Undeniable Fallouts From The Edward Snowden -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question Discuss About The Undeniable Fallouts From The Edward Snowden? Answer: Introduction Information ethics is defined as a core part of ethics that focuses on the relationship between managing, distribution, formation, and usage of data and the ethical standards and moral obligations that perform the activities of governing human actions in society (Floridi, 2010). Information ethics provides a platform that deals with ethical nature of issue relating to information such as privacy of data, issues regarding information ownership, misrepresented facts and others (Ocholla, Onyancha, and Britz, 2010). This report will evaluate the case of Edward Snowden by using Doing Ethics technique (DET) and the ACS code of ethics. The DET technique did not necessarily provide the best solution for the ethical issue, but it assists in ethical evaluation of a situation. ACS code of ethics has provided six core ethical values that are mandatory to be followed by everyone in the society which assist them in behaving as professional and guide them to resolve ethical dilemmas. The case of Ed ward Snowden will be analysed in the report based on two techniques. The first technique focuses on analysing the facts and ethical dilemma in the case and the second technique evaluate the degree of ACS code of ethics influence over the case. Further, the report will analyse the statements of different authorities that were involved in the case and provided recommendations for the situation. Analysis of the Situation using the Doing Ethics Technique In 2013, Edward Snowden was held responsible for leaking the confidential data of National Security Agency (NSA). He was an employee of defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton while working for NSA and a former CIA system administrator. Snowden leaked the data to the Washington Post and The Guardian (Scheuerman, 2014). The US government and various legal authorities stated that Snowden had breached the terms of Espionage Act 1917 which provide that leak of state confidential records is considered as an act of betrayal. Snowden argued that he did not breach any legal policies, instead he has made public aware of the wrongdoing of NSA which is a moral act. People have different opinions about the case as many individuals consider him as traitor whereas others consider his act was morally right. What are the facts? Following are various facts of the case which provide evidence regarding the morality or immorality of the action taken by Snowden. Edward Snowden is a former CIA agent who leaked the confidential information regarding the data mining program of NSA to the press through which the government collects and mines the data of millions of peoples phones and internet traffic information to identify any potential link to terrorists (Greenwald, 2014). As per the US government, Snowden breached and violated the policies of Espionage Act 1917. Snowden was a pre-employee of Booz Allen Hamilton before three months of the breach, and he accepted that he took that job only to gather all the information regarding NSA surveillance programs (Daily Mail, 2013). Many people praised the act of Snowden because it provided information about how NSA stores the information about people without their knowledge (Greenwald, MacAskill and Poitras, 2013). What are the issues? Following are the key issue raised in this case: The primary issue is whether the actions of the government are moral to implement a program which collected private data of people in order to collect information regarding potential terrorist activities. Snowden leaked the information about the program which let people know about the secret program of the government. US government is angry at the actions of Snowden since it portrays them as two-faced and negative affected their foreign relations. The lack of privacy reduces the peoples trust in the government. Snowden also flew away from the country after the incident which raised a question on his integrity and whether he should be punished for his actions. Who is affected? After the leak of NSA information, Snowden flew away from the country, and the government cancelled his passport. The provision of Whistle Blower Protection Act provides that he cannot enter the country because he had a contractual relationship with the government. Therefore, the entire incident had a negative impact on the life and career of Snowden (Chadwick and Collister, 2014). US Government The incident affected US government since it negatively affected their relationship with other counties. It reduces peoples trust in the country due to lack of privacy. The changes provided by Obama Administration restrict NSA from collecting the information about phone calls and internet traffic data of people without prior court approval (Lucas, 2014). Many countries including Russia, Brazil, and Germany decrease the number of commercial treaties with the country after the incident. Germany asked for investigating the operation of NSA to ensure that they are not spying on the country (Grier, 2013). The president of Brazil also cancelled his trip to the United States after the incident. Russian government stated that the incident of Snowden prove that the US government is two-faced (Nolan, 2013). Terrorists After the incident, the government shuts down NSA operations for collecting people data through internet traffic and phone calls which make it easier for terrorists