Ethical Observation On Information Privacy

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

1.0 Introduction

Various researchers in recent years, in diverse disciplines ranging from sociology, geography, cultural studies, have increasingly pointed out the increasing impact of the global internet (Hodgson,2003). Due to the rapid development of the information technology, our lives have become more convenient, comfortable and wonderful based on the internet. We can communicate with our relatives in our country through chat room; we can share the highlights with good friends through facebook or twitters; and buying something just means a light click on the online shopping website… However, the popularization of internet also causes several big ethical problems, especially the invasion on users’ privacy. For example, personal information reveal, identity theft will bring the users unexpected troubles. It will be more terrible if the bank account and password are hacked. The users have to bear the huge financial loss. Therefore, the ethical debate on information privacy is always one of the hot spots in the application of the informationtechnology. The article aims to explore the reasons behind the privacy invasion and discuss the ethical issues in this aspect, offering some possible solutions to protect the user’s personal information in the internet era.

2.0 Basic Ideology

2.1 Internet Ethics

According to Spinello (1995, p. 14) the purpose of ethics is to help us behave honorably and attain those basic goods that make us more fully human. Briefly, Internet Ethics focus on how to use the online resources in a right way. Different from the website usage instruction, the function of internet ethics is to guide the users to have an appropriate attitude in website browsing, online tools operating, etc… Then what is the misappropriation usage? For example, unauthorized access to the specific resources, using the email to send out spams that is regarded as a waste of the web resources. And personal privacy reveal is a serious problem. Global networking increases the frequency of internet ethics violation. In one hand, the websites, the forums have adopted the strict policies and measures to protect the user’s privacy, defining what information belongs to privacy and what information can be shared. The administrator takes the responsibility to check the abnormal behavior from the users and has the right to refuse those who have the intention to violate the internet ethics. In the other hand, most countries with developed network have established up special agencies to monitor the internet security and ethical issues such as Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC)in United States. In case the violation is found, the user can report it to the agency. And then the agency will investigate the case and prosecute it if it is severe. The concerned legal provisions have been applied by the court to deal with the ethics violation. More importantly, every netizen shall take care by himself to prevent information leaking through

2.2 Information Privacy

Privacy can be defined as an individual condition of life characterized by exclusion from publicity (Neetling et al., 1996). The concept follows from the right to be left alone (Stair, 1992; Shank, 1986)1 Privacy can be considered as astatus that an individual can keep on his/her information isolated from the any other one, having the autonomous right to choose the target or place to reveal one’s personal information. If a man wants to remainbeing unidentified, we also can call it as privacy. In fact, privacy has a strong relationship with the information security of the individual. Most countries pay great attention on the privacy protection through legislating as it is one basic democratic right for every citizen. For instance, in order to counter these problems relating to privacy and the merging of databases the American Congress passed the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act in the 1980s (Benjamin, 1991).

Collecting an enormous quantity of information, the internet facilitates the appearance of a new concept- information privacy. Generally speaking, information privacy means the information control and security in the internet.This implies security and control of access to the information, of the right to use it, as well as the right to change or add any information (Fouty, 1993). No one wants his information hacked or unauthorized accessed. However, personal information is stolen via specific technology everyday and everywhere in the internet. It becomes an increasingly serious matter. So internet privacy is not only concerned with law and ethics but also the technology level. Internet privacy shall give one the total control over the information he typed in the internet, deciding what can be disclosed to others, what is confidential. Internet privacy shall also guarantee the total safety to the information storage. Without the consent of the individual, no access to the information is possible.

