I would argue both on the side of the author and agianst, mostly agianst.
I think you should be ethical in all parts of your life.
Work should not be treated any different then normal. People say they act differently at work but the studies that have been done show that peoples personality do not change at work but mirror their social life closely.
This being said you have to know where to draw the line. If your boss is stealing pens from the stationary cabinet I wouldn't say anything. With the sinario in the article I would investigate why the boss was doing what he was doing to include asking him why. If the boss was really collecting information to be a whistle blower then sorry this is not illegal activity. It might be agianst company policy but if you know what he does and the whistle needs to be blown and you don't support him then you are as much at fault as the offending organisation. If on the other hand your boss doesn't have a good explanation why he/she is removing the data then your obligation is to inform the company and take appropriate actions (this may include calling people higher in the chain of command and local law enforcement).
The point is to get as much information as you can and make an informed decision before any more harm is done. If you sit on this and your boss is taking information to a competitor then you've failed in your moral obligation.
So while there are many shades of grey most of the time you can tell if the grey is just to dark to stand by and do nothing.
The author hints you should sometimes use the information as barganing chips.....I say this puts you worse then the offender. Because not only did you support their actions, by a lack of action, you are going to take it to another level.
Hope I've been helpful,
Wayne Francis
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