Critical Incidents in the Marriage of Psychology and Technology: A Discussion of Potential Ethical Issues in Practice, Education, and Policy

We identified critical incidents in psychologists' use of technology in their service provision with clients. Study coordinators sent messages out to various listservs requesting that practicing psychologists respond to an online survey for their reports of how the integration of certain technology advances (e.g., e-mail, electronic health records, social-networking websites, etc.) may have compromised client privacy or confidentiality. Twenty-eight participants responded to the survey and noted a variety of concerns, including themes of (a) unauthorized access to electronic client records, (b) inappropriate dissemination of client information via technology, and (c) unique client concerns associated with social-networking websites (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, etc.). We discuss ramifications and strategies related to these ethical concerns in education, practice, and ethical standards and principles.