User abnormal behavior recommendation via multilayer network

With the growing popularity of online services such as online banking and online shopping, one of the essential research topics is how to build a privacy-preserving user abnormal behavior recommendation system. However, a machine-learning based system may present a dilemma. On one aspect, such system requires large volume of features to pre-train the model, but on another aspect, it is challenging to design usable features without looking to plaintext private data. In this paper, we propose an unorthodox approach involving graph analysis to resolve this dilemma and build a novel private-preserving recommendation system under a multilayer network framework. In experiments, we use a large, state-of-the-art dataset (containing more than 40,000 nodes and 43 million encrypted features) to evaluate the recommendation ability of our system on abnormal user behavior, yielding an overall precision rate of around 0.9, a recall rate of 1.0, and an F1-score of around 0.94. Also, we have also reported a linear time complexity for our system. Last, we deploy our system on the "Wenjuanxing" crowd-sourced system and "Amazon Mechanical Turk" for other users to evaluate in all aspects. The result shows that almost all feedbacks have achieved up to 85% satisfaction.

Should a medical ethics journal discuss the actions of the security forces?

This refers to the comment "Use of pellet guns for crowd control in Kashmir: How lethal is 'non-lethal'?" by Siddarth David in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. My objection is not to the ethics of the use of pellet guns, but to the ethics of publishing such an article in a journal devoted to medical ethics.

A question of ethics, not nationalism: author's response

The aim of the comment "Use of pellet guns for crowd control in Kashmir: How lethal is 'non-lethal'?" was neither to disparage the armed forces, nor recommend counterinsurgency strategies, nor support any particular community or group. It sought to raise discussions around the question pointed out by the responder himself, namely, "the ethical point of view" on the use of pellet guns in controlling violent mobs. The author also feels that the question is not so much about "favouring" the protestors or the security forces, but whether an instrument that causes significant fatalities and morbidities among bystanders should continue to be used as a method of crowd control.

Medical intelligence, security and global health: the foundations of a new health agenda

Medical intelligence, security and global health are distinct fields that often overlap, especially as the drive towards a global health security agenda gathers pace. Here, we outline some of the ways in which this has happened in the recent past during the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa and in the killing of Osama Bin laden by US intelligence services. We evaluate medical intelligence and the role it can play in global health security; we also attempt to define a framework that illustrates how medical intelligence can be incorporated into foreign policy action in order delineate the boundaries and scope of this growing field.

The Struggle Between Liberties and Authorities in the Information Age

The "struggle between liberties and authorities", as described by Mill, refers to the tension between individual rights and the rules restricting them that are imposed by public authorities exerting their power over civil society. In this paper I argue that contemporary information societies are experiencing a new form of such a struggle, which now involves liberties and authorities in the cyber-sphere and, more specifically, refers to the tension between cyber-security measures and individual liberties. Ethicists, political philosophers and political scientists have long debated how to strike an ethically sound balance between security measures and individual rights. I argue that such a balance can only be reached once individual rights are clearly defined, and that such a definition cannot prescind from an analysis of individual well-being in the information age. Hence, I propose an analysis of individual well-being which rests on the capability approach, and I then identify a set of rights that individuals should claim for themselves. Finally, I consider a criterion for balancing the proposed set of individual rights with cyber-security measures in the information age.

Locked mental health wards: the answer to absconding?

A recent decision by the Queensland government to lock its 16 mental health inpatient facilities has met with condemnation by a number of professional bodies. This column canvasses some of the legal and ethical issues relating to locked wards and provides an overview of the literature on whether or not locking wards reduces absconding. It is argued that any benefits in preventing absconding through locking all mental health inpatient facilities is outweighed by the adverse effects locked wards have on those detained.

Mind wars. Brain science and the military

This article is based on a public lecture hosted by the Monash University Centre for Human Bioethics in Melbourne, Australia on 11 April 2013. The lecture recording was transcribed by Vicky Ryan; and, the original transcript has been edited--for clarity and brevity--by Vicky Ryan, Michael Selgelid and Jonathan Moreno.

