According to the Federal Trade Commission, a data broker is a company that packages consumer information from numerous sources and sells this consumer information to other businesses or people (Katz, par 2). Throughout this paper, I will employ course materials, class debates, and lecture notes to analyze a data broker company operating under the name of Spokeo. First, I will also evaluate how and why data brokers, particularly Spokeo, package and sell consumer information. Then, I will examine various characteristics of Spokeo with regards to Daniel Kahneman’s Prospect Theory. Thirdly, I will consider and analyze aspects of Spokeo taking into account William Prosser’s four legal aspects of privacy. Finally, I will discuss what packaging and selling consumer information may mean for consumers’ attitudes and …show more content…
Spokeo gathers personal information about consumers, such as their phone numbers, court reports, social media accounts, home addresses, and emails (Dave par 2). Spokeo compiles consumer information from a variety of sources, including social media networks, public records, and white page directories (Pleitez par 7). Spokeo claims to use more than fifty types of sources to classify data (“Frequently Asked Questions” sec 3). In order to access Spokeo’s collected data on consumers, one must purchase a subscription. This company offers several types of membership services, ranging from four to thirty dollars a month. There are numerous reasons why Spokeo packets and sells consumer information. One of these reasons is to help people reunite with family members, old friends or others (Smith par 9). Spokeo also encourages businesses and non-profit organizations to use their services to find new customers, to identify consumer trends, or to verify a person’s identity (Smith par 13). In addition, Spokeo’s services help consumers to realize their own footprints left on the Internet (Pleitez par
Did you know that almost everything you do on the internet is being tracked and recorded in some way? In the Article, George Orwell… Meet Mark Zuckerberg, by Lori Andrews, Andrews talks about how behavioral advertising, which is the tracking of consumer’s online activities in order to bring custom-made advertisements, is a topic that is concealed to many people and can cause damage. Search engines like Google store the searches you have made and in 2006 there were search logs released which had personal information that people were judged by (Andrews 716-717). Data aggregation is the main way Facebook makes its money. Andrews believes that it’s an invasion of privacy and is not known well enough by the public. This article is aimed at young and new internet users that are ignorant of the possible dangers on the web. Lori Andrews is successful at informing novice users about the dangers of behavioral
The Mabo case was a legal case held in 1992. It was named after an Aboriginal man called Eddie Mabo, who challenged Australian legal system. He fought for claiming the legal rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait inhabitants. From Mabo’s perspective, Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of their land as they occupied and lived in Australia for thousands of years, much longer and earlier than British people’s arrival in 1788. However, after British people took charge of this continent, Aboriginal people’s life went from bad to worse. They had no legal rights and were treated like animals. Their lives were severely threatened. Moreover, they lost their homes although they were the original owner of the land. After ten years
The internet, an unregulated environment where both government and advertising agencies watch your actions and create profiles based on various traits. This is the picture painted in “The Daily You: How the New Advertising Industry is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth,” by Joseph Turow. Turow addresses the issue of how lack of government intervention and poor industry self-regulation has led to a situation where every click is analyzed to the point that even when advertisers omit the users name and address, users are still very much known. Based on these profiles, targeted ads and deals are sent to each individual, creating a class-based system that is defined by what advertisers have concluded the individual likes. The main thesis by Turow
- If all of the options were explored, and patient is given antibiotics and is treated without any pain or suffering than the treatment identifies with the ethnical principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, and veracity. In turn, Mrs. Dawson will be happy with the outcome of the procedure.
Companies doing business on the Web must be certain of their ability to manage the liabilities that can emerge as a result of today's online business environment. This environment includes laws and ethical factors that are sometimes different from those in the brick and mortar setting. The online environment often forms a network of customers who can have considerable levels of communication with each other. Online businesses that break the law or violate ethical standards, therefore, can face swift and harsh reactions from customers and other stakeholders who will quickly learn of the businesses' unscrupulous online behaviors. Online customers also have much more interactive and complex relationships with online businesses than they do with traditional companies. This is because Internet technologies enable companies to build Web sites that can be customized to meet the specific needs of their B2B or B2C customers (Schneider, 2004). Online businesses can use this property of the online environment to manage the legal and ethical requirements of both business and consumer clientele.
