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Table of Contents
Privacy
Definition:
Users’ identities and data are not kept secure, or their data is used for purposes other than what they agree to.
Subtypes
- Targeted advertising [1]
- Sharing with Third-parties [1]
- Data Tracking and Monitoring [1]
- Unauthorized Access [1]
- Excessive Data Collection [1]
Examples
Has ethical issue in software
| Statement | Stance | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| I find targeted ads concerning because it’s almost infringing on your privacy [1] | against | Perceives targeted ads as an infringement on personal privacy, opposes it. |
| All your personal information is out there because it's helpful, but at the same time, you are not at all anonymous anymore. [1] | neutral | Identifies objectively both pros and cons of , does not indicate personal position. |
Not qualifying as EIS
| Statement | Reasoning |
|---|---|
| I'm not tech savy so I tried messing with security settings and turned on two factor among other things and I was still locked out. Luckily the person who has my old phone was understanding and after changing the password to a dummy password to give to them they got me back in but they do want to wipe it soon. Two factor also started sending codes back to the old phone or it always did? I'm not sure. I feel like I've been messing with the settings and making it worse so I stopped and came here to ask. | As a tech-savvy person, it is clear that this activity puts that person's privacy at risk. The person appears to know that they do not use the software optimally. Yet, they do not raise an ethical issue, nor do we have evidence from previous research indicating that this is perceived as an ethical issue. |
References
[1] Yagil Elias, Tom P. Humbert, Lauren Olson, Emitzá Guzmán. What is unethical about software? User perceptions in the Netherlands. Proceedings of ICSE-SEIS (2025). IEEE.
[2] Tjikhoeri, N., Olson, L. & Guzmán, E. The best ends by the best means: ethical concerns in app reviews. Empir Software Eng 29, 138 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-024-10463-7
[3] L. Olson, E. Guzmán and F. Kunneman, “Along the Margins: Marginalized Communities’ Ethical Concerns about Social Platforms,” 2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Society (ICSE-SEIS), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, pp. 71-82, doi: 10.1109/ICSE-SEIS58686.2023.00013.