Computers have come along way from where they were, from a computer the size of a room to a computer that can fit in your pocket. Computers are not just machines that can surf the internet, play video games, and send your friends funny cat videos. Computers are everywhere, from a digital alarm clock to a Keurig. It is from computers like these, computers designed with one set program and propose, is where this ethical issue comes in, computers replacing jobs.

From a purely business standpoint, it makes sense to replace a human with a computer. The computer doesn’t need to get paid, doesn’t call in sick, and it doesn’t make mistakes. Almost every industry has been affected by this, from manufacturing (car factories) to retail (going to Amazon instead of a store). Even journalism hasn’t been able to escape this change, with TV, radio, and newspapers being replaced by the internet.

A report from the McKinsey Global Institute predicts that by 2030, as many as 800 million jobs could be lost worldwide to automation. In the US, around a third of the total workforce, 39 to 73 million jobs, could become automated. While some jobs will be lost to computers, there will be new jobs in there place. These jobs, however, could require a completely different skill set, leading to people still losing their jobs.

Should jobs become automated by computers, if so, to what extent?

Repercussions from Equifax’s data breach in the summer of 2017 still affect people today. Equifax, as their website states, is a global information solutions company that uses trusted unique data, innovative analytics, technology and industry expertise to power organizations and individuals around the world by transforming knowledge into insights that help make more informed business and personal decisions.

The company, being one of the largest credit bureaus in North America, serves millions of people. The breach which occurred between May or June of 2017 affected close to 148 million customers.

Equifax claims the information accessed in the breach includes names, social security numbers, birth dates, and driver’s license numbers. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in a federal probe investigation stated that passport information also was included in the information accessed, however Equifax refutes this claim.

Equifax states they found out about the breach in July of 2017, yet they did not report the incident to the public until September 2017. Their first public announcement on their official website claimed that 143 million customers were affected.

Following the official announcements, Equifax created a website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, for affected customers and posted Tweets stating that there are resources for people affected. However, Equifax repeatedly Tweeted the wrong website address causing many people to insert information into insecure sites.

 

A month later Equifax released another statement saying another 2.5 million customers were affected. In early March of 2018, Equifax again released a statement saying another 2.4 million people were affected.

Shortly after the initial announcements, the executives of security as well as the CEO of Equifax retired or stepped down.

The investigation into the data breach and whether the company had proper preventative measures to protect customers information is ongoing.

The data breach is one of the largest in history. Customers, investigators, and the public ask questions regarding Equifax’s security protocol and their commitment to protecting their customers information.

What are the limits that companies need to go in which to protect their customers information? Should companies be held legally or morally responsible for information of customers that was lost in a security breach or hack? Did Equifax handle publicizing the security breach to their customers and the public well?

[Sources: CNN, Forbes, The Washington Post, TheSlate.com, Equifax]