Social and Regulatory issues; privacy and security on the internet
I understand the issue at hand with our internet and identity theft. I understand people are being exploited on the internet. I understand that the internet is the new way to communicate. But if this tool was created to make a better life, than why have our social issues in regard to privacy and security gone through the roof?
I remember a day when our phones were attached to the wall and the majority of our transactions were done through cash or check. Maybe at this time of my life I was out of the loop, however I remember people not having a huge concern about their information and worrying about others trying to take or steal from them. This could be my perception of the times, but people were able to leave their doors unlocked and front doors open. What happened? The internet?
Is the internet to blame for all these issues with privacy and security issues. People have become more relaxed with money and where they put it. People will just bring their credit card and swipe it anywhere and give out the security code to anyone that wear's the uniform of the business they are shopping at. Before it was writing out a check and signing it. Nothing could be done with this document. Then a cash transaction is one and done. But the card, the numbers are recorded , name is displayed, and sometimes ID's are even presented with this valuable piece of plastic.
This is just scratching the surface because all this happens on the internet where people don't even see the individual that is taking their transaction and they provide much more information. What can they do with this? A lot. They can get into itineraries to see when you leave so they can go to your house. They can get bank account information, social security numbers and much more.
What do we do about this is the question. To me, I say, you have to take precaution, and have faith. If you want the conveniences of internet transactions, it would be appropriate to say only use well known companies that have taken the time to establish safe secure purchasing options for consumers. If the website looks like it was made by a child and all they want is your information this should be a red flag.
With internet transactions and businesses there have been some practices and principles that have been established for privacy and security. One example of this is the fair information practice principles which is an international standard in the field of data privacy. This includes 5 principles, as listed by the FTC, 66 are
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Notice/Awareness.
Customers should be given notice before information is collected in
order to allow them to make informed decisions about what to divulge.
Notification should include identification of the entity collecting the
data, uses to which it will be put, with whom data will be shared,
nature of data collection including voluntary or involuntary, methods of
collection, data security measures, and consumer rights with respect to
collection and use of data.
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Choice/Consent.
Consumers should be given control over how information will be used for
purposes beyond the current transaction. This includes both internal
use of the information, such as putting it in a database, and external
use, such as transferring it to a third party.
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Access/Participation. The consumer should be able to view data about himself or herself and to assure that the data is accurate and complete.
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Integrity/Security.
Integrity describes the accuracy of the data; specifically that anyone
who accesses the data at a given moment receives exactly the same data.
Security refers to the managerial and technical measures that protect
the data from unauthorized access and use.
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Enforcement/Redress.
There should be a mechanism in place to enforce these principles of
privacy protection and to provide remedies for injured parties.67 (Roberts, Mary-lou, 2012 )
Mary-Lou Roberts; Debra Zahay. Internet Marketing: Integrating Online and Offline Strategies, 3rd Edition., 2012. Bookshelf. Web. 13 December 2013
<http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781285827261/id/P15-179>.