The author appear to be moderately perplexed by the fact that American state that they are concerned about privacy but they yet disclose personal information to entities. I would offer that the reason many are disclosing the information, is that business will not offer their services or product without the personal information. One can go to another vendor for service, only to have the same problem repeated. Now what is perplexing, is the authors claim that “a significant number, 11%” (Caftori & Teicher, 2002) of the population believes that corporate owners should go to prison for violations of information privacy. I must say, I never thought of 11% of a population as a significant percentage, but I am just a student. More confusion for the authors is when a computer system that handles big data has faulty output. They use the analogy of an airline, and if they lose your luggage and should receive compensation, but this is not the case when the DMV provides faulty data. This should not be perplexing, with the airline an explicit contract is made with the purchase of the ticket. The airline is transport my body and my luggage to the agreed location without damage or loss. Luggage is tangible. The contents are worth x amount of dollars and the airline pays the individual
Weblining is tracking web user’s information when using the internet, the information that is taken is then used to try to sell items to the user. Carr informs readers on how weblining works: “Already, advertisers are able to infer extremely personal details about people by monitoring their Web-browsing habits. They can then use that knowledge to create ad campaigns customized to particular individuals” (541). This is a method companies use to get their products seen. For example, when one is researching for the latest weight loss product, when that individual goes on another web site they will notice tons of ads about weight loss programs and products. Although this may seem like a great thing because these ads make the individual to research more about the products however, weblining can have a negative outcome. Andrews explain to readers that just because of your race, zip code and the web pages you visit you can: “You might be refused health insurance based on a Google search you did about a medical condition. You might be shown a credit card with a lower credit limit, not because of your credit history, but because of your race, sex or ZIP code or the types of Web sites you visit” (553). Andrews remind readers that weblining takes away opportunities and privileges simply because of the color of your skin, where you live, and what you research
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.
Levy and Wyer point out through the use of language, facts and emotional appeals that internet privacy has, is and always will be prevalent. Levy’s article has a subtle, sarcastic quality to it but gives both sides of the story and thus more neutral than Wyer’s article. Wyer is clearly opinionated regarding the government invading society’s personal queries. Although both articles give facts, Wyer’s was able to give the audience more facts to compel his audience to action whereas Levy’s did not.
Papacharissi, Zizi, and Jan Fernback. "Online Privacy And Consumer Protection: An Analysis Of Portal Privacy Statements." Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 49.3 (2005): 259-281. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Frank Bruni and Elinor Burkett: Most of the public may believe that they are lost and helpless in being taken advantage of by companies, which is simply not the case. "The power is in our hands as consumers to change what is acceptable that a retailer or a service person or a manufacturer does to us" (Elinor Burkett). There are many ways in which consumers can prevent companies and the government from infringing upon their rights and violating their right to privacy. In addition to consumers protecting their rights through existing means, many actions and programs should be implemented to help consumers. Despite the fact that companies claim that consumers may intentionally or unintentionally scam their businesses, the federal government should protect consumers and allow them to keep their privacy with enactment of new legislation and programs to be set forth by Congress, recognizing and taking action on old legislation and programs, allocating consumers to be educated in their rights, permitting the public to utilize existing laws, and authorizing consumers to take legal action in order to maintain their right to privacy.
Myhre, Julie. "Technology Is Invading Our Privacy." Direct Marketing News. N.p., 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
This essay will start off by explaining the terms information, governance, and information governance. It will then take a look at the history of information privacy, role that technology has played in the changes of our conceptions of both the private and public sectors use of information. An in-depth look into privacy would take place,and the rights of privacy given to citizens will be discussed. The essay goes further to examine why people value their privacy and how privacy can be protected with different illustrations being used.
The chosen article for this reflection comes from the blog TechCrunch and is called “Data Privacy Just Makes Good Business Sense”. This article refers to the popular growing trend which is the use of Big Data. Big Data is referred to as, “The large volume of data which is collected and stored by organizations for further analysis for better strategic business decisions.” (SAS) This definition has shifted quite a bit over the years as organizations are producing all kinds of new innovations with all this data. This article touches on the fact that businesses may be taking advantage of consumers by taking large amounts of data and creating the impression that its okay because consumers will receive
...try to ensure Internet security. More practically, marketers must try to target consumer groups more accurately. Minimizing unwanted consumer contacts may reduce the intensity and visibility of some dimensions of privacy issues. Last, marketing researchers must attempt to define privacy operationally. Much has been said and written about consumer privacy, but we still have little understanding of what information consumers consider private, why they consider it private, and whether this set of information changes situationally or in response to other factors.