeling towards the incident because some of them praised him whereas others criticised his actions.
Edward Snowden
Snowden was affected by this incident because he had to leave his home country and completely change his lifestyle. The government charged him under the Espionage Act, and his passport was cancelled as well. His action was not protected under the Whistleblower Act because he had a contractual relationship with the government (Barth, 2018).
US Government
The leak resulted in shutting down the data collection and mining program of NSA which made it difficult for the government to find out about potential terrorist threats. The government faced challenges relating to its foreign relationships. Countries such as Germany, Russia and Brazil cancelled their treaties with the country. The President of Brazil cancelled his US trip, and the government of Germany demanded reinvestigation in the matter (Reuters, 2013). The US government faced humiliation as well because the Russian government called them two-faced and give asylum to Snowden (Heritage and Holland, 2013).
The ACS Code of Ethics and its Relevance to ICT Professionals
US Citizens
People find out that their government is collecting their personal data which is a serious breach of their privacy. People lose their faith in the government, and they criticised the program of NSA. Most individuals supported the actions of Snowden since it protected their privacy.
Terrorists
Due to termination of NSA program, it becomes easier for a terrorist to communicate with others through smartphones and the internet. It has become easier for them to plot a terrorist attack on the industry which requires the government to take appropriate measures.
Cloud services providers (CSP)
The US-based CSPs faced serious financial loss because their customers lose faith in their services, and they decided to cancel their contract with them. It resulted in reducing their revenue, and they lost a number of global clients (Thibodeau, 2013).
Utilitarianism Theory
Due to the consequences of the actions of Snowden, people become aware of the data mining program of NSA, and it resulted in shut down of the program which secured people’s data and creates happiness (Camero, 2015).
Deontology Theory
Snowden was an ICT professional, and he breached his duties for leaking classified information about the program of NSA. He breached his professional duties, and he is charged by the government under the Espionage Act.
Contractarianism Theory
Snowden breached his professional duties towards NSA by leaking classified information about NSA which made him legally wrong. On the opposite side, breaching of his professional duties resulted in saving privacy of millions of people.
Virtues
The actions of Snowden risked his life, and he had to leave his home country. He is loyal and honest towards public because he faced all these risks to secure the privacy of millions.
In this particular situation, there are a number of options available for both Snowden and the US government. Firstly, Snowden can surrender himself by coming back to the country, and the Supreme Court of the US should resolve this case. The government is required change the policies of the Whistleblower Act to encourage more leaks which are beneficial for the public. The government should implement strict policies for ensuring that no governmental authority is collecting or mining personal data of people without prior permission of the court (Hays, 2015). Another option is instead of hearing the case in the Supreme Court, an ethics committee can judge the actions of Snowden. Snowden is a continuous threat for the US because terrorists can capture him to collect classified information about the US government; therefore, he should come back to the US. Increase in the security at NSA for avoiding future data leaks and breaches.
- Rather than coming back to the country, Snowden can save himself from charges which are imposed by the US government on him. However, the US government will not be happy by this option since he is a potential threat to the nation’s security if terrorists capture him.
- In order to bring him back to the country, the government can remove charges of Snowden and ensure him that an ethics committee will judge his actions.
- Change in the governmental policies regarding collecting and mining of private data without prior permission.
- Change in the provisions of the Whistleblower Act for encouraging more leaks which are beneficial for the public.
Consequences of Snowden’s Actions: Impact on the US Government, Citizens, and Cloud Services Providers
The second option is the best because it will ensure that Snowden comes back to the country which will make the US government happy. On the other hand, Snowden will be happy as well because his charges will be removed and an ethics committee will judge his actions. It will also avoid the threat of leaking of confidential information to terrorists which will be beneficial for the public.
There are six codes of ethics which are given by ACS which are necessary to be followed by ICT professionals while discharging their duties.