The place of surveillance technology in residential care for people with intellectual disabilities: is there an ideal model of application

BACKGROUND

The demand for (care) services for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is on the rise, because of an expanding population of people with ID as resources are concurrently diminishing. As a result, service providers are increasingly turning to technology as a potential answer to this problem. However, the use and application of surveillance technology (ST) in the care for people with ID provokes conflicting reactions among ethicists and healthcare professionals, and no ethical consensus has been reached as of yet. The aim of this study was thus to provide an overview of how ST is viewed by (care) professionals and ethicists working in the field by investigating what the ideal application of ST in the residential care for people with ID might entail.

METHODS

Use was made of the concept mapping method as developed by Trochim; a computer-assisted procedure consisting of five subsequent steps: brainstorming, prioritising, clustering, processing by the computer and finally analysis. Various participants (ranging from ethicists, physicians to support workers) were invited on the basis of their intended (professional) background. Prior to this study, the views of care professionals on the (ideal) application of ST in the residential care of people with dementia have been consulted and analysed using concept mapping. A comparison between the two studies has been made.

RESULTS

Results show that the generated views represent six categories, varying from it being beneficial to the client; reducing restraints and it being based on a clear vision to (the need for) staff to be equipped; user friendliness and attending to the client. The results are presented in the form of a graphic chart. Both studies have produced very similar results, but there are some differences, as there appears to be more fear for ST among care professionals in the care for people with ID and views are expressed from a more developmental perspective rather than a person-centred perspective with regard to people with dementia.

CONCLUSIONS

When it comes to views on using technology both in dementia care and the care for people with ID, there appears to be an inherent duality, often rooted in the moral conflict between safety versus freedom or autonomy. What is more, elaboration on abstract concepts often presumed to be self-evident, whether ethical or not, has proven to be difficult. How ST is viewed and apprehended is not so much dependent of the care setting and care needs, but rather whether it is clear to everyone affected by ST, what one wants to achieve with ST.

Ethical and regulatory challenges posed by synthetic biology

Synthetic biology is a relatively new science with tremendous potential to change how we view and know the life sciences, but like many developing technologies, it has provoked ethical concerns from the scientific community and the public and confronts demands for new regulatory measures. The concerns raised involve the danger of "dual use," in which results for improving human well-being and the environment may be misappropriated for bioterror. To counteract these dangers, many governments, but the United States and Israel in particular, have introduced new laws and redoubled measures for biosafety and biosecurity. In the United States, the recent H5N1 results achieved by two groups of NIH-funded investigators highlighted the dilemma of balancing the risk of dual-use research and the freedom of science. In Israel, concern for unconventional terrorism is long-standing, and the country is constantly engaged in improving biosecurity and biodefense measures. In 2008, the Israeli parliament passed the Regulation of Research into Biological Disease Agents Law, a legislative framework for safeguarding research into biological disease agents. This article summarizes and analyzes the current state of affairs in the United States and Israel, ethical attitudes, and regulatory responses to synthetic biology.

[Ethical issues in psychiatry under coercion]

Psychiatry is now subject to two apparently contradictory movements. On the one hand, the need to respect the autonomy and rights of patients is reinforced and coercive measures are strictly defined and limited. On the other hand, security concerns in our society leads to prosecution of psychiatric disorders, especially when accompanied by behavioral problems or criminal acts. In these situations of compulsory treatment or care provided in prisons, a number of dilemmas emerge. The place of the healthcare professional in treatments ordered by the Judge and problems related to administrative detention are discussed in more detail.