3.0 Typical Privacy Issues

The current internet environment cannot satisfy these two key requirements of the information privacy. That’s why there is so much ethical debate around this topic. One important discussion is about whether the internet development is against the information privacy. Some people hold the pessimistic point that the growthof internet will lead to the death of the information privacy. Rosenberg (1994) concluded that: "Technology continuous to be viewed as a threat to privacy rather than a possible solution".The open online environment attracts more and more unlawful acts aiming at the personal privacy. Thus, the internet usage shall be restricted strictly and even stopped to decrease the ethics violation. The positive party believes that information privacy invasion is aside effect turning up in the process of the internet development and internet ethics perfection. People can overcome the technical bottleneck and make more effective policies to regulate the online ethical behavior. Indeed, it is internet itself that brings the problem of the information privacy invasion and other ethicalproblems. However, internet shall not be absolutely denied by that. Balancing the great convenience and huge benefit, internet is an inevitable tendency. In addition, only with the development of the internet, we see the possibility to deal with the information privacy in proper way. Information privacy invasion is not a side effect but an important issue. Through observing several typical internet privacy examples, it is easier for us to explore the truth hidden behind.

3.1 Social Networking

Social networking web is a rising star recently in the internet. Facebook, twitter are the best representatives of this kind of website. Everyone can shall his or her picture, media, feelings to connect to every other before the computer around the world. Many people take it as a big stage to show themselves and launch a super virtual life. With the desire to be noticed, they are willing to release much more personal informationlike living community, vacation time, family members in their space sharing with everyone who logs in their space. The more they show to the public, the bigger the risk of information misuse. Those who have ulterior motive may use publisher’s identity to issue some banned contents in the website or find the publisher’s home through released address to steal the personal belongings.

3.2 Hacking

One major threat to privacy is the raise of so called hackers and crackers which break into computer systems (Benjamin, 1991, p. 7).Hacker is known as the individuals who own excellent technology abilities to exploit and attack weaknesses of the internet website or connected computer. Hacking is the huge headache for the internet safety. Usually the website keeps the confidential information under the firewall or in a secured server. But there always exists some bug found by the hacker to access the information. The war between the safety technology updates and hacking continues from the past to the future. In the past few years, online shopping websites and digital product private network emerge, which holds a lot of personal information of the consumers. Hired by the benefit group, they become the main targets by the hackers. A well-known example in 2011, Sony Play Station network was hacked and more than 100 million users were concerned with this accident. Many of them suffered the personal information loss such as basic information and even credit card number. Luckily, the hackers didn’t attempt to use the information for crime. It turned out that they just took it as a revenge for Sony lawsuit against one famous hacker with the intention to crack PS3, Sony newest TV game console.

3.3 Cookie Tracking

It is convenient for users to store the account information in the cookie if he prefers the website, and then he can directly log in the website and skip the logging step. In the view of the user, cookie is just a helper for them to browse the internet more efficiently because it can send the information to the website to remember the user’s preference of recent viewing. In present day, cookie information has been hunted eagerly by the malicious parties.Imagine that if some party learns about the user’s website visiting list, the online consuming records, email account and password, even the custom and favor, what the worst can be resulted to ? The electronic enterprises may send the users’spam and launch the advertising bombing to affect the user’s online experience. Some website may link their address in users cookie’s record and user’s browser will turn to their website when click the record. The serious condition is that malware and spyware will sneak into the user’s computer through their favorite website. Then the software will monitor the user’s operation in his computer in the background and return the information to the remoter controller. The controller can use stolen identity to spread unwanted ads or uploadpornographic resources to deteriorate the internet. Worse still, online financial crime mostly originates from the personal information theftIt’s hard to prevent. Some valuable resources require the cookie information to exchange the downloading approval. Some websites store the cookie information automatically without the permission of the users. . Though cookie itself is nothing more than a helpful plug-in module, the cookie information tracking is getting into a big threat to the online life of the common people.

