NSA wiretapping, whistleblowing, and IT ethics at AT&T

Information Technology

IT Ethics and Wiretapping

In "Wiretapping, Whistle Blowing and it Ethics" (available at (http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2007/110907backspin.html),Mark Gibbs notes the recent revelation by former at&T employee that the NSA was routed all Internet traffic that flowed through critical at&T cables. Gibbs highlights the Bush Administration's broad use of illegal, and indiscriminate, wiretapping that extends beyond phone lines and into cyberspace. But Gibbs uses this news item as an opportunity to examine it ethics, particularly our willingness to speak out against unethical behavior when it could cost us our jobs.

Mark Klein, the at&T whistle blower, waited until he had retired from his job to present his evidence and demonstrate the NSA had been illegally monitoring Internet traffic. At that point, he had nothing to lose -- his job could no longer be threatened by speaking out. The unfortunate implication is obvious: many other employees and executives at at&T knew about the illegal, unethical behavior and said nothing. Their silence made them complicit in the unethical use of it processes at at&T. Even Klein should not be given too much credit. He sat on the issue until he was able to retire and then brought the unethical actions into the light. In the meantime, the government through the NSA was amassing significant information about the Internet usage of American citizens. No matter the justification for this action, it cannot be supported ethically.