Carney & Deb, an accounting firm, performs a variety of tasks for its clients, including completing financial statements and tax returns. To accomplish these tasks, Carney & Deb collects personal and financial information from the clients.

Does Carney & Deb have an ethical obligation to its clients with respect to this information? Ethics is the study of what constitutes right and wrong _________, focusing on morality and the way in which ____________ principles are derived or the way in which such principles apply to conduct in daily life. Sometimes, the issues that arise concern fairness, justice, and "the right thing to do." To answer the question of the firm's ethical obligation, you should note that the confidentiality of its clients' sensitive personal and business information is at stake. The accountants have a(n) __________ duty to ensure that reasonable security precautions are taken to preserve this confidentiality and protect this information.

Carney & Deb can store the personal and financial information of its clients on any electronic device, including an iPhone, a flash drive, and a laptop. When Carney & Deb upgrades its storage media, the information is transferred between devices.

What are the ethical concerns in this situation? Discuss. The _________ concerns in this situation relate to fairness, justice, "the right thing to do," personal honesty and integrity, and the duty to maintain the ___________of the clients' information. The accountants need to understand where they are putting the information, assess what the risks are of that location, and consider whether it is appropriate to put the ___________ there. For example, putting sensitive information on an unencrypted flash drive would be a bad idea. When the storage media are upgraded, client confidentiality needs to be maintained. Any storage device should be sanitized, or wiped clean, of sensitive data before it is discarded.