Has Technology introduced new ethical problems?

We have had a long discussion in class last week, which has marked the subject in my mind. I think I am aware of the situation, however, the so-called convenience drives me away from taking a serious look at the problem.
Marshall (1999) stated that new technologies change our world view, our social interaction patterns and our relationship to one another. I myself benefit from new technologies from the communication aspect to family and friend from home which is 9,000 miles away. With the distance and time difference, letters or phone calls would have been a disaster. Thanks to emails, online chat with webcam and blogging, I have been able to keep my family and friends up to date about what’s happening here in Ames. However, I’m also in a way opening my personal life to whoever is on line, which is the chance I have to take as Marshall (1999) stated technological advances enhance our capabilities as human being, however, technological advances also increase the risk of social conflict if guidelines for appropriate usage are not agreed upon. I’m aware of the risk, however, it’s pro-choice from my side after an evaluation of the pros and cons. I don’t consider my privacy invaded because I have control over the content I post and over who has accessibility to the content to some extent.
However, it’s not always the case. I would like to share my personal experience regarding ISU’s paperless communication policy, which has been discussed in class last week from the ethical and moral perspectives. At first look, I think it’s very friendly and convenient. I get to do all the paperwork on line, wherever I am, without having to worry about sending papers back and forth or delays of the deadline. It is a total benefit from technological advances, to be honest. And in fact paperless is a wonderful concept from the environmental protection aspect. However, convenience is not all I am getting from ISU communication system. I have also been receiving quite a number of commercial emails, which I don’t have a huge problem with since it’s a sharing of mailing list on campus. However, I feel like my privacy was invaded when I started to receive requests for participating in certain surveys targeting specific groups of audience, like international students or female within certain age group, through emails and even phone calls. This is no longer just a mass mailing of emails but in stead, I was under a specific screening of personal information without my consent, which is definitely considered an invasion of privacy by my standard. As a graduate student, I understand the importance and necessity to assist academic research, however, the above mentioned act of the university has brought me up thinking about the issue between ethical responsibility and moral obligation. With technological advances, ISU were able to put everyone on electronic file for easier data management. However, allowing other parties other than the administration office to have access to students’ personal information and screen them for specific purposes certainly invades students right of privacy, which definitely raised the conflict between ethical responsibility and moral obligation for the university as the owner and gatekeeper of the information. Is it a violation to ethical responsibility or moral obligation for the university to share students’ personal information for other than administration purpose? Furthermore, does the same question apply to researchers who approach target audience with the information?
Students provide all information, personal and private, required when enrolled at ISU because they trust that the university will protect their right of privacy. However, the university shares the information with people beyond administration purpose. To begin with, I, as an ISU student, think the university has invaded its responsibility of confidentiality. Even though the university can argue that it’s their responsibility that they share the information to promote and assist academic research, the university would be held responsible for violating their moral obligation to all students, if not ethical responsibility, by sharing students’ personal information without students’ consents. From the academic perspective, that’s what other universities have been doing and it is true that no law was broken and it is still within the ethical range. However, I have to say that the moral obligation from the university should come into play to protect students’ right of privacy.
From the researchers’ perspective, it depends on how they get the information and how far they take the information in order to achieve their research goals. If they follow ISU’s instructions of application completely and get the information, I think it is well within their ethical responsibility. However, making phone calls to urge the students to participate in surveys is taking it too far, which is considered a violation of the moral obligation.
In sum, there does exist a conflict between ethical responsibility and moral obligation when it comes to what and how the university share students’ personal information and how the researchers use the information for academic research purpose. I think the same concern can be applied to different situations where there can be a conflict between ethical responsibility and moral obligation existed due to technological advances. Credit card companies use card holders’ consumptions for specific marketing purposes? The websites take customers’ viewing and purchasing habits to make purchase suggestions? The company agrees to provide employee’s email correspondences as evidence for a divorce litigation?
Ogbrun (1966) coined the term “cultural gap” to capture a phenomenon occurring that material culture advances more rapidly than non-material culture, where technology is viewed as the former and ethical guidelines to technology utilization the latter. It is a critical ethical issue because failure to develop broad social consensus on appropriate applications of modern technology and guidelines to technological utilization may lead to breakdowns in social solidarity and the rise of social conflict (Marshall 1999).

Marshall, K. P. (1999). Has Technology Introduced New Ethical Problems? Journal of Business Ethics, 19, pp81-90.
Ogburn, W.F. (1966). Social Change with Regard to Cultural and Original Nature, ed. (New York).