Prompt:

You've been working in sales for an advertising agency for years. All is going well until your company is the victim of a cyber-attack! Within an instant, no one can access anything because the servers are being held hostage. In short order, the FBI is actively investigating. You're relieved that it's being handled, but you are now in an awkward position. Your clients continue to contact you as they normally would because they do not know anything is wrong. Because the FBI is actively investigating, you cannot tell them anything about what's going on. You can't tell them you have no access to your servers, and you cannot use the phrases "cyber attack" or "cyber security" with clients. You learn that the best and perhaps only thing you feel comfortable saying is, "I can only tell you there will be a delay because there is an active investigation." Until you can access the serverswhich includes your email accountmost of your job is just answering phone calls and repeating this phrase to confused clients.

This goes on for weeks and the clients are becoming reasonably frustrated. You believe it is unfair for clients to have so little information and be expected to understand, be patient, and wait for the conclusion of the investigation. You're growing concerned that they may take their business elsewhere. You'd like to share more information with them, if only to say that you cannot access your servers and that is why things are taking so long.

You are talking as much as you can about the situation with your mom without saying more than you should. She encourages you to talk to her cousin Gloria since she used to work in the FBI and understands the specific sort of tension you're experiencing. Conveniently, while you're still there, Gloria comes over to your parents' house to drop off the bevel she borrowed. You tell her there's a problem at work that the FBI is investigating and you're concerned clients will leave because you are unable to explain the problem to them. Gloria begins to ask helpful questions that enable you to answer with some details you wouldn't tell anyone else and consider your options. She is an expert and so is helping you avoid telling her too much, but you're still telling her more than you've told anyone else because you trust her and you have good reason to do so.

As you're talking with Gloria in the garage, her husband Wayne walks up the driveway. He was supposed to wait in the car. Wayne! How could you have forgotten he could be with Gloria?! Wayne is a client. Wayne is friends with someone in sales at your company and Wayne is a terrible gossip. If he heard anything you were just talking about, you are in serious trouble.

1. Do you think your talking to Gloria violate anyone's (including the company's, clients' or the FBI's) moral right to privacy?

a. If so, who's right(s) is/are violated? Why do you think they have a right to privacy? Provide at least two good reasons for your answer.

b. If not, why do you think no one's right is violated? In other words, how is it that in talking to Gloria, you do not violate anyone's right to privacy? Provide at least two good reasons for your answer.

2. If you answered 1a, do you think your concerns about fairness and/or client retention can justify overriding that person or entity's right to privacy? Provide at least two good reasons for your answer.

3. If you answered 1b: say Wayne says to Gloria, "I heard you talking in the garage about the FBI and clients or something. What was that about?" Do you think that his asking question would violate your moral right to privacy, her moral right to privacy, both, or neither? Provide at least two good reasons for your answer(s).

4. A email raising a moral concern about that hiring practice at X company to an audience of your choice. Here are some ideas to build with

an entry-level employee raising a concern to an immediate manager

an entry-level employee raising a concern to upper management (since this option is bypassing an immediate manager, you'll need to explain why you're doing so in the email)

a manager raising a concern to upper management on behalf of your employee

a manager raising a concern to upper management on your own behalf

any position you choose and you're raising a concern to HR

an entry level employee addressing your manager's concern

a manager addressing your employee's concern

upper management addressing a subordinate manager's concern on behalf of their employee