Which of the following scenarios is a circumstance in which it would be ethical to practice confidentiality?
a. your friend tells you her new business idea that will make her rich
b. your coworker tells you they are planning on clocking in early to make more money
c. your boss asks you to email your personal information for non-work purposes
d. your friend asks you not to report that you’ve seen them steal company property

a. Your friend tells you her new business idea that will make her rich

Explanation:

Every day researchers, industries, companies and startups develop new ideas and technologies to improve the production of goods and services, which brings more innovations to the market. For the realization of these tools, it is common to make partnerships with investors and with third parties for the development of the project, which in the future may become true competitors or even disseminate the news.

Along these lines, in order to protect the know-how, industrial or business secrecy involved during the exchange of information, companies sign a document that aims to protect all shared ideas. Thus, the parties undertake not to disclose to third parties, much less use them for their own benefit, the information obtained for the implementation of the project / business.

In practice, such confidentiality may be established in the contract itself that regulates the business through the confidentiality clause or through the Confidentiality Term, usually called the NDA, which comes from the Non Disclosure Agreement. Non-disclosure of the project, in order to safeguard the information exchanged between the participating parties of a commercial deal. And those involved can be individuals; individuals and companies; or only legal entities.