Ethical Reasoning 1: Respect Privacy

Problem Definition

The first ethical issue concerns the users' privacy rights. According to the ACM code of Ethics Principle 1.6, "A computing professional should respect Privacy", developers should protect user's privacy rights. Since the app requires users' information to function accurately, the app might collect more data than the user is willing to provide. Besides that, typical privacy policies are long and difficult-to-understand. A user might only realize that their data is being collected without their consent after using it for some time. By then, the app would have violated their privacy.

Gathering Information

Public:

The main users of the app.
Aware of data collection and fully understand the privacy policy and implications of it.

Developers:

Deciding and minimizing personal info collection
Declaring and being transparent about data collection
Oversee the operation of the app in terms of user privacy in Chatbot and counselor interactions, making adjustments if necessary.

Counselors:

Second largest demographic in app userbase.
Liable to never record the conversation or interaction.
Only request private information from clients when it is beneficial to the process.

Stakeholders

Government:

Set regulations for data collection for the app.

Applying Guiding Principles

The Virtue Approach

As developers, we should be responsible for the users' data. In addition, we also have to prioritize users' welfare. We should strive to be honest and transparent as possible, for example, notifying users' about their data being collected.

The Deontology/Rights Approach

It is our duty as the developers to be honest and follow the privacy law. We will inform the user how their data is being used and how their data will help. Then, the user is given a choice to provide their data, or not. The privacy policy must be written in a clear and concise form and in a language that users can understand easily.

The Utilitarian Approach

Users want to improve their mental health. For the app to work more efficiently and accurately, we will advise them to share some data with us. And make sure user’s private information that is being collected will always be confidential and will never be shared with other parties.

Generating, Evaluating and taking action

Make it optional for the user to provide additional data. Voice and facial recognition are not compulsory and will only be collected should the user choose to.
Make it known to the user whenever data is being collected, how, and for what purpose.
A transparent and clear terms and condition and policy on data collection.
All users information should be deleted from the database when the user closes his/her account.

Our reflection on this ethical issue

Users should have full knowledge and control over what data is being collected by the app. Public cooperation is needed in order to prevent the misuse of the product and get the full benefits offered by the product.