Consumer Privacy Essay

448 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Digital revolution piracy

In our advancing digital information age, there is an arising problem with preventing piracy at the same time protecting consumer privacy. It is very easy to make copies of copyrighted content and get away with it. At the same time advances in software technologies monitoring web surfer’s activities has pose issues with consumers as to securing personal information and ensuring privacy. Software technologies to provide privacy protection has not been advancing rapidly instead stronger regulations mandate privacy protection. It’s all based on policies or legal agreements.
“I don’t think vendors are going to build in privacy protections if there is no incentive for profit,” said Avi Rubin, principal researcher at AT&T labs. Right now protecting consumer privacy depends on polices and rules-based authorization engine, rather then companies providing the technologies. The industry standard for protecting consumer privacy today is the Platform for Privacy Preferences Project. This project allows consumers to gain more control over personal information on sites they visit. The P3P allows web users to decide whether and under what circumstances to disclose personal information. …show more content…

The reason for this feature is to protect e-commerce transactions. When this feature is activated, the computer’s identifier can be matched against the sensitive information the user inputs, validating the exchange. This will feature will also make pirating software more difficult. Many people are concerned about the privacy implications of the feature and want assurance that the feature could not be used identify users who visit sites without making a purchase and without agreeing to give out that

Show More
Related

  • Online Privacy: Is It Really Possible?

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Engineering and Technology Journal, two engineers, Gareth Mitchell and Guy Clapperton, gave their thoughts on both sides of the privacy issue. Is gathering information violating personal privacy? They made their arguments using currency as a metaphor for personal information and online services a product. Mitchell argues the case that giving out personal information is “too high a price to pay” (Mitchell, 2013, p. 26). He says that despite the option to opt out of cookies and certain information, many sites are more covert and make their opt out option less accessible than a pop up asking to opt out. The site makes it hard for the Internet user to say no to being tracked. Mitchell warns the reader to take more consideration into what information they are giving away and that “privacy is not to be taken for granted” (Mitchell, 2013, p. 26). Getting information from the Internet would mean tra...

    Read More

  • Online Data Tracking: An Invasion of Privacy?

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.

    Read More

  • Protecting the Privacy of Individuals on the Internet

    2538 Words  | 6 Pages

    Over the past decade the world has gotten much smaller due to the electronic communication the Internet has fostered. While this promotes business and international relations, problems arise regarding the protection of individuals’ personal information. Many countries around the world have developed privacy policies and laws protect an individual's information in the realm of electronic communication. Universal enforcement gets complicated because the Internet is not restricted to one country; it’s worldwide. As a result, concerns arise regarding the compatibility of various countries' privacy policies. This paper will discuss the current legislation in place for various major countries1, the existing conflicts between these countries’ policies and the implications these conflicts hold for the protection of privacy on the Internet.

    Read More

  • Modern Piracy and Their Hotspots

    2451 Words  | 5 Pages

    Modern piracy has touched nearly every corner of the globe and has increased with globalization. The tentacles of piracy now extend from South America to the South China Sea. The greatest numbers of piracy incidents occur along maritime commercial trade routes. Since China dominates the world’s container shipping industry, the South China Sea has become a hotspot for piracy (Kraska 2011). The prominence of cargo activity increases opportunity for pirates and indisputably triggered the sixty- nine incidents of piracy that were reported in 2009 in the South China Sea (Kraska 2011).

    Read More

  • Online File Sharing and Internet Piracy

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    The United States of America is a free country, then why shouldn’t the internet be free? Why should we have restrictions placed on what we can and cannot do on the internet? Every day, millions of users share files on the internet through numerous online sources. Whether they download music, movies, or software, online file-sharing can give people access to a plentiful amount of information. These files are often free and easily accessible by anyone. The practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information represents file sharing (Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing and Copyright Infringement: Are You Vulnerable?). Conversely many people see file sharing as unlawful. The reproduction or distribution of any copyrighted digital media or information defines internet piracy. Many people see downloading copyright files such as music, movies, books, and software as illegal. Music files, some of the first types of files to be reproduced and distributed through internet sources, contain the file extension .mp3. Several popular file sharing programs were developed in the 1990s and facilitated internet piracy. Big industries try to combat file sharing to help increase their revenue, however internet piracy actually increases revenue of industries and has numerous other benefits (What Is Internet Piracy?). The copy and distribution of digital files increased due to technology (Torr). Internet piracy, considered a problem all over the world, stands as difficult to stop along with other kinds of piracy (What Is Internet Piracy?). Anything can be digitalized and once something becomes digitalized it will be shared all over the internet (Torr). Canadian and European laws allow for the downloading of copyright files for personal us...

    Read More

  • Participatory Culture Essay

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e same time, the time has come to raise consciousness, support research and standard-setting, and prepare model codes for those systems that do employ privacy-enhancing technologies. The opportunities for individuals to customize privacy preferences, research should be conducted to evaluate alternative arrangements should be generated. On top of that, the digital applications should provide transparent criteria, including ease of understanding, adequacy of notification, compliance with standards, contractual fairness and enforceability, appropriate choice of defaults, efficiency relative to the potential benefits, and integration with other means of privacy protection. Particular attention should be paid to uniformity of protocols across different industries and applications, so that consumers are not overwhelmed by a pointless diversity of interfaces and contracts.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Piracy

    4379 Words  | 9 Pages

    The protection of trade in general has always been considered as essential to the defense of the commonwealth, and, upon that account, a necessary part of the duty of the executive power.

