Homework 2

Would it be ethical to check the contents of a USB drive found in order to determine the
owner? Discuss through the definition of ethics in philosophy.
It is difficult to answer this question as ethically wrong or right. Because although browsing
the contents of the USB in order to give it to its owner can be considered as an innocent
behavior, it can actually be a risky behavior.
Therefore, I would like to evaluate the answer to this question according to various
possibilities.
In the first case, let's assume that the person is only browsing the contents of the lost USB
device to determine whether it belongs to someone else.
In such a case, if the person has only browsed the content to determine belonging and not in
detail, it will be tolerated up to a certain limit. However, it should always be noted that the
contents of the USB may contain confidential information. Assuming that the person whose
USB is lost is a diplomat, a company executive or a high-ranking person, we need to consider
that the person whose USB is lost may be blackmailed or exposed to other crimes if the
information inside the USB is learned by malicious people. If the people who find the USB do
not deliver the USB to its owner after accessing the information contained in the USB, a
crime will occur and these people will have to be punished. If these people hand over the USB
to the owner of the USB or to the competent authorities, although there is no criminal
problem, there may still be some ethical problems. Because, in fact, the most reasonable
ethical thing is for people who find the USB to deliver it to the competent authorities without
looking at its contents. However, if there is no competent authority and there is no other
choice but to look at the contents of the USB, then it may be reasonable to browse the
contents. In this case, the point to be considered is whether the act of looking at the contents
of the USB is excessive, that is, whether it is at a reasonable level.
The second possibility is that the USB is delivered to an authorized person regardless of its
content, as I have already evaluated and commented on in the previous possibility.
Now, I would like to make a few evaluations about business ethics over this incident.
If we make the definition of ethics in the context of business ethics, we can start from the
following definition: "it is the whole of behaviors that parties should comply with or avoid
among various professions". At this point, it is necessary to grasp the importance of business
ethics and ethical codes.
When we look at the ethics and the ethical codes, which are accepted as the constitution of an
organization, it is seen that three basic values are generally emphasized. These values are
honesty, respect and responsibility.
When we make a brief assessment in the context of the case study, the submission of the USB
to a competent authority regardless of the information in its content is an honest act of the
person. It shows that it is an employee and acts with a sense of responsibility. Even if people
have the possibility to gain unfair advantage when they look at the contents of the USB, if
they respect the privacy of private life and the protection of personal data, they will avoid this
norm of behavior.