Online methodology is being used for day-to-day meetings, institutional approvals in the administration and for teaching and learning in education sector to the extent telemedicine in the health sector is getting popular with the approvals of the competent authority. No doubt it has advantages and disadvantages for both the beneficiaries and system at large. Describe and discuss the ethical issues involved in the use of online method particularly to vulnerable section of society.

“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” – Christian Lous Lange

While online methodologies offer paperless, and boundary-less world, they simultaneously create a “digital wall” of exclusion.

Advantages and disadvantages

Ethical issues for vulnerable sections

Digital exclusion – “digital apartheid” for rural students during COVID.

Privacy risks – Eg- Aadhar data breach

Children face mental health issues due to increased screentime, exposure to child pornography etc

Informed consent erosion – Eg- Vulnerable users often click “Agree” without understanding data-sharing terms.

Surveillance concerns -Constant AI monitoring can turn a “Welfare State” into a “Surveillance State”.

Difficulty in ensuring accountability for mistakes.

Loss of “Compassion” and “Conscience”- Eg- It cannot “bend the rules” for a starving widow whose paperwork is missing.

Dependency exploitation – Eg- Middlemen charge to fill forms.

Cyber fraud – Eg- rise of digital arrest cases

Cultural barriers – Language issues in online platforms.

Disability access – Apps not accessible to visually impaired.

Psychological Distress- The “Digital Divide” causes a sense of “techno-inferiority” and alienation among the elderly and rural populations.

Online methodologies should be a bridge, not a barrier. The way forward is not to reject technology, but to adopt a “Phygital” (Physical + Digital) approach.