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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. [2]
Subtypes
Targeted advertising
“Participants are concerned about targeted advertising and perceive it as invasive and a breach of their privacy. They often describe how ads precisely relate to some content they have viewed or information they shared in private”[1]
Sharing with Third-parties
“Concern towards companies sharing personal data with third-parties such as marketing, or government agencies.”[1]
Data Tracking and Monitoring
“The feeling of being tracked or followed is expressed vividly. This is both voiced within and outside the context of targeted advertisements.”[1]
Unauthorized Access
“[People] share their concern about the protection of their personal data from unauthorized access.”[1]
Excessive Data Collection
“People note that data is collected in excess. They believe these masses of data to be irrelevant to the functionality of the software application.”[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 advertizing 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 Data Tracking and Monitoring, 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.