Ethics for the 21st Century Environment: The Influence of Technology and Social Media

Ethics for the 21st Century Environment
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Ethics for the 21st Century Environment
Case 17: Using Electronic Mail for Providing Confidential Feedback
The advancements in technology have simplified most things around the world. Communication has become easy and research as well. Psychologists are incorporating emails into their communication strategies with their clients. However, despite this important usefulness of technology in this era, there is a potential that confidentiality will be breeched.
In the case study, the psychologist was contracted by the organization to implement a 3600 feedback process. For cost effective purposes, the psychologist contracted the organization’s management information system (MIS) department to use the company’s existing e-mail to disseminate the feedback. Questionnaires were provided to the respondents through emails and were supposed to provide feedback. They were assured that their information will be kept confidential. However, this was not the case as the psychologist discovered that personal name identifiers of the respondents were recorded. The psychologist was concerned about the confidentiality of the respondents’ personal information. After inquiring from MIS’s manager said this was necessary to prevent fraudulent messages from being disseminated in another person’s name. The manager also assured the psychologist that the confidential information will not be misused by the staff in any way (Lowman, 2006).
Not all people can be trusted thus other people may seek to tarnish other people’s names by providing fraudulent information on other people’s names. Additionally, if a company is involved in any malpractices and does not want it to be disclosed to any third party may want to know all the individuals who responded as well as their responses. In case one respondent raises any concern that the organization does not want to be raised will go directly to that employee.
Any communication between a psychologist and the clients is confidential and should be maintained in a way that the client’s confidentiality is protected the client’s information is not accessed by an authorized people. Failure to protect the client’s confidential information is a violation of the confidentiality and privacy code of ethics. In the case study, the respondent’s personal confidential information was accessed by the MIS staff members. Additionally, the psychologist allowed the MIS department to continue accessing the respondent’s personal information without their consent. This too violated the informed consent ethical principle as well (Knapp & VandeCreek, 2006).
Several possibilities were considered by both the MIS department manager and the psychologist before the situation arose. Some employees could have taken the advantage of anonymity to champion their self-interests in the name of others. On the other hand both the MIS department the psychologist violated ethical principles by not keeping their information confidential and seeking their consent. After considering all the possibilities are reasons...