Client Data Confidentiality Principle
Class
http://proethica.org/ontology/intermediate#ClientDataConfidentialityPrinciple
Class Hierarchy
- Thing
- ↳ entity (bfo)
- ↳ continuant (bfo)
- ↳ generically dependent continuant (bfo)
- ↳ information content entity (iao)
- ↳ directive information entity (iao)
- ↳ Principle (proethica-core)
- ↳ Relational Principle (proethica-intermediate)
- ↳ Client Data Confidentiality Principle
Definition
Relational principle requiring engineers to protect client-provided information from unauthorized disclosure, including disclosure that occurs incidentally through the use of third-party tools or platforms that place private data in publicly accessible domains, unless the client has given prior informed consent.
Inherited from ConfidentialityPrinciple
Must be balanced against public safety obligations and legal disclosure requirements.
Case Provenance
Discovered in
This class was discovered during extraction of the case(s) above; the supporting verbatim quotes are in Source Evidence.
Properties
Abstract Nature
Open-textured obligation requiring engineers to assess not only intentional disclosure but also constructive or incidental disclosure arising from tool selection and workflow decisions.
Confidence
0.88
Derived Obligations
Assess data exposure risks before selecting AI or cloud-based tools
Inform clients of tool limitations regarding data privacy
Obtain client consent before uploading proprietary information to external platforms
Extensional Examples
Engineer A uploading Client W proprietary site data into a public-domain open-source AI interface without client consent
NSPE Code section II.1.c requiring prior consent before sharing confidential client information
Operationalization
Requires engineers to evaluate whether any tool, platform, or workflow exposes client data to third parties or public access, and to obtain explicit client consent before using such tools with confidential information.
Potential Conflicts
AI Tool Disclosure Principle
Professional Competence (use of best available tools)
Principle Category
relational
Value Basis
Clients entrust engineers with sensitive project information on the assumption that it will be protected; unauthorized disclosure, even unintentional, violates that trust and may cause competitive, legal, or reputational harm.
Property Structure
1 · Object and Data Properties
rdfs:domain on this class or ancestor
| Property | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| establishedBy inherited | CodeProvision | Indicates which code provision establishes this ethical concept. |
| invokedBy inherited | Agent | Relates a Principle to the Agent(s) that invoke it in the case scenario (the parties who appeal to the principle to justify or evaluate conduct). May name several agents. |
2 · Definitional Attributes
SHACL definitional shape
| Attribute | Property (sh:path) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| principle kind | principleCategory | The controlled principle kind, which drives the four-kind subClassOf typing: FundamentalEthicalPrinciple, ProfessionalVirtuePrinciple, RelationalPrinciple, DomainSpecificPrinciple. The canonical leaf label becomes the rdf:type; the category is a routing input, not stored as a literal. |
| extensional cases | extensionalCases | Class-level prior cases that instantiate the principle (McLaren extensional grounding); an optional class-mint field. |
3 · Bearer Attributes
SHACL property shape
individual data
| Attribute | Property (sh:path) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| interpretation | interpretation | Per-case reading of what the principle requires in this situation (a defeasibility-pipeline source field). |
| concrete expression | concreteExpression | How the principle is concretely expressed in the case (a defeasibility-pipeline source field). |
| applied to | appliedTo | What the principle is applied to in the case (the situation or party it bears on). |
| balancing with | balancingWith | The competing principle or value this principle is balanced against in the case, recorded as a literal; extraction records the tension but asserts no defeat or precedence, and the defeasibility edges are materialized by a separate pass from this field. |
| tension resolution | tensionResolution | How the case resolves the tension involving this principle (a defeasibility-pipeline source field). |
| invoked by | invokedBy | The agent who invokes the principle, via the P->Agent invokedBy edge (resolved to a case Agent by embedding shortlist + LLM select; a Board-pattern invoking party resolves deterministically to the case-scoped NSPE Board of Ethical Review Agent). Range: Agent. |
4 · Referenced By
rdfs:range on this class or ancestor
| From | Property | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Action | guidedByPrinciple inherited | Relates an action to a principle that directs it. The principle supplies the value the action is taken to serve. |
| Code Provision | establishes inherited | Relates a code provision to the ethical concepts (principles, obligations, constraints) it establishes or defines. |
| Obligation | derivedFromPrinciple inherited | Relates an obligation to the principle or principles it operationalizes. The obligation gives concrete directive force to the more abstract value the principle expresses (Dennis et al. 2016). |
| Role | adheresToPrinciple inherited | Relates a role to principles that guide its conduct; the role-relative applicability edge of the R->P->O chain (the role determines which principles apply to conduct in that standing). |
Source Evidence
Text references
Per Code section II.1.c, confidential information can only be shared with prior consent of the Client.
The facts here do not indicate Engineer A obtained permission from Client W to use the private information in the public domain.
When Engineer A uploaded Client W's information into the AI open-source interface, this was tantamount to placing the Client's private information in the public domain.