The first code of ethics issued by ACS provides that ICT professionals should prioritise public interest while discharging their duties (Clarke, 2016). They should ensure that the interest of the public is above their personal interest and organisational interest. Snowden violated his duties towards his employer in order to leak confidential data for the benefit of the public. Based on these actions, he prioritises the interest of public about his employer and personal interest because he risked his life to leak such information; therefore, he complied with this code.
While performing his duties, an ICT professional should perform such actions which resulted in enhancing people’s lives (Goldweber et al., 2011). Snowden risked his life to leak classified information about the program of NSA which was used by the government for collecting and mining of data. He leaked such data in order to let people know that their own government is breaching their privacy. After the leak, the NSA program was terminated by the government and a rule by imposed that no governmental authority can collect or mining private data of the public without prior permission of the court. Therefore, the actions of Snowden resulted in enhancing the quality of people’s lives by improving their privacy and data security.
It is necessary that an ICT professional should have honesty and integrity towards his job, and he should not use his/her knowledge to misleading his/her clients while giving them professional advice (Bernoth et al., 2014). Snowden used his knowledge to leak the classified information about data mining program of NSA. Although he did not have integrity towards his employer, however he was honest towards the public, and he leaked the classified information in order to maintain integrity towards the US citizens. Therefore, he fulfilled this code of ethics as well.
During his employment, an ICT professional should ensure full diligence towards his work, and he should take appropriate actions to protect the interest of the public. Before accepting any work, an ICT professional should evaluate that whether he is competent to perform the work (Abdallah, 2010). An ICT professional should ensure that he/she is capable to discharging his duties effectively, and he/she should ask for help from his/her seniors in case any issues occurred while discharging of his/her duties. Snowden had appropriate knowledge of his work, and he was competent to act as an ICT professional for NSA. He was aware of the codes of ethics which are necessary to be followed by him, therefore, he leaked the classified information as soon as he realised that the NSA is breaching the privacy of the public.
Applying Ethical Theories to the Snowden Case
An ICT professional should also take actions to improve his/her knowledge regarding the latest advancement in the ICT field (Al-Saggaf, Burmeister and Weckert, 2015). He/she should learn about new developments which might affect his/her work while discharging his duties. It will ensure that he/she is able to provide high-quality services to stakeholders. Snowden knew about the latest advancement in the ICT field, and he also keeps himself up to date with the latest information which might affect his work. He joined the job at Booz Allen Hamilton to learn about their security infrastructure which assists him while leaking the classified information. Therefore, he complied with this principle as well.
An ICT professional should be highly professional while discharging his/her duties. Maintenance of high level of professionalism is necessary for ICT professionals because it assists them in fulfilling the interest of stakeholders (Al-Saggaf and Burmeister, 2012). It also maintains the trust of the public in ICT professionals. Snowden was unprofessional while leaking the classified information about NSA data mining program. He violated his duties towards his employer and the US government by leaking the confidential information. He also flew away from the country rather than face the charges. He could have given information about the program to a government authority which might investigate the matter and resolve the issues more professionally. Therefore, the actions of Snowden were not professional.
Conclusion and Recommendations
To conclude, Edward Snowden was involved in leaking classified information about a data mining program of NSA through which personal data of public were collected and mined by the government. As per doing ethics technique, there are different alternative options available to Snowden and the US government regarding this matter such as setting up of an ethics committee, bring Snowden back to the country and removing charges of Snowden. The best option is the formation of an ethics committee to judge the actions of Snowden. Snowden complied with many ACS codes of ethics such as honesty, prioritising public interest, competence, professional development and enhancement of quality of life. The actions of Snowden were for the interest of the public; however, the entire situation could have handled more professionally. Following recommendations can assist addressing the issues, in this case, more ethically:
- The government should implement a dedicated authority in which whistleblowers can provide information about illegal or ethical actions of organisations without risking their lives.
- The government should remove charges of Snowden and bring him back to the US because he is a national threat.
- His actions should be judged by an independent ethics community.
References
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