The Ethics Of Cyberveillance In A Global Context

Abstract

Whether one calls it “cyberveillance,” “cybermonitoring,” “cybersnooping,” or “cyberspying,” one thing is clear, the computer activities of employees are increasingly being monitored by their companies. Some reports suggest that up to 17% of the Fortune 1,000 companies now utilize some form of computer monitoring software and the predictions are that this figure will jump to 80% very soon. Such software allows an employer to monitor virtually every message sent, website visited and key stroked. Given the global reach of many of these large firms, there are at least two major concerns that need to be addressed. First, what are the ethical implications of this practice? Given that 12% of all firms report that they do not notify their employees of their monitoring activities, are employees being treated fairly? And second, in what ways are local customs, mores and values in various parts of the world being violated or ignored? 

Like it or not, we are awash in what various popular writers have termed “cyberveillance,” “cybermonitoring,” “cybersnooping,” or “cyberspying.” Simply put, employees’ use of the Internet and email today are increasingly being monitored by their companies. What seems to be missing in this rush to monitor are the ethical implications of doing so, which are significantly exacerbated in multinational firms. In order to understand how such actions are likely to be seen from a variety of multinational perspectives, we first developed a case involving a multinational company contemplating cybermonitoring and then we queried a group of international scholars, asking them to first approach managers in their region for reactions to the case, and then to provide a summary and synthesis of as to how such actions would be received in their respective parts of the world. Finally, we conclude by presenting a reasoned analysis regarding the general ethical questions involved.

Before you read this analysis, we invite you to first read the case below and think about your own reactions. This is a hypothetical case involving composite information from the popular press involving a multinational bank. The bank is trying to decide if it should purchase and utilize monitoring software.