With U.S. consumers becoming more environmentally conscious, there has been an explosion of eco-friendly products on the market. One notable entry has been the gas- electric hybrid car. A large nonprofit environmental group would like to target customers likely to purchase hybrid cars in the future with a message expressing the urgency to do so sooner rather than later. They understand that direct mailings are very effective in this regard, but staying true to their environmental concerns, they want to avoid doing a nontargeted mass mailing. The executive team met to discuss the possibility of using data mining to help identify their target audience. The initial discussion revolved around data sources. Although they have several databases on demographics and transactional information for consumers who have purchased green products and donated to organizations that promote sustainability, someone suggested that they get data on contributions to political parties. After all, there was a Green party, and Democrats tend to be more concerned about environmental issues than Republicans. Another member of the team was genuinely surprised that this was even possible. She wondered how ethical it is to use information about individuals that they may assume is being kept confidential.
• Identify the ethical dilemma in this scenario.
• What are the undesirable consequences?
• Propose an ethical solution that considers the welfare of all stakeholders.