3.4 Information Purchase

It is well known that the main income for most websites is from the advertisers. The website provides the advertising space for them and they paid the money to expect more attention on the ads when the website is visited by the users. As for non-profit website, the dependence on theadvertising is very big. So usually websites consider the benefit of the advertisers to make some adaption to meet with their requirements. In fact, the most attractive element in the website for the advertisers is the user information. Selling user data gradually becomes an extra fixed revenue and return on advertisers’ investment for some websites. The likes and dislikes of the user, the physical location, the favorite web pages, the shopping customs, all these can be absorbed by the advertiser to analyze the consumer behavior to customize the personal advertisement for the user. It is no surprise that the individual will receive some specific oriented ad as their information has been transferred to the advertisers unconsciously.

4.0 Characteristics of Internet to affectthe Information Privacy

Internet provides a new life style for everyone, now one almost can do everything in this virtual world to replace the real world experience. TV watching, commodities transaction, friend communicating, financial account management… In case you have a confirmed identity, you may create a mini social network ecosystem to connect with others online and start the internet life. This freedom and openness of the internet sometimes is misused, information privacy invasion is one specific performance. When the identity information is cracked, the user’s online behavior can be guided or changed. For some benefit group, it is the biggest temptation. Besides, the supplier has lot of power, the website can control the personal information by themselves without detailed restriction and effective surveillance on them, which increase the privacy invasion rate as the consumer has no choice but to type the personal information if he wants to use the website. Illegal phishing websites takes the advantage of being the supplier to obtain the personal information.In the view of technology, the privacy protection lacks somestrict criteria to standardize the information encryption level and enforce every website to implement. Some sites with weak system are easy to be hacked.Technology imbalance between the security and hacking is an outstanding problem.

5.0 Ethical Exploration on Information Privacy

Ultimately, information privacy is a problem in internet ethics domain. The wrong attitude on the internet determines the endless emergence of the privacy invasion. It is more urgent to establish up a set of ethics norm correct the ideological understanding than developing technology level.

5.1 Benefit Driven

Chasing great amount of profit hidden by the personal information is the real driving power of the information privacy invasion. Severe punishment measure is one way to stop and warn the ones intending to take the illegal action to gain the personal information. Unfortunately, there’s no very detailed specific law to regulate the punishment and restrain the benefit driven privacy invasion. As internet connects every country in the world, the law shall also be universal in every region to avoid the malicious partyswarming into where the punishment is light.

5.2 Dead Line

There is no way to exterminate hackers. Their existence is an essential part for the internet. Actually, the hacker’s attack usually is the personal behavior with no commercial intention or crime motives. From the example of Sony network we may understand the free and personalized style of the hackers. But there must be a dead line agreed between website and hackers to tell them what the websites can bear and what the hackers shall not do in the internet community. Personal privacy is certainly banned. The dead line is more like a gentlemen’s agreement to correspond with the operating style of the hackers. If you cross the line, sorry, we will deal it with the law concerned. A government also has the right to gather private and personal information from its citizens with the aim of ensuring order and harmony in society (Ware, 1993).But the government now controls the whole internet and there is always argument whether the government shall collect all the users’ information, which also requires a deadline between the government control and privacy. What contents can be open to the government and what information shall be closed in case the emergency.

5.3 Complete Anonymity

Some point rises in these years, proposing to use complete anonymity in the internet to avoid the possible internet privacy problems. Frankly speaking, it is an extreme action. It means that a person gains the complete closure on his information while performing the internet activities. But it is not the real intent of the information privacy, which entitles the person the power both over the openness and closure. Though the complete anonymity can free the users from the website tracking, it causes some other problems. With the fake name or anonymity identity, one will become less responsible for his behavior in the internet. He can leave the wrong information in the chat room or publish false opinion in the blog, forum without worrying being found. Then the anonymity gives the wrong right to the individual to confuse the public order. So the complete anonymity is unacceptable. The real information privacy has dual purpose, protection and responsibility.

6.0 Conclusion

Information Privacy is an ethical problem brought with the population of the internet. Triggered by the characteristics of the internet, determined by the internet ethics, information privacy is certainly grows with the internet development. With the help of the technology and legislation measure, internet ethical principal is the right solution to the information privacy.

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