The dilemma of dual use biological research: Polish perspective

Biological research with legitimate scientific purpose that may be misused to pose a biological threat to public health and/or national security is termed dual use. In Poland there are adequate conditions for conducting experiments that could be qualified as dual use research, and therefore, a risk of attack on Poland or other countries exists. Optimal solutions for limiting such threats are required, and the national system of biosecurity should enable early, reliable, and complete identification of this type of research. Scientists should have a fundamental role in this process, their duty being to immediately, upon identification, report research with dual use potential. An important entity in the identification system of dual use research should also be the Central Register of Biological and Biomedical Research, which gathers information about all biological and biomedical research being conducted in a given country. Publishers, editors, and review committees of journals and other scientific publications should be involved in evaluating results of clinical trials. The National Council of Biosecurity should be the governmental institution responsible for developing a system of dual use research threat prevention. Its role would be to develop codes of conduct, form counsel of expertise, and monitor the problem at national level, while the Dual Use Research Committee would be responsible for individual cases. In Poland, current actions aiming to provide biological safety were based on developing and passing an act about genetically modified organisms (GMO's) and creating a GMO Committee. Considering experiences of other nations, one should view these actions as fragmentary, and thus insufficient protection against dual use research threats.

The bioterrorism threat and dual-use biotechnological research: an Israeli perspective

Israel has a long history of concern with chemical and biological threats, since several hostile states in the Middle East are likely to possess such weapons. The Twin-Tower terrorist attacks and Anthrax envelope scares of 2001 were a watershed for public perceptions of the threat of unconventional terror in general and of biological terror in particular. New advances in biotechnology will only increase the ability of terrorists to exploit the burgeoning availability of related information to develop ever-more destructive bioweapons. Many areas of modern biological research are unavoidably dual-use by nature. They thus have a great potential for both help and harm; and facilitating the former while preventing the latter remains a serious challenge to researchers and governments alike. This article addresses how Israel might best (1) prevent hostile elements from obtaining, from Israel's biological research system, materials, information and technologies that might facilitate their carrying out a biological attack, while (2) continuing to promote academic openness, excellence and other hallmarks of that system. This important and sensitive issue was assessed by a special national committee, and their recommendations are presented and discussed. One particularly innovative element is the restructuring and use of Israel's extensive biosafety system to also address biosecurity goals, with minimal disruption or delay.

Ethical models underpinning responses to threats to public health: a comparison of approaches to communicable disease control in Europe

Increases in international travel and migratory flows have enabled infectious diseases to emerge and spread more rapidly than ever before. Hence, it is increasingly easy for local infectious diseases to become global infectious diseases (GIDs). National governments must be able to react quickly and effectively to GIDs, whether naturally occurring or intentionally instigated by bioterrorism. According to the World Health Organisation, global partnerships are necessary to gather the most up-to-date information and to mobilize resources to tackle GIDs when necessary. Communicable disease control also depends upon national public health laws and policies. The containment of an infectious disease typically involves detection, notification, quarantine and isolation of actual or suspected cases; the protection and monitoring of those not infected; and possibly even treatment. Some measures are clearly contentious and raise conflicts between individual and societal interests. In Europe national policies against infectious diseases are very heterogeneous. Some countries have a more communitarian approach to public health ethics, in which the interests of individual and society are more closely intertwined and interdependent, while others take a more liberal approach and give priority to individual freedoms in communicable disease control. This paper provides an overview of the different policies around communicable disease control that exist across a select number of countries across Europe. It then proposes ethical arguments to be considered in the making of public health laws, mostly concerning their effectiveness for public health protection.

Infectious diseases, security and ethics: the case of HIV/AIDS

Securitization of infectious diseases may involve suspension of ordinary human rights and liberties. In the event of an epidemic, therefore, it is important to limit the occasions upon which draconian disease control measures are implemented in the name of security. The term 'security', moreover, should not be used too loosely if it is to retain force and meaning in political discourse. It may be argued that the bar for disease securitization should be set high so that it is limited to contexts involving rapidly spreading pathogens. Such an approach, however, would rule out securitization of more slowly spreading, endemic diseases such as HIV/AIDS. An advantage of characterizing HIV/AIDS as a security threat in developing countries, where the burden of the disease is concentrated, is that this is likely to mobilize resources needed to improve the situation there. That is, if HIV/AIDS is convincingly framed as a security threat, then governments may recognize self-interested reasons to ramp up control measures. Following consideration of arguments for narrow (excluding HIV/AIDS) versus broad (including HIV/AIDS) conceptions of security, we conclude that the legitimacy of 'securitizing' HIV/AIDS ultimately turns on empirical and semantic issues, and we emphasize the importance of distinguishing (1) the nature of the threat posed by HIV/AIDS and (2) the measures required to address that threat.

