Reference no: EM133216846

Assignment:

Directions

Read the following two articles:

Social IT Data Lifespan and Value:

"Social IT, especially Facebook, is redefining how people think about themselves and define themselves to others. Sherry Turkle, the author of Alone Together and a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says about Facebook and the new marketplace for personal data: "I can't think of another piece of passive software that has gotten so embedded in the cultural conversation. . . . It crystallized a set of issues that we will be defining for the next decade-self, privacy, how we connect and the price we are willing to pay for it."

What many people who supply these data about themselves may not realize is that that data may exist indefinitely in the ether. Furthermore, the data about personal lives and wants may be mined indefinitely by technology companies. Lori Andrews, in her book I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy, is concerned that the Internet companies are in business for the money and hence they really would prefer to keep their customers in the dark about how their personal data are being used to generate profits.

And what is Andrews' solution? She proposes a social network constitution that can be used to judge the activities of social networks. Her constitution has 10 articles and begins with: "We the people of Facebook nation." Articles such as "No person shall be discriminated against based on his or her social network activities or profile" or "Each individual shall have control over his or her image from a social network, including over the image created by data aggregation" point to the need for people who supply data to social networks to demand respect for the data. Her focus is on rights, but not individuals' responsibilities in keeping private information private.

It could be argued that individuals need to recognize that surrendering their privacy in exchange for coupons, free music, and videos or customized products and services may lead to the loss of something of value-And that the data may remain accessible far longer than they want it to be."

Google:

Google, Inc. had a unique advantage beginning in March 2012. By combining information about user activity from its many popular applications (such as Gmail, Google+, and YouTube), Google algorithms were able to alert users to things that might be of interest. This vast amount of information, analyzed properly, gave Google a way to compete. By combining data with information from Internet searches, Google could better compete against applications such as Facebook.

But this was a departure from its earlier privacy policy. In June 2011, the executive chairman of Google had declared, "Google will remain a place where you can have anonymous searches [without logging in]. We're very committed to having you have control over the information we have about you." This may be possible for users who don't login to a Google account, but for those with Gmail or other personal accounts or an Android mobile phone, it' s more difficult to remain anonymous. Offering a counter viewpoint, Christopher Soghoian, an independent privacy and security researcher said, "Google now watches consumers practically everywhere they go on the Web [and anytime they use an Android phone]. No single entity should be trusted with this much sensitive data."

Please make new thread under Part 2 Contemporary Event and discuss your thoughts about:

1. The idea that we are giving away our information and identity in exchange for minimal items or benefits in return from the companies.

2. Are the trade-offs or benefits worth the benefits of using these kind of social IT services after all we voluntarily participate, nothings forces us to post our lives publicly?

3. Is it ethical for a company to collect this information even knowingly from the user even it if it disclosed to the user they are collecting this information?

4. What are the trade-offs of profit and ethics that businesses face with these situations.

5. Any other examples that you can think of (e.g., apps, websites, advertisements, etc.) that show ethical dilemmas for businesses (links would be great to add).

6. Do you see any ethical issues involved in Google' s recent approach to combining information from a particular user? Why or why not?

7. How have users changed (if any) their behaviors since we are now aware of Google's approach? Does the fact that this information is collected, correlated, and kept essentially eternally make you think twice about using services that participate in this information harvesting? How about public at large?