Privacy vs. National Security: An Ethical Systems Perspective

• In Event: Legislation and Policy: Practical and Ethical Considerations

Abstract

Headlines were made when the FBI requested Apple to provide it with access to an iPhone recovered from one of the San Bernadino murderers/suspected terrorists who killed 14 and seriously injured 22 people in December, 2015. Apple’s refusal to do something that could potentially invade the privacy of its customers is simply the latest example of the conflict between maintaining individual privacy rights and granting the government the power it says it needs to solve crime and provide for public safety. The current study examines people’s resolution of criminal justice related ethical dilemmas and the ethical rationales/systems employed in doing so. In its initial phase of a larger, long-term study, the authors presented participants with the current Apple/FBI scenario and evaluated the participants’ ethical system(s) used to resolve that scenario.

Authors

• Jeffry J. Stockner, Tiffin University

• Steven D. Hurwitz, Tiffin University