"Enhanced" interrogation of detainees: do psychologists and psychiatrists participate?

After revelations of participation by psychiatrists and psychologists in interrogation of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and Central Intelligence Agency secret detention centers, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association adopted Position Statements absolutely prohibiting their members from participating in torture under any and all circumstances, and, to a limited degree, forbidding involvement in interrogations. Some interrogations utilize very aggressive techniques determined to be torture by many nations and organizations throughout the world. This paper explains why psychiatrists and psychologists involved in coercive interrogations violate the Geneva Conventions and the laws of the United States. Whether done with ignorance of professional ethical obligations or not, these psychiatrists and psychologists have crossed an ethical barrier that may best be averted from re-occurring by teaching medical students and residents in all medical specialties about the ethics principles stemming from the 1946-1947 Nuremberg trials and the Geneva Conventions, together with the Ethics Codes of the World Medical Association and the American Medical Association; and, with regard to psychiatric residents and psychological trainees, by the teaching about The Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry and the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, respectively. In this way, all physicians and psychologists will clearly understand that they have an absolute moral obligation to "First, do no harm" to the human beings they professionally encounter.

The ethics of interrogation and the American Psychological Association: a critique of policy and process

The Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS) task force was assembled by the American Psychological Association (APA) to guide policy on the role of psychologists in interrogations at foreign detention centers for the purpose of U.S. national security. The task force met briefly in 2005, and its report was quickly accepted by the APA Board of Directors and deemed consistent with the APA Ethics Code by the APA Ethics Committee. This rapid acceptance was unusual for a number of reasons but primarily because of the APA's long-standing tradition of taking great care in developing ethical policies that protected anyone who might be impacted by the work of psychologists. Many psychological and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as reputable journalists, believed the risk of harm associated with psychologist participation in interrogations at these detention centers was not adequately addressed by the report. The present critique analyzes the assumptions of the PENS report and its interpretations of the APA Ethics Code. We demonstrate that it presents only one (and not particularly representative) side of a complex set of ethical issues. We conclude with a discussion of more appropriate psychological contributions to national security and world peace that better respect and preserve human rights.

[Efficiency of the patient's signature in examinations performed by the occupational medicine doctor]

BACKGROUND

A special relationship occurring between the doctor and the patient, besides many stipulations of the ethical nature, is controlled by numerous legal regulations. In the Polish legislative system, there are no clear and unequivocal regulations that would precisely define the diagnostic-therapeutic process. Communication, namely the exchange of information between the doctor and the patient plays a particular role in this process in which the doctor bears much greater responsibility than the patient, and thus is obliged to provide the patient with the comprehensible information presented in such a way that he or she would be able to interpret it properly.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The analysis comprised the binding legislation concerning prophylactic examination as well as drivers examination. The problem was discussed taking into account the current court judgments.

RESULTS

The doctor should pay particular attention to adjusting the quality, quantity and way of conveying the information to the patient's ability to acquire and interpret it properly. This ability is associated with the patient's personal traits. There are no algorithms for the doctor-patient communication. The occupational medicine doctors are in a better situation as legislative regulations pertaining to specificity of their health services may indicate proper communication between the doctor and the patient.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of this communication has been notified in the legislative doctrine, where the idea of informative mistake has been formed. Such a mistake may have significant consequences especially for the occupational medicine doctors due to the specificity of performed functions. The article discusses legislative aspects concerning the exchange of information at the doctor-patient level, and presents some examples of judgments of Polish courts as well as numerous indications useful in everyday practice.