    Read More

  • Essay on Internet Privacy - Cookies and Privacy on the Internet

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, many web sites on the internet can use "cookies" to keep track of passwords and usernames and track the sites a particular user visits (Cookiecentral.com). But, the use of cookies to track user's browsing habits is becoming a concern of many internet users. These concerned people are beginning to think of cookies as an invasion of privacy. Companies with web sites can use cookies to track what sites you visit frequently and then select specific ad banners to send to you on the web while surfing (Cookiecentral.com). Electronic Frontier Foundation's program director, Stanton McCandlish points out, "The potential problem is that companies without a sense of ethics could be doing [the] same thing and selling addresses to offline marketers" (news.cnet.com). The government should realize the hazards of internet cookies and enforce a ban on their use.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Digital Privacy

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    As we evolve in the information age, online privacy rights have grown over the past years. In 1986, a federal law was passed to protect an individual’s electronical information. “This law was produced to make a fair balance among the privacy expectations of citizens and the legitimate needs of law enforcement” (EPIC). With the Internet developing intensely, there is a great deal at stake such as the theft of your identification. But where it all begins is when you access the Internet. This is the first step in being aware of your privacy because you go through the process in signing up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). With this process you have a IP address attached to your ISP. This is the primary step on how your information starts

    Read More

  • Privacy on the Internet

    2274 Words  | 5 Pages

    In recent times we might consider that the right for privacy in one of our major achievements in our society. Unfortunately the same does not apply for the Internet. The Internet once considered a place for free information exchange and sharing, has the potential has becoming the biggest threat to its users. The commercialization of the Internet is one of the major reasons why the chances of a compromise of our privacy have increased. Customer profiling, address trading or simple lack of care with sensitive customer information are just some of the threats that this commercialization has bought to our ‘free’ Internet. Another reason being that with the increase of threats there is a regular change in technology to counter these threats. These changes make it harder for the already overstrained users to cope with the ever changing technology.

    Read More

  • Internet Piracy: Theft of Intellectual Property

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    Piracy is a form of theft. Specifically, it refers to the unauthorized copying or use of intellectual property. Intellectual property is knowledge or expression that is owned by someone. There are three major types of intellectual property: 1) creative works, including music, written material, movies, and software, which are protected by copyright law; 2) inventions, which are protected by patent law; and 3) brand-name products, which are protected by trademarks. Many of the issues surrounding piracy have to do with the difference between intellectual property and physical property. A CD, for example, is a piece of physical property, but the songs on the CD are intellectual property. A customer in a record store can purchase a CD, but someone else still owns, or more precisely, has the copyright to the songs on the CD.

    Read More

  • Lack of Internet Security and Privacy

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Internet privacy and security has become the concern of many individuals throughout recent years. There are a very limited amount of laws that have been enacted to combat computer or cyber related crimes. This has become an issue because as the internet grows increasingly popular so does the criminal and immoral behavior that abounds on it. With these crimes gaining in impact, effectiveness, and frequency, there needs to be more repercussions for these crimes. The United States government needs to increase restrictions on the amount and type of data on individuals from the internet, to prevent the government from invading privacy of citizens and to prevent companies from storing browser histories of individuals, to then sell that information to ad agencies and other companies.

    Read More

  • Data Privacy Essay

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Privacy exist wherever personal information or other sensitive information is collected, stored, used, and finally destroyed or deleted – in digital form or otherwise. The challenge of data privacy is to use data while safe-guarding individual's privacy preferences and their personally identifiable information. The fields of computer security, data security, and information security design and utilize software, hardware, and human resources to address this issue.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues in e-Commerce

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Privacy is the condition where someone personal information can not be documented and be used by others (Parent, 1983). Privacy has been and continues to be a significant issue of concern for both current and prospective electronic commerce customers. The foll...

    Read More

  • E-Commerce Privacy Essay

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Privacy and security of personal data is one of the most difficult challenges that businesses dealing in e-commerce venture face in today’s global world. Though these business sites have little or no interest in private and personal information of the users, but the information collected by them can however lead to risks. The personal information is often provided by users actively and voluntarily such as names, email ids, physical addresses or even credit card information. Though in some cases information is passively passed on by users and even sites to third party, for example some of site banner ads allow third party advertisers to track users browsing habits. But most often websites gather and use the data containing individual’s information without even their knowledge. Main concern of e-commerce business ventures in today’s world is lower the liability risk in regards to the site’s personal information collection practices. In order to achieve the desired success they should constantly determine and examine what kind of information is being collected by the site and should constantly develop privacy policy statement in order to protect the information. Among many aspects of crime on the information superhighway, electronic vandalism, theft, money laundering, electronic vandalism, illegal interception, electronic funds transfer crimes are some examples. In the following paper more insight on privacy issue. Some of these issues, available options and risks surrounded are further highlighted.

    Read More

More about Consumer Privacy Essay

Open Document