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Internet Challenges to Privacy
Under pressure from privacy advocates, government agencies, and the general public,
many Web sites now post privacy policies. Some sites make their policies obvious and
others don’t. Some sites actually abide by their policies and others don’t. You need to be
careful about the terminology used. Review Altavista.com’s privacy policy
How do these organizations gather the information? By using cookies, a part of every
browser program. If you have Internet access and have ever visited a Web site, you can
bet you have a cookie file on your computer.
Most of the data in the file are unintelligible to you. However, they give information to
Web sites about how you prefer the Web site to be configured, who you are, which Web
site you came from, what you do while on a site, and other information pertinent to the
Web site. You can turn off the cookie option in your browser, but many sites won’t let
you access their features if you do.
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The majority of sites examined by the Journal placed at least seven
beacons from outside companies. Dictionary.com had the most, 41,
including several from companies that track health conditions and one that
says it can target consumers by dozens of factors, including zip code and
race. Dictionary.com President Shravan Goli attributed the presence of so
many tracking tools to the fact that the site was working with a large
number of ad networks, each of which places its own cookies and beacons.
After the Journal contacted the company, it cut the number of networks it
uses and beefed up its privacy policy to more fully disclose its practices.
Increasingly, Web sites are using spyware in an attempt to gather marketing information
about visitors and customers. This type of software is installed directly onto your
computer and sends data to the company about your surfing habits. Unfortunately, this
software can also cause problems with your computer and send information that can be
used in identity theft. If you haven’t yet installed spyware detection software on your
computer you should consider doing so.
Technical Solutions
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According to the law you must inform someone if you are taping a telephone
conversation with them. On the other hand, you can legally record that person’s Internet
transmissions without any need to inform them you are doing so. This type of disparity
exists because our laws have not kept up with emerging technologies. There are some
tools that can help you block someone from tracing your Internet activities as the text
discusses. However, if you use your company’s computers for most of your Web–
browsing or email activities, you may want to check with your Information Technology
department before you install the tools.
Interactive Session: Technology: Life on the Grid: iPhone Becomes iTrack
(see page 170 of the text) discusses the capability of smartphones to track and
report your whereabouts at any time. Apple and Google say that say they do not
share this information with third parties—at least not now. The information is
valuable to advertisers and merchants who want to sell you products and services.
Property Rights: Intellectual Property
Intellectual property issues have been around for hundreds of years. Some of the laws
and policies in place to settle disputes about copyrights, patents, and trade secrets, have
to be rewritten to apply to the Internet. Intellectual property is a result of someone’s effort
at creating a product of value based on their experiences, knowledge, and education. In
short, intellectual property is brain power.
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Copyright laws and intellectual property rights cannot be violated on the Internet any
more than they can in other mediums. Although this isn’t a law class, you should be
aware of the fine line between acceptable and legal usage of materials and the illegal theft
of materials. When it comes to copyright material, the underlying ideas are not protected,
just the publication of the material. On the other hand, a patent grants a monopoly on the
underlying concepts and ideas. Before you use anything, especially any material on the
World Wide Web, make sure you are using it legally and ethically.
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is an organization working to prevent
software piracy and the illegal use of copyrighted material around the world. And don’t
think the problem is limited to the 17-year old computer geek locked in his bedroom.
This crime can be committed by anyone, as this newsclip shows:
Seventeen high-tech professionals were indicted on federal charges for
participating in an Internet piracy ring that hijacked software worth more
Perhaps the most notorious copyright infringement and intellectual property case
in 2000 and 2001 involved the music industry. MP3, one of the most popular
methods of illegally downloading music from Web sites, lost a court battle waged
Accountability, Liability, and Control
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Many of our laws and court decisions establishing precedents in the area of
accountability, liability, and control, were firmly in place long before computers were
invented. Many of them date back to the early 1900s, and some simply don’t make sense
Computer-related Liability Problems
Laudon and Laudon discuss the difficulties the Blackberry smartphone make Research in
Motion (RIM) has had with service outages over the last year. Most users were without
System Quality: Data Quality and System Errors
As we rely on information systems more, data quality issues are gaining importance.