Towards a policy for human security: psychosocial contributions

Inspired by the correspondence between Einstein and Freud in 1936, this paper focuses on the multidimensional aspect of security, exploring its implications within the psychosocial approach. Reflections are therefore centred on the psychological aspects of conflict, on bio-psychic responses to violent solicitation and on ways in which individual emotions are managed and controlled by the State. Some social and economic mechanisms comprising the present global social scenario are explored: the intermesh between economic/industrial organisations and Security Institutions, and the consumerist economic model and its individual/collective consequences, ultimately environmental destruction. As suggested by Einstein, the creation of a supranational organisation would be an essential step towards an effective and economically sustainable international system. This can be achieved through a process that implies the evolution of cultural parameters and the transformation of national institutions. In this sense, the author suggests a decisive role for civil society organisations such as the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).

Violating ethics: unlawful combatants, national security and health professionals

Violations of ethical conduct

Questioning nuclear waste substitution: a case study

This article looks at the ethical quandaries, and their social and political context, which emerge as a result of international nuclear waste substitution. In particular it addresses the dilemmas inherent within the proposed return of nuclear waste owned by Japanese nuclear companies and currently stored in the United Kingdom. The UK company responsible for this waste, British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), wish to substitute this high volume intermediate-level Japanese-owned radioactive waste for a much lower volume of much more highly radioactive waste. Special focus is given to ethical problems that they, and the UK government, have not wished to address as they move forward with waste substitution. The conclusion is that waste substitution can only be considered an ethical practice if a set of moderating conditions are observed by all parties. These conditions are listed and, as of yet, they are not being observed.

Biometrics and international migration

This paper will focus on the impact of the rapid expansion in the use of biometric systems in migration management on the rights of individuals; it seeks to highlight legal issues for consideration in implementing such systems, taking as the starting point that the security interests of the state and the rights of the individual are not, and should not be, mutually exclusive. The first part of this paper briefly describes the type of biometric applications available, how biometric systems function, and those used in migration management. The second part examines the potential offered by biometrics for greater security in migration management, and focuses on developments in the use of biometrics as a result of September 11. The third part discusses the impact of the use of biometrics in the management of migration on the individual's right to privacy and ability to move freely and lawfully. The paper highlights the increasing need for domestic and international frameworks to govern the use of biometric applications in the migration/security context, and proposes a number of issues that such frameworks could address.

Ethical and social implications of biometric identification technology

This paper discusses the social and ethical aspects of biometrics, using mainly a historical approach. A description is provided as regards the origins and development of the word. Reference is made to the various ways in which it has been interpreted, sometimes very different one from another, and finally to the meaning currently attached to it. The most relevant ethical and social implications are highlighted by giving a brief overview of the contents of the main institutional documents produced both on an international and domestic level in the various countries. The analyses contained in these reports also bring to the fore the main challenges which society shall have to deal with, in the near future and on a long-term basis, as a consequence of the extremely rapid diffusion of those technologies which use biometric data request.

Body identification, biometrics and medicine: ethical and social considerations

Identity is important when it is weak. This apparent paradox is the core of the current debate on identity. Traditionally, verification of identity has been based upon authentication of attributed and biographical characteristics. After small scale societies and large scale, industrial societies, globalization represents the third period of personal identification. The human body lies at the heart of all strategies for identity management. The tension between human body and personal identity is critical in the health care sector. The health care sector is second only to the financial sector in term of the number of biometric users. Many hospitals and healthcare organizations are in progress to deploy biometric security architecture. Secure identification is critical in the health care system, both to control logic access to centralized archives of digitized patients' data, and to limit physical access to buildings and hospital wards, and to authenticate medical and social support personnel. There is also an increasing need to identify patients with a high degree of certainty. Finally there is the risk that biometric authentication devices can significantly reveal any health information. All these issues require a careful ethical and political scrutiny.

