Running head: PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Privacy: Issues with Information Technology

Terresa Roulhac
National University

PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

PRIVACY: Issues with Information Technology

Many Americans value their privacy and dont realize the impact that
social media plays in today's job market. Information about a person can be easily
obtained and often times social media can link events and people together. Over ninety
percent of people believe that in order for a company to get information from a social
media site, permission must first be granted and over 70 percent of people want to be able
to opt out of online tracking all together. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012, p. 159)
In todays high paced society it is ironic that an employer cannot blatantly refuse
to hire or fire someone based on race, color, politics, or gender orientation but can use
social media; such as Facebook, to not hire and fire that same individual based on actions
of his or her friends posts on social media sites. Although social media has a number of
positive attributes linked to it, in recent years there has been a rise in the amount of
people who have been fired due to it. Unlike the saying, what goes on in Vegas stays in
Vegas, Facebook and other social media sites are open to the public and employers
closely watch these sites for comments that employees might make against or towards the
organization. In the past comments and actions made by employees off duty status or
away from the organization where safe from employer sanction. Recently employers that
have fired employees based on social media have had those terminations honored by the
court system. (Professional and employment implications of SOCIAL MEDIA, 2012).
How is this ethical? The article, Laws and Ethics Cant Keep Pace with Technology
written by Vivek Wadhwa on April 15, 2014 discusses this very issue.
Vivek Wadhwa explains that there are gaps existing because technology has

PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

surpassed abilities of lawmakers to keep up with increasing speed and growth of

technology, but these gaps are not limited to employment, rather they extend to almost all
aspects that technology touches. Today technology is worn, many people carry it iPhones
with personal information, and every time someone uses Google search engine
information is collected and stored about an individual. Vivek questions where the line is
to be drawn between what is legal and ethical? (Wadhwa, 2014) In the article Should
Companies Monitor Their Employees Social Media? Written by John Weber, the founder
and executive director Nancy Flynn, argues that employers have a responsibility to use
social media as a way to monitor employees.
She states, Its all too easy for disgruntled or tone-deaf employees to go into
social media and criticize customers, harass subordinates and otherwise misbehave
(Weber, 2014)
Critics argue that Nancy exaggerates her reasons and counters that most people
use social media with no wish to harm his or her company; however, companies use these
searches to hunt for discrepancies among employees. (Weber, 2014)
Firing an employee based on comments made on social media is not the
best option. If an employee is verbalizing concerns related to their organization, it is the
responsibility of management to stop and evaluate the situation. The best solution would
be to determine and address the issues. (Why You Cant Fire Employees For
Complaining On Facebook, 2013) Laudon & Laudon state Using information
technology in a socially responsible manner means that you can and will be held
accountable for the consequences of your actions". (p. 130)
It is essential that everyone, HR departments, employers and employees,

PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

understand their rights. Understanding what is and isnt expected is important to avoid
mis-understanding that could lead to a termination of employment. Social Media Policies
should be established to educate not only the employee but also the employer about what
the organization deems acceptable for online use. (Why You Cant Fire Employees For
Complaining On Facebook, 2011)
Privacy and Information Technology must adapt to protect both the employer and
the employee. There are two main domains of privacy. These domains are the
sociopolitical and psychological perspectives. The sociopolitical domain deals with the
primary fundamental rights and freedoms that every person has in a liberal democratic
society. The other domain, psychological perspectives, protects the individuals
autonomy. It provides people with the opportunities for self-reflection/evaluation and
experimentation: it supports emotional release outside of public sphere, thereby allowing
people to vent, make unfair or frivolous comments without public scrutiny; and it enables
them to decide for themselves when, to whom and to what extent personal information
should be revealed to others. (Odoemelam, 2015)
There are a number of reasons why privacy is an important aspect of information
technology and social media. One issue of terminating employment based on social
media is the accuracy reason. There have many times that a person described in a social
media site, in fact is someone else. Or in another instance, when a friend decides to post a
derogatory picture or comment as a joke on someones Facebook or MySpace account
just because that person stepped away and left his or her account unsecured. Should they
be fired? (OShea, 2012)
As information technology grows, so will the way in which organizations conduct

PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

business. Using Social Media can be a great tool for organizations by having the ability to
create messages and get their messages out to the mass. It also gives companies the
ability to share files, video and other useful tools to promote different services and
products. (Onete, Dina, & Vlad, 2013) When an organization uses social media as a tool
to place employees in a certain categories, whether good or bad, the question is how
ethical is it for that employer to use social media as means to check its employees. The
only way to make sure that social media cant be used negatively against an individual is
to pay close attention to what is posted. Amy Jo Martin said it best when she said,
Social media is changing the way we communicate an the way we are perceived, both
positively and negatively. Every time you post a photo, or update your status, you are
contributing to your own digital footprint and personal brand. (Martin, n.d.)

PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

References
Kellie, O. (2012, October 30). Use of Social Media in Employment: Should I Fire?
Should I Hire? Retrieved October 10, 2014.
Laudon, K., & Laudon, J. (2014) Chapter 2 Global E-business and Collaboration. In
Management information systems: Managing the digital firm (Thirteenth ed., pp.
75-77)
Martin, A. (n.d.) Social Media Quotes. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
Odoemelam, C.E. (2015). Adapting to surveillance and privacy issues in the era of
technological and social networking. International Journal of Social Science and
Humanity, 5(6), 572-577. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7763/IJSSH.2015.V5.520
Onete, C. B., Dina, R., & Vlad, D. E. (2013). SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS. Amfiteatru Economic, 15,
659-670. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.nu.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/147949668?accountid=25320
Professional and employment implications of SOCIAL MEDIA. (2012) The Queensland
Nurse, 31(1), 24-5. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.nu.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/923618382?accountid=25320
Wadhwa, V. (2014, April 15). Lawmakers Cant Keep up with Technology. MIT
Technology Review. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
Weber, J. (2014, May 11) Should Companies Monitor Their Employees Social Media?
Retrieved October 2014.
Why You Cant Fire Employees For Complaining On Facebook. (2013, February 18).
Retrieved 10,October 2014.

PRIVACY: ISSUES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY