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November 29, 2006
PAPA
Over the last several years, the realm of technology and privacy has been transformed, creating landscape that is both dangerous and undermining to humankind.. As computer technology advances, it is becoming easier for different institutions to access personal information, and as a result individual privacy faces new threats on human dignity.
In this new information age, retailers are able to track down every customer’s activity, from what they buy to what websites they visit, to determine the kind of sales promotion they should utilize. By monitoring each customer, retailers have the power and knowledge to offer different sales promotions to persuade customers to buy their product. While one customer might be paying one price another might be paying twice as much. Companies such Amazon.com, Ice.com, DelightfulDeliveries.com, and Overstock.com have been constantly mining for customer information or as others might come to think as invasion of privacy. This kind of collecting and distribution is extremely detrimental to human dignity and threatens our privacy.
The solution of securing our dignity lies in the simple acronym-PAPA. Privacy, accuracy, property, and accessibility are the four major issues of information ethics for this information age. To enhance the dignity of mankind, information systems should protect personal information and prevent companies from invading a person’s privacy. Also, there should be laws to limit the extent of information companies can access on the internet. As we do not have people following us throughout our daily lives, we should not have people tracking our every move on the internet.
Posted by annakrem at November 29, 2006 08:07 PM