Technology, Ethics, and Elements of Pervasive Digital Footprints

Abstract

Philosophically speaking, technology has evolved primarily as an ethically agnostic construct with the emphasis being placed on how well the technology works rather than how the technology affects its users. This “practical rather than ethical” focus presents special concerns when considering data that are intimately attached to an individual. Law enforcement increasingly uses investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) cross-matched with commercial DNA databases to definitively identify perpetrators. This overlap between judicially overseen data and commercially obtained data creates ethical issues surrounding an individual's right to privacy and informed consent. While the ethical use of GPS data has been debated since the emergence of location tracking, devices that are easily carried on an individual's body add an intimate understanding of not only where that individual has been but inferences about their motivation for going there. DNA databases, biometrics, and GPS tracking data are explored here as they pertain to ethical concerns related to personal autonomy.