Smart information systems in cybersecurity: An ethical analysis
With a growing number of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) implementations (referred to as "smart information systems" or SIS) in enterprises, important ethical questions related to cybersecurity must be asked. Has proper informed consent been given? Have discovered vulnerabilities been handled in such a way as to limit potential harm to users? How is trust and transparency handled? These and other questions are asked by Macnish et al. in this 2019 research report published in ORBIT Journal. Noting that technical and ethical issues both underpin the tenants of cybersecurity, the authors discuss the ethical issues of using SIS in cybersecurity and provide their own case study of a major U.K. business using SIS in their cybersecurity practices. After providing their ethical implications of the case study, they conclude "that ethical concerns regarding SIS in cybersecurity go further than mere privacy issues" and "claim that there is a need to improve the ethics of research in SIS."