Privacy and confidentiality: Exploring the ethical issues arising for the Professions

(Hosted by the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII), London

Disregard for the privacy of others by journalists has recently hit the headlines: it has led to the closure of a major national newspaper, and is now the subject of the Leveson inquiry. But the ethical issues it has brought to prominence are not confined to journalism. Many professions have long recognised duties of confidentiality, but face challenges in applying these to the use of new technology (e.g. voicemail storage, data mining, social media). Equally, these and related requirements are now often framed in the language of "privacy": professionals face the task of determining what obligations they have to respect the privacy of others.

This conference is aimed at helping people working in business and the professions to improve their understanding of the ethics of privacy and confidentiality, as they apply to a range of different professional activities. It will address questions such as:

 What is the relationship between duties of confidentiality and duties to respect privacy?

• When can the privacy of individuals or a duty of confidentiality be outweighed by other considerations, such as the public interest?
• What duties of confidentiality are owed to clients, colleagues and members of the public?
• How should obligations of confidentiality or respect for privacy be understood in the use of social media?

For more information and to book a place visit: www.idea.leeds.ac.uk