to hide their identity in the country and plot their next attack. Terrorist groups can also kidnap Snowden to collect confidential information about US government which can be detrimental for the country. People were also affected by the incident because they find out that the government collects their information without them even knowing. It reduces the trust of public on the actions of the government. Many people were praising the actions of Snowden whereas others were opposing it by saying that it risks national security (BBC, 2014). Cloud Service Providers After the incident, many people doubt the services of US-based cloud service providers because they think that their data might be compromised and the government can the access their data without them even knowing. The incident caused substantial financial losses to US-based cloud service providers and reduced their profits (Naughton, 2013). What are the ethical issues and implications? According to Utilitarianism (consequence base) theory, the US citizens are happy with the actions of Snowden because it provides information about governments secret program which was violating their privacy and it resulted in ending such program. As per Deontology (duty base) theory, the government is unhappy because Snowden leaked their confidential data by breaching his duties. As per the provision of this theory, Snowden shouldnt have breached his duty against NSA and the US government (Murata, Adams and Lara Palma, 2017). According to Contractarianism theory, Snowden has breached his contract of services which make him legally liable as per Espionage Act; however, morally his actions are ethical. As per character-based (virtues) theory, Snowden is a good, honest and loyal citizen since he provides them information about the government program which was detrimental to their privacy (Branum, and Charteris-Black, 2015). What can be done about it? There are various alternative solutions can be applied in this case as per ethical theories. The government can waive the annulment of Snowdens passport and bring him back to the country for judging the incident by people. NSA is required to change their policies to ensure that they are not able to disrupt peoples privacy without prior permission from the court. The government should focus on bringing Snowden back since he is a potential threat to the country. Terrorists can capture him and torture him to collect all the confidential information regarding the US government programs which can compromise national security. Snowden can also reveal the information to terrorists for money; therefore, the US government should focus on bringing him back in the country. What are the options? There are various possible options available that can assist in resolving this issue. Snowden can never come back to the country which makes the US government unhappy since he is a potential threat to the country and terrorist can collect confidential data from him which can be detrimental to national security. However, not coming to the US again will make Snowden happy since he did not have to face any charges for violating his duties. The government can change its policies for collecting the information about people which disrupts their privacy. The change in policies will make people happy since it will protect their privacy but it will make the US government unhappy because it can increase the risk of potential terrorist attack. Another option is that Snowden comes back to the country which will make the US government happy since it reduces the risk of terrorist collecting confidential data of the country and the government can take legal actions against Snowden for breaching his duties. However, it will make Snowden unhappy since he will be charged with violation his duties even when his action was moral. Which option is the best and why? As per ethical theories and ACS code of ethics, the best option is that the US government should change their policies regarding the collection of private data of public without prior permission of the court. It is based on Character-based (virtue) theory, and it is best because it increases people trust in the country and improve their foreign relations. Snowden can also come back to the country if government change their policies and consider his actions as a whistle-blower. Analysis of the Situation from the point of view of an ICT professional using the ACS Code of Ethics ACS Code of Ethics provides that public interest is above all; the actions of an individual should consider public interest before the organisational or personal benefit. A person should ensure that his/her actions comply with society and governments regulations, and he/she should prioritise public interest above all (Burmeister, 2013). In the case of Snowden, he has followed the ACS code of ethics since he revealed the information to let people know that the NSA has breached their data. Snowden leaked the confidential data about NSAs data mining and information collection program which collects public data from telephone calls and internet traffics. He did not comply with his duties and violated government laws for the interest of the public. The Enhancement of Quality of Life This principle provides that actions of people should focus on improving others lives, especially who are affected by their work. The advancement of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has a substantial influence on peoples lifestyle and overall society (McDermid, 2015). Snowden was aware of the