Hey Buddy can you spare a DNA? New surveillance technologies and the growth of mandatory volunteerism in collecting personal information

The new social surveillance can be defined as scrutiny through the use of technical means to extract or create personal or group data, whether from individuals or contexts. Examples include: video cameras; computer matching, profiling and data mining; work, computer and electronic location monitoring; biometrics; DNA analysis; drug tests; brain scans for lie detection; various forms of imaging to reveal what is behind walls and enclosures. There are two problems with the new surveillance technologies. One is that they don't work and the other is that they work too well. If the first, they fail to prevent disasters, bring miscarriages of justice, and waste resources. If the second, they can further inequality and invidious social categorization; they chill liberty. These twin threats are part of the enduring paradox of democratic government that must be strong enough to maintain reasonable order, but not so strong as to become undemocratic.

Ethical considerations and proposed guidelines for the use of radio frequency identification: especially concerning its use for promoting public safety and national security

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is quickly growing in its applications. A variety of uses for the technology are beginning to be developed, including chips which can be used in identification cards, in individual items, and for human applications, allowing a chip to be embedded under the skin. Such chips could provide numerous benefits ranging from day-to-day convenience to the increased ability of the federal government to adequately ensure the safety of its citizens. However, there are also valid concerns about the potential of this technology to infringe on privacy, creating fears of a surveillance society. These are concerns that must be addressed quickly, with sensitivity to individual interests and societal welfare, allowing humanity to reap the benefits of convenience and safety without paying an unacceptable price in the loss of privacy.

Destroying the Life and Career of a Valued Physician-Scientist Who Tried to Protect Us from Plague: Was It Really Necessary?

Thomas Campbell Butler, at 63 years of age, is completing the first year of a 2-year sentence in federal prison, following an investigation and trial that was initiated after he voluntarily reported that he believed vials containing Yersinia pestis were missing from his laboratory at Texas Tech University. We take this opportunity to remind the infectious diseases community of the plight of our esteemed colleague, whose career and family have, as a result of his efforts to protect us from infection by this organism, paid a price from which they will never recover.

Bioethics and the national security state

In previous work, I have described the history and ethics of human experiments for national security purposes during he cold war and developed the bioethical issues that will be apparent in the "war on terror". This paper is an attempt to bring these two previous lines of work together under the rubric of the "national security state," a concept familiar to Cold War historians and political scientists. The founding of the national security state was associated with the first articulations of informed consent requirements by national security agencies. My analysis indicates that strengthened consent standards, though conventionally thought to be antithetical crisis, can be seen as an attempt by the postwar national security state to protect itself from critics of expanded governmental power. During the coming years the renewed mission of the national security state in the war on terror should impel students of bioethics to consider its implications for the field.

Big brother is watching you--the ethical implications of electronic surveillance measures in the elderly with dementia and in adults with learning difficulties

Electronic surveillance has insidiously seeped into the fabric of society with little public debate about its moral implications. Perceived by some as a sinister Orwellian tool of repression and social control, the new technologies offer comfort and security to others; a benevolent parental watchful eye. Nervousness at being watched has been replaced increasingly by nervousness if we're not. These technologies are now becoming widely available to health care professionals who have had little opportunity to consider their ethical and moral ramifications. Electronic tagging and tracking devices may be seen as away of creating a more secure environment for vulnerable individuals such as the elderly with dementia or people with learning disabilities. However, the proponents of surveillance devices have met with considerable resistance and opposition,from those who perceive it as contrary to human dignity and freedom, with its connotations of criminal surveillance. In addition, they cite increased opportunity for abuse through, for example, the withdrawal of staff and financial resources from the care of people with complex needs. Implementing these technologies, therefore, has ethical implications for human rights and civil liberties. Optional alternatives to long-term and/or restrictive care, in the context of the practical difficulties involved in caring for those who represent a risk to themselves from wandering, demands rigorous exploration of pragmatic questions of morality, with reference to risk versus benefit strategies. Like reproductive cloning techniques, the mere existence of surveillance technologies is morally neutral. Rather it is the use (in this instance that of health and social care settings) to which it is put which has the potential for good or bad.