An online retailer has experienced rapid growth over the past several years and has decided to revisit its information security policies. Among many changes, one aspect indicates that customer data can only be accessed by employees with specific privileges. Which ethical concern is addressed by this aspect of the new policies?

Human welfare refers to the well-being of individuals and communities, focusing on the positive outcomes and quality of life. While protecting customer data can contribute to human welfare by preventing harm, the specific policy change highlights the importance of controlling access to sensitive information, making privacy the more relevant ethical concern in this context.

Proportionality in ethics involves balancing the benefits and harms of actions to ensure that measures are appropriate to the situation. While access restrictions could be seen as a proportional response to data protection needs, the primary issue at hand is not about balancing outcomes but rather ensuring that personal data is kept confidential, which aligns more closely with privacy.

Justice pertains to fairness and equality in the treatment of individuals. Although equitable access to data may be a concern, the core focus of the policy change is on limiting access to protect individual rights, particularly the right to privacy, rather than on issues of fair treatment or equal distribution of data access.