The Case of Spam Filtering

11/25/14 • 44 min

Reading someone else's email, is it ever permissible? What if it is done for the purpose of a mitzvah or to check up on a child out of concern for his/her well being?
Can you read someone else's note which was placed in the Kotel?
Is it permissible to set up a hidden camera to ensure that employees do not steal?

Previous Episode

The Trolley Problem

There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the correct choice?