Analysis Of The Etisalat Scenario
This assignment requests you to apply the moral and ethical concepts discussed in this course to determine how you
think you should act were you to be faced with a similar situation. While the assignment is primarily concerned with
encouraging you to think about how you would behave, the clarity and grammatical correctness of your written
responses will count significantly in determining your mark on this assignment. Please see attached rubric.
Etisalat Scenario
Sarah is a security engineer working for Etisalat cell phone division. While conducting her duties investigating unusual
phone traffic, Sarah discovered that many android cell phones were infected with malware that allowed the attackers to
access any information stored on the phones (pictures, SMS, etc.), listen to calls, track customer locations, and even to
turn on the phone’s camera — all without the customer knowing. Sarah reported the issue to management. Etisalat
sent out a general notification to all of its cell phone customers warning them that the problem exists and
recommending they access a website and follow some fairly complicated instructions to clean their phones.
Unfortunately, many customers ignored the warning while other customers fixed the problem but their phones were re-
infected. Etisalat sent out another notification but was unwilling to do anything else because it became concerned that
customers might become afraid and reduce or even cancel their phone plans.
Sarah is aware of the potentially serious safety and privacy threats associated with this malware. She really wants to do
something about it. Thus in her own time, she wrote an anti-malware application that could hack customer phones,
detect whether the malware was running, delete the malware, and protect the phone from future infections – all
without the customer’s knowledge. This clearly was the fastest way to resolve the problem. Individually contacting
customers and seeking their permissions to clear their phones would be very expensive and time-consuming. She has
thoroughly tested her software and is 99.99 percent sure that it will work and that it is safe.
She talks to her supervisor about broadcasting employing her fix across the Etisalat network. Her supervisor is uncertain
and talks to his boss. The answer comes back that she is absolutely forbidden to employ her software. Over the next
several weeks she sees the problem continue to grow and becomes very frustrated that she knows she can help fix this
problem but is forbidden to do so. She is torn because she recognizes that using her software raises potential legal,
ethical and moral issues but also knows very that very bad things that could be happening, right now. She asked you, a
very good friend, what she should do? Given that you happen to be taking CIT 305, you decide to write a short paper on
the topic so you can help your friend and complete a required assignment for the class.
Your task is to prepare a 200-400 word essay identifying what you would advise Sarah to do. The essay should address
the following points:
1. What recommendation would you make using a Kantian or universal ethical theory? (75 words)
2. What recommendation would you make using a utilitarian ethical perspective? (75 words)
3. Forget about ethical theories, what do you think she should do? (75 words)
4. After preparing your responses to items 1 – 3, make a list of additional information that you would really want to
have to help you make a better recommendation. (75 words)
Solution
ETISALAT SCENARIO
Based on Kantian or universal ethical theory, Sarah should not implement her anti-
malware application, nor call the customers informing them that she wants to clean up their
phones. Additionally, her plan on cleaning up the customers’ phones should not be implemented.
Kantian theory suggests that universal rules and norms should always be based on pure reasoning
(Neher & Sandin, 2016, p.39). Moreover, while making any decision, categorical imperatives
should be followed, which include universal acceptability and respect to human dignity.
Utilitarian ethical perspective suggests that an action is considered as ethical if its
consequence has a positive impact on the largest number of people (McGee, 2008, p.75).
Therefore, ethical utilitarian perspective measures a positive effect of an action based on the
number of the people who will be impressed by an implementation of the given action. I would
recommend that she implement the second plan, which would be through informing the
customers to try the second ways of cleaning up their phones.
Implementation of new ideas in any given organization is a challenge, and it has different
obstacles. Sarah should note that there are various ways in which decisions can be implemented.
In this case, Sarah should apply her ideas without paying much attention to what the personnel’s
in the highest rank would talk comment about it. In most instances, when a given plan succeeds,
the opposing entities would appreciate, unlike while informing the management before
implementation of the decision. Therefore, Sarah should implement her plans without necessarily
informing any personnel.
For better recommendations, other factors should be included in the information
provided. Customer’s responses on the issue of the infection of their phones should be included
in the information. Additionally, it is important that the reason as to why the boss refuses the
ETISALAT SCENARIO
implementation of Sarah’s plan be included. It is evident that the boss might have an option on
how the issue would be handled. The different information would help in the provision of a
better recommendation.
ETISALAT SCENARIO
References
McGee, R. (2008). Corporate governance in transition economies. New York: Springer.
Neher, W. & Sandin, P. (2016). Communicating ethically : character, duties, consequences, and
relationships. London: Routledge.
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