These issues affect you as a consumer and as a business user.
As our reliance on technology continues to grow, we’re bound to run into problems
caused by poor system quality more often and in unexpected ways.
“Facebook’s Sept. 23 outage was caused by a software flaw that crippled
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When the credit reporting agencies screw up your credit record and you can’t get a car
loan, whose fault is it? What if you’re driving down the road, the computer chip
controlling your brake system fails, and you have a rather nasty crash. Who’s at fault?
You, the car company, or the company that made the computer chip? Who is responsible
for system downtime when a popular email program has holes allowing viruses to spread
and multiply; the software manufacturer or the company that licenses the software?
Quality of Life: Equity, Access, and Boundaries
Invariably, when discussing online technology, some students mention their concern
about losing the face-to-face contact with other human beings. We hear stories about
children who haven’t developed normal social skills because they spend all their time in
front of a computer. No discussion about the quality of life issues would be complete
without mentioning the tales of “online love affairs.” Of course, many people lose their
jobs and their way of life because of technology. These are all very valid concerns.
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Computer crime is one area that has been extremely hard for our society and our
governments to keep up with the rapid change. Many laws have to be rewritten and many
new laws must be implemented to accommodate the changes. Computer crime and
abuse extends to any wrongdoing involving equipment and Internet usage. We spoke
earlier about anonymity not being a license for socially unacceptable behavior. You
should remember that everything you do on a network or the Internet is recorded and can
be tracked. Many people committing computer crimes and abuse have been caught and
prosecuted.
Spamming (unsolicited email) has been challenged in the courts by Internet Service
Providers (ISP) as an unfair practice. The ISPs say thousands of these emails clog their
Our government recognizes the danger of allowing unequal access to technology to
fester. It has enlisted the help of private individuals and corporations in the effort to
install computers and Internet access in public schools and libraries all across the nation
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Interactive Session: Organizations: Monitoring in the Workplace
(see page 179 of the text) discusses the pros, cons, ethical, and legal implications
of organisations tracking how employees use company equipment, such as
computers and smart phones, to access the Internet, and which websites they visit.
As managers, you should be acutely aware of the health issues caused by computer usage,
especially repetitive stress injury (RSI). Why? Because these health issues cost
businesses huge amounts of money each year in medical treatment claims and lost
productivity. Carpal tunnel syndrome, a subset of RSI, is the most serious health issue
plaguing businesses. Computer vision syndrome is increasing as people continually use
computer screens and handheld devices that strain eyesight.
As the use of laptops continues to grow, you should be cognizant of the difficulties you
may encounter by using one.
“The very design of laptop computers encourages bad posture among
college students and other heavy users, which can lead to headaches,
muscle strain and debilitating neck, shoulder and hand injuries,
researchers caution.
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Bottom Line: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. If it’s illegal or immoral or
unethical outside the computing arena, it’s probably illegal, immoral, and unethical
in the computing arena. If you are aware of a problem or are a victim of unethical,
illegal actions, and you don’t do something about it, you’re part of the problem. It’s
your new world— use it wisely.
Discussion Questions:
1. Discuss the personal and professional implications of so much individual data being
gathered, stored, and sold. Should businesses be allowed to gather as much as they
want? Should individuals have more control over their data that are gathered?
Answers to Discussion Questions
1. Answers will vary but should include references to the ethical uses and
favor stricter rules in favor of individual control over the data.
2. Answers will vary according to the ISP and the educational institution.
3. Answers will vary, but improvements should include ease of communication (email,
cell phones); ease of access to information (Internet search); making daily tasks easier
4. Answers will vary, but might include: The federal government should be involved in
monitoring the Internet, should pass federal laws to regulate access, but stay out of
5. Answers will vary, but might include holding those who choose to use a technology
responsible for the consequences of that technology, not the providers of the