Know Who is in The Wrong
The case of Adam Allen sharing explicit pictures of his ex-girlfriend is just an example of why you really have to be careful of who you trust. Adams’s ex-girlfriend obviously trusted him enough to share these photos with him. It is clear she will think twice before doing this again if at all. Allen had no right to share these photos and the ex-girlfriend should not be shamed for her acts.
The Hasinoff article highlights details of the case and Adam Allen’s consequences which included him being registered as a sex offender. Just this alone is enough to ruin one’s life. Had he not have just turned 18 before the incident, who knows what the consequences could have been. Nonetheless, when someone trusts you, especially with sensitive photos of themselves, you have the obligation to keep that private. Those photos were meant for you and the person who sent them, not the public. The Rights Approach outlines that based on human nature, we have the ability to make decisions and choose what to do with our lives freely (Markkula Center, 2018). With this said, humans have the right to be treated as ends and not means to other ends. Meaning, people make decisions based on their inherent value (Introduction to ethics). The victim in the case made a decision to trust Adam and he broke that unspoken rule, betraying her trust. The girl made the decision to send those photos and Adam made the decision to wrongfully make those photos public. At a certain point, the right to do whatever one wants needs to be revised. With that said, it is not okay to make decisions that are not your decisions to make. Adam learned that after legal action was taken.
Adam Allen got what he deserves. Noted in the article, Allen claimed, “I was the stupid kid that sent the pictures across e-mail … I was very upset. I wasn’t thinking” (Hasinoff, 2017). Is that supposed to justify what he did? There is nothing Adam can do now that will reverse his actions. You do not just attempt to embarrass, shame, and ruin your ex-girlfriends’ life because you were “upset and tired and it was the middle of the night and I was an immature kid” (Hasinoff, 2017). At 18-years-old, you should know this wrong and you are not just “an immature kid” anymore. You are a legal adult who just ruined your own and another person’s life. The girl, on the other hand, did not do anything wrong. Sexting is not bad as long as both parties are respectful of the content. The girl trusted Adam and did not expect him to share her photos. She should not be shamed for her acts. Although Adam did not ask for the photos, that does not make it okay to share them in a moment of anger to seek revenge.
Hasinoff, A. A. (2017). Sexting and privacy violations: A case study of sympathy and blame. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 11(2), 202–217. Retrieved from https://www.cybercrimejournal.com/Hasinoffvol11issue2IJCC2017.pdf (Links to an external site.). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1037391
Ethics — Introduction to ethics: An end-in-itself. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2020, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/endinitself.shtml
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. (2018). A Framework For Ethical Decision Making. Santa Clara University. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/media/ethics-center/ethical-decision-making/A-Framework-for-Ethical-Decision-Making.pdf
