Introduction

Digitalization is changing all aspects of human life and is taking a huge part of it. In this paper the
ethical issues, that arises based on three main technologies, are discussed. A closer look is given to
Internet of Things, robotics and digital platforms. Digitization presents many possibilities to us,
however, it also confronts our moral values. Privacy and security are major concerns when it comes to
ethical value of the customer.

Internet of Things is a technology, which connects many devices to an existing internet base
(Kumar, 2017). It integrates the physical into the virtual world. Examples for IoT devices are:
augmented – reality glasses and the biometric camera. Furthermore, IoT and robotics are closely
connected, because they both can read an environment, share and analyze data, and take
independent actions.

The use of Information and Communication Technology is growing and this lead to digitizing the
interaction between people and people and organizations. This is happening using digital platforms. As
a result, digitization accesses our social-cultural world. Floridi (2015) divides the real and virtual world
into online and offline life. However, nowadays, the online and the offline life are merged together,
because their separation is no longer existing. Digital platforms are also taking leading roles in our
lives. They can also take over the functions of some organisations. Examples for this is the blockchain
technology, which stops the development of organisations that are built on bits and bytes
(Royakkers,2018).

Main Body

The development of digitization is having an effect on public values, such as: security, privacy,
human dignity, etc. Stakeholders should be aware of what issues might appear, so they can form their
digital society in a socially and ethically responsible way (Royakkers, 2018). The ethical theories are
needed to deal with the complexity issues cost by the human action. The aim of the ethics is not to
take away the responsibility for the danger that is offered from every theoretical or practical
possibility that implies for ourselves and for the world we share with others. Symbolic systems that
were designed to protect individuals and societies turn out to be insufficient or outdated. New
questions arise about the criteria of good life. Digitization becomes symptomatic for societal
transformation. This is the reason why research in information ethics is so crucial today.

IoT is taking place in the public space and home, or the so-called material world. For example, the
use of fingerprint, voice/ face recognition and verification. The interaction between people and
organizations is digitized by virtual reality and digital platforms. As a result, digitization goes into our
social-cultural word. The number of people, interacted by online activities, for example, shopping,
listening to music, get in touch with friends, etc. is increasing. The social media and the online services
have huge impact on the way we communicate and on how our identity is forming. The smartphone is
something merged with our everyday lives and it’s the connection between the real and the virtual
world. Because of IoT information about ourselves is exchanged without our knowledge about it
(Barbry,2012). Royakkers (2018) gives an example with Samsung’s policy about their Smart TV. The
company registers when and where the TV is turned on, furthermore, because of the camera and the
microphone of the TV, they warned their customers that the speech in front of the TV will be captured
and transmitted to a third party. The manual is 46 pages and the customers are giving their
permissions unconsciously because of misunderstanding the whole manual (Pereira et al.2013). It is a
fact that IoT can follow us everywhere and this is resulting in huge openness and accessibility to our
privacy. Royakkers (2018) states that our homes are the ones that are not private anymore because
everything in the home can be monitored with the help of the IoT devices, located in the house.

Because of digitization, serious crime problems may arise. It is proven that every digital system can
be hacked with the help of spoofing. This way hackers can give access to sensitive information. If a
certain information is not in the right people hands, can be crucial. The smart devices can also be
controlled, which can lead to catastrophic consequences. Because of the connectivity of IoT devices,
hacking a coffee machine can lead to accessibility to open a car or even a front door (Royakkers,2018).

Because of digitization, the production and delivery process of goods is accelerated, as well as, the
producing process, marketing and organisations involved. Using digital technologies goes together
with developing search engines and social platforms, robotics and IoT. Ethical questions involving
freedom, peace, identity and justice are reconsidered because of the digital divide (Capurro, 2016).

Conclusion
Human beings are becoming more and more dependent on digital systems. The digitization has
darkened the border between the online and the offline world in our society. As a result of
digitization, an exchange of information and data is happening all the time. Information has great
importance, because with its help we can define what to offer to our customers or to define and
investigate people with suspicious identity. Ethical issues are arising when it comes to customers’ data,
because people are no longer having control on their privacy. Lots of organisations are investigating
how the users can keep their identity and are trying to protect the human rights. The truth is that we
should eliminate the digitalization obsession and take an example from the Buddhist way of living,
where selflessness, communication with others and release are taking place. This will help us to
imagine a world without confusion of Modernity (Capurro, 2016).
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