Page 385 - Using MIS

DisCussion Questions

1. We’ve used Kant’s categorical imperative as one crite- c. Assume the online gambling vendor says, “Look, it’s
rion for assessing ethical behavior: Act as if you would not us; it’s Grandma. We provide fair and honest
have your behavior be a universal law. As a litmus test of games. If Grandma likes to play games where the
this principle, we’ve said that if you’re willing to publish odds of winning are low, talk to Grandma.” Assume
your behavior in The New York Times, then your behav- in your answer that the gaming company has gone to
ior conforms to the categorical imperative. great lengths to provide the elderly with an emotion-
a. Consider the inverse of that litmus test. Is it true that ally rewarding UX for games with low winning odds.
if you’re not willing to publish your behavior in The Does the vendor’s posture absolve it of any ethical
New York Times, it is unethical? (You might find it considerations for Grandma’s losses?
easier to consider this question in a different but 4. If all of your behavior is ethical, then, according to the
equivalent form: Your behavior is ethical if and only if categorical imperative, you are willing to have your life
you’re willing to publish it in The New York Times.) story printed in The New York Times. Thus, you needn’t
b. Considering your answer to question a, if data brokers be concerned about the data and business intelligence
are unwilling to say what data they are collecting and created about you. However, consider the following:
how they are processing it, is it reasonable to conclude a. Suppose, as the most junior member of a club, you
their behavior is unethical? Explain your answer. are required to purchase beer for your club’s bi-
2. Using business intelligence applied to consumer pur- monthly beer fest. To obtain a substantial discount
chasing data for targeted marketing seems innocu- from the vendor, you use your customer loyalty card
ous enough. However, is it? Using both the categorical for these purchases. A data aggregator obtains your
imperative (pages 20–21) and utilitarian (pages 56–57) purchase history and classifies you as a heavy drinker.
perspectives, assess the ethics of the following: Unknown to you, the data aggregator informs your
a. Some people, whether from genetic factors, habit, medical insurance company of its classification. Your
lack of education, or other factors, are prone to over- insurance premiums increase, and you never know
eating junk food. By focusing junk food sales offers at why. Using either the categorical imperative or utili-
this market segment, data brokers or their customers tarianism, is there an ethical problem here?
are promoting obesity. Is their behavior ethical? b. Do you think something should be done to reduce
b. Data brokers claim they can reliably infer ethnicity from the likelihood of situations like that in question a? If
consumer behavior data. Suppose they also determine so, what?
that one ethnic group is more likely to attend college c. Suppose you have a personal medical problem that you
than others. Accordingly, they focus the marketing for wish to keep private. Your condition requires you to
college-prep materials, scholarships, and university ad- purchase a particular set of off-the-shelf products from
missions applications on this ethnic group. Over time, the pharmacy at your grocery store. A data aggregator
that group will be guided into positive (assuming you observes your purchasing pattern, infers your problem,
believe college is positive) decisions that other groups and sends you coupons and other promotional products
will not. Is this behavior different from ethnic profiling? that clearly identify your condition. Against your stron-
Is it ethical? gest wishes, your roommates become aware of your
3. Suppose a data broker correctly identifies that your grand- medical problem. Using either the categorical impera-
mother is addicted to playing online hearts. From its busi- tive or utilitarianism, is there an ethical problem here?
ness intelligence, it knows that frequent hearts players are d. Do you think something should be done to reduce
strong prospects for online gambling. Accordingly, the the likelihood of situations like that in question c? If
data broker refers your grandmother’s data to an online so, what?
gambling vendor, one of its customers. Grandma gets 5. According to the Privacy Act of 1974, the U.S. government is
hooked and loses all of her savings, including money ear- prohibited from storing many types of data about U.S. citi-
marked for your college tuition. zens. The act does not, however, prohibit it from purchas-
a. Is the data broker’s behavior ethical? ing business intelligence from data brokers. If the govern-
b. Assume the data broker says, “Look, it’s not us, it’s our ment purchases business intelligence that is based, in part,
customer, the online gambling vendor, that’s causing on data that it is prohibited from storing, is the govern-
the problem.” Does the broker’s posture absolve it of ment’s behavior ethical? Use both the categorical impera-
ethical considerations for Grandma’s losses? tive and utilitarian perspectives in your answer. 353