Source text
When Engineer A uploaded Client W's information into the AI open-source interface, this was tantamount to placing the Client's private information in the public domain.
@prefix core: <http://proethica.org/ontology/core#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix pcsh: <http://proethica.org/shapes/core#> .
@prefix proeth: <http://proethica.org/ontology/intermediate#> .
@prefix proeth-prov: <http://proethica.org/provenance#> .
@prefix prov: <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix sh: <http://www.w3.org/ns/shacl#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
proeth:ClientDataConfidentialityPrinciple a owl:Class ;
rdfs:label "Client Data Confidentiality Principle" ;
proeth:abstractNature "Open-textured obligation requiring engineers to assess not only intentional disclosure but also constructive or incidental disclosure arising from tool selection and workflow decisions." ;
proeth:confidence "0.88" ;
proeth:derivedObligations "Assess data exposure risks before selecting AI or cloud-based tools",
"Inform clients of tool limitations regarding data privacy",
"Obtain client consent before uploading proprietary information to external platforms" ;
proeth:extensionalExamples "Engineer A uploading Client W proprietary site data into a public-domain open-source AI interface without client consent",
"NSPE Code section II.1.c requiring prior consent before sharing confidential client information" ;
proeth:operationalization "Requires engineers to evaluate whether any tool, platform, or workflow exposes client data to third parties or public access, and to obtain explicit client consent before using such tools with confidential information." ;
proeth:potentialConflicts "AI Tool Disclosure Principle",
"Professional Competence (use of best available tools)" ;
proeth:principleCategory "relational" ;
proeth:textReferences "Per Code section II.1.c, confidential information can only be shared with prior consent of the Client.",
"The facts here do not indicate Engineer A obtained permission from Client W to use the private information in the public domain.",
"When Engineer A uploaded Client W's information into the AI open-source interface, this was tantamount to placing the Client's private information in the public domain." ;
proeth:valueBasis "Clients entrust engineers with sensitive project information on the assumption that it will be protected; unauthorized disclosure, even unintentional, violates that trust and may cause competitive, legal, or reputational harm." ;
proeth-prov:discoveredInCase 7 ;
proeth-prov:discoveredInPass 2 ;
proeth-prov:discoveredInSection "discussion" ;
proeth-prov:firstDiscoveredAt "2026-06-03T14:08:23.434917+00:00"^^xsd:dateTime ;
proeth-prov:firstDiscoveredInCase 7 ;
proeth-prov:matchConfidence 0.78 ;
proeth-prov:matchReasoning "The existing Confidentiality Principle covers the general obligation to protect client information. This instance adds a domain-specific qualifier about constructive disclosure through AI tool use, which is a meaningful variant warranting a more specific class rather than a direct match. The existing Confidentiality Principle does not address the incidental-disclosure-via-tool-selection scenario, so a variant class is appropriate." ;
proeth-prov:matchedOntologyClass proeth:ConfidentialityPrinciple ;
proeth-prov:matchedOntologyLabel "Confidentiality Principle" ;
proeth-prov:matchesExisting true ;
proeth-prov:sourceText "When Engineer A uploaded Client W's information into the AI open-source interface, this was tantamount to placing the Client's private information in the public domain." ;
rdfs:comment "Relational principle requiring engineers to protect client-provided information from unauthorized disclosure, including disclosure that occurs incidentally through the use of third-party tools or platforms that place private data in publicly accessible domains, unless the client has given prior informed consent." ;
rdfs:subClassOf proeth:RelationalPrinciple ;
skos:definition "Relational principle requiring engineers to protect client-provided information from unauthorized disclosure, including disclosure that occurs incidentally through the use of third-party tools or platforms that place private data in publicly accessible domains, unless the client has given prior informed consent." ;
skos:scopeNote "[ConfidentialityPrinciple] Must be balanced against public safety obligations and legal disclosure requirements." ;
prov:generatedAtTime "2026-06-03T14:08:23.434917+00:00"^^xsd:dateTime ;
prov:wasAttributedTo "Case 7 Extraction",
"claude-sonnet-4-6" .
