Abstract: Ethics is vital for information technology professionals as data-driven decision-making has become the norm. Model curricula and accreditors have noted the need for university students to be able to evaluate situations with ethical considerations. In this teaching tip, we developed a role-playing ethics case exercise that makes students consider the legal and ethical considerations surrounding collecting data and how organizations can address them. Students take on one of five stakeholder perspectives: the company collecting customer data, the customer, a third-party data broker, regulators, or hackers. This exercise enables students to get a more holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to collecting customer data. The case study includes security and privacy background information, making it flexible enough to work in a wide variety of classes, including classes where students have a limited technical background. Evidence indicates that the case increased student awareness of data privacy issues and the varied stakeholders and their interests.

Keywords: Teaching tip, Ethics, Cybersecurity, Role-play, Teaching methods, Discussion group

Download This Article: JISE2026v37n2pp184-204.pdf

Recommended Citation: Sengupta, S., Totty, S. A., & Morris, S. A. (2026). Teaching Tip: Data Privacy in Business: Balancing Customer Trust and Data Insights. Journal of Information Systems Education, 37(2), 184-204. https://doi.org/10.62273/YIWA1365