Snoop to Conquer
The Ethics of Spying
Employees in nearly any situation must understand that their actions while performing their work duties are subject to scrutiny. However, in places where privacy is assumed, such as the locker or break room and the restrooms, employees should expect a right to privacy. Further, employees have the right to not be spied upon unreasonably. In Fanuchi's store, the microphones were not necessary in capturing the person who was stealing jewelry, nor were they ever really necessary. In keeping the camera near the cash register, Fanuchi and Katwalski did everything necessary to serve their interest in capturing the thief. The microphones served no real purpose. Thus, I would feel that my rights were being violated because of the microphones in the store since they served no real purpose in solving the crime.
Thus, if I were the investigator in this circumstance, I would have kept the security cameras, but would have removed the microphones from the store. This is necessary because these microphones serve no real purpose for the good of the company. They simply cause more problems then they solve by exposing employees' morally questionable activity that is in no way related to the work environment or the fulfillment of their jobs. Thus, it becomes the individuals' issue alone, and should not be brought up by the store employees. Even those employees who were discussing work-related issues should not be held responsible for their words since they clearly said them in an area where they could easily assume a right to privacy.
On the other hand, utilitarian theorists, with their focus on consequences alone ("Utilitarian Theories" para. 1), would argue that the microphones could stay, as any ends was justified in the means. If the microphones managed to expose wrongdoing, a utilitarian theorist would argue that they were acceptable despite how they exposed others. This would be the theory that Fanuchi may use if she wanted to defend her actions. But since the microphones were not useful in capturing the thief, even this argument is faulty.
Works Cited
"Utilitarian Theories." Carnegie Melon University. 2002. Philosophy Department. 7 July
2009.