pcsh:CaseAnnotationShape a sh:NodeShape ;
rdfs:label "Shared per-case annotation schema (all nine components)"@en ;
rdfs:comment "The cross-component annotation fields on committed case individuals: proeth:confidence (extraction confidence, decimal; all components except Action, whose Step-3 contract carries no confidence field), proeth:textReferences (verbatim supporting quotes, universal), proeth-prov sourceText (the source snippet, on the Step-1/2 provenance layers; Step-3 A/E individuals ground via textReferences only), and the involvement gloss (proeth:caseInvolvement on role individuals, proeth:caseContext on obligation, capability, and constraint individuals). Values are per-individual; the fields do not individuate any type."@en ;
sh:property [ sh:description "Extraction confidence for this individual (0 to 1)." ;
sh:name "confidence" ;
sh:order 1 ;
sh:path proeth:confidence ],
[ sh:description "Verbatim case quotes supporting this individual." ;
sh:name "text references" ;
sh:order 2 ;
sh:path proeth:textReferences ],
[ sh:description "How this individual figures in the case narrative (role individuals; the same text is routed into rdfs:comment)." ;
sh:name "case involvement" ;
sh:order 3 ;
sh:path proeth:caseInvolvement ],
[ sh:description "Grounding context in this case (obligation, capability, and constraint individuals)." ;
sh:name "case context" ;
sh:order 4 ;
sh:path proeth:caseContext ] ;
sh:targetClass core:Action,
core:Capability,
core:Constraint,
core:Event,
core:Obligation,
core:Principle,
core:Resource,
core:Role,
core:State .
pcsh:PrincipleDefinitionShape a sh:NodeShape ;
rdfs:label "Principle definition schema (type-level, descriptive, field contract)"@en ;
rdfs:comment "What individuates a principle TYPE: its canonical kind (drives the four-kind subClassOf typing; the canonical leaf becomes the rdf:type) and the extensional cases that ground it (McLaren). The five per-case narrative literals and the invokedBy edge are per-individual and now declared on PrinciplePropertyShape, mirroring the RoleDefinitionShape/ProfessionalRolePropertyShape split so the {{ principle_schema }} prompt separates the type judgment from what the case supplies. Descriptive only (no validation result); principle_category is a routing input, not stored as a literal."@en ;
sh:property [ sh:description "The controlled principle kind, which drives the four-kind subClassOf typing: FundamentalEthicalPrinciple, ProfessionalVirtuePrinciple, RelationalPrinciple, DomainSpecificPrinciple. The canonical leaf label becomes the rdf:type; the category is a routing input, not stored as a literal." ;
sh:name "principle kind" ;
sh:order 1 ;
sh:path proeth:principleCategory ],
[ sh:description "Class-level prior cases that instantiate the principle (McLaren extensional grounding); an optional class-mint field." ;
sh:name "extensional cases" ;
sh:order 2 ;
sh:path proeth:extensionalCases ] ;
sh:targetClass core:Principle .
pcsh:PrinciplePropertyShape a sh:NodeShape ;
rdfs:label "Principle per-case schema (individual data, non-definitional)"@en ;
rdfs:comment "What a principle INDIVIDUAL is described by in a specific case: the five narrative literals the defeasibility pipeline consumes and the agent that invokes it. These do NOT individuate the principle TYPE (that is PrincipleDefinitionShape); their values are per-case, asserted on the individual. Descriptive only."@en ;
sh:property [ sh:description "Per-case reading of what the principle requires in this situation (a defeasibility-pipeline source field)." ;
sh:name "interpretation" ;
sh:order 1 ;
sh:path proeth:interpretation ],
[ sh:description "How the principle is concretely expressed in the case (a defeasibility-pipeline source field)." ;
sh:name "concrete expression" ;
sh:order 2 ;
sh:path proeth:concreteExpression ],
[ sh:description "What the principle is applied to in the case (the situation or party it bears on)." ;
sh:name "applied to" ;
sh:order 3 ;
sh:path proeth:appliedTo ],
[ sh:description "The competing principle or value this principle is balanced against in the case, recorded as a literal; extraction records the tension but asserts no defeat or precedence, and the defeasibility edges are materialized by a separate pass from this field." ;
sh:name "balancing with" ;
sh:order 4 ;
sh:path proeth:balancingWith ],
[ sh:description "How the case resolves the tension involving this principle (a defeasibility-pipeline source field)." ;
sh:name "tension resolution" ;
sh:order 5 ;
sh:path proeth:tensionResolution ],
[ sh:description "The agent who invokes the principle, via the P->Agent invokedBy edge (resolved to a case Agent by embedding shortlist + LLM select; a Board-pattern invoking party resolves deterministically to the case-scoped NSPE Board of Ethical Review Agent). Range: Agent." ;
sh:name "invoked by" ;
sh:order 6 ;
sh:path core:invokedBy ] ;
sh:targetClass core:Principle .
Metadata
Extraction details
Discovered in case
7
Discovered in pass
2
Discovered in section
discussion
First discovered
2026-06-03T14:08:23.434917+00:00
First case
7
Match Confidence
0.78
Match Reasoning
The existing Confidentiality Principle covers the general obligation to protect client information. This instance adds a domain-specific qualifier about constructive disclosure through AI tool use, which is a meaningful variant warranting a more specific class rather than a direct match. The existing Confidentiality Principle does not address the incidental-disclosure-via-tool-selection scenario, so a variant class is appropriate.
Matched Ontology Label
Confidentiality Principle
Matches Existing
true
Generated
2026-06-03T14:08:23.434917+00:00
Attributed to
['Case 7 Extraction', 'claude-sonnet-4-6']