fact that the program of NSA has a substantial influence on peoples lives that were living in the United States. The whole program was a breach of public privacy because it did not collect prior permission from the court (Di Salvo and Negro, 2016). By leaking the confidential files, Snowden let the public know about the program of NSA to ensure that they protect their privacy. Therefore, it can be stated that he fulfil the principle of improving peoples quality of life. Honesty In todays competitive business world, corporations have to ensure that their actions are taken based on integrity and honesty. The companies can misuse their power and use deception to cover their illegal activities which is strictly prohibited by the ACS code of ethics (Venables, Tan, and Pradhan, 2014). In this case, NSA was collecting people data without them knowing, and they were doing it without any permission from the court. The theft of data was a serious security breach which shows that NSA breaches the honesty principle. On the other hand, Snowden also breached the principle of honesty because the leaked the confidential data to the public. His actions proved his dishonesty towards the organisation due to which he loses the trust of stakeholders. Competence This principle means that a person should only accept such work which he/she is capable of performing. The individual should be competent to perform the work that he/she has accepted and should not hesitate to take advice from other professionals regarding the same (Warren and Lucas, 2016). A person should know and accept his/her capabilities and limitation about the knowledge of ICT. In this case, Snowden has both the option to reveal the information of NSA or keep it a secret to himself. He decided to leak the information in public by complying with the principles of improving peoples quality of life and prioritising public interest. However, he performs the action in a dishonest way. But, he was aware of the legislation and programs included in the case, therefore, in a manner, he fulfil competency principle of ACS code of ethics. Professional Development This principle provides that an individual should ensure that he/she is updated regarding the latest development, practices, and legislation in technology. A person should focus on increasing his/her awareness about the issues that are related to public and profession. A person should support the program which assists in developing ICT advancements that are focused towards satisfying the public requirements (Al-Saggaf and Burmeister, 2013). Snowden was aware of the advancements and practices in the organisation and the technology that use used by the employees of NSA to collect and store that private data of public. He updated his knowledge regarding the facts and programs of NSA and understood how they are collecting peoples data. He collected the confidential data and released it in newspapers for people to see. The government still believe that Snowden might be hiding more information about the program which he did not disclose to the public. Professionalism This ethic provides that a person should perform each action with professionalism. A person is required to maintain adequate professional standards while performing any action, and he/she should focus on enhancing the integrity of ACS. ACS assists in increasing people confidence and trust in the ICT industry by ensuring that members are maintaining professionalism in their actions (ACS, 2014). These principles assist in taking corrective actions against whistle-blowers. Snowden takes his actions professional which justify his actions as a whistle-blower. He leaked the confidential data against NSAs program which was breaching peoples privacy. On the other hand, as per NSA and US government, Snowden violated the Espionage Act and breached the national security which shows his unprofessionalism. Conclusion From the above observation, it can be concluded that there are various ethical issues in the Edward Snowden case which are analysed by implementing DET technique. The report provided that Snowden violated Espionage Act and breached national security for fulfilling his policies as a whistle-blower by revealing NSA confidential data in the press. The incident was analysed based on ethical theories to evaluate its morality and for examining options that are suitable in this case. The ACS code of ethics is evaluated in the report to address this issue. Snowden fulfil some of the ACS code of ethics and breached others such as he prioritises public interest, his actions enhance peoples quality of life and his competency. On the other hand, he breached various ethical principles as well such as professionalism, honesty and professional development. Therefore, although Snowdens actions have risked national security, he has protected the privacy of millions of people. Recommendations Following recommendations can assist US government in ethically handling the issues. The government should change their policies regarding collecting private information of public without prior courts permission which will improve their character and foreign relations. Snowden should be brought back to the country, and he should be protected as per whistle-blower since his actions protect the privacy of millions. The government should improve the security of its operations to avoid any leakage of data to terrorist groups. References ACS. (2014) ACS Code of Professional Conduct. [PDF] ACS. 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