Not knowing or caring about these issues may bring about loss of confidential information and lasting damage to their business reputation. In this post, you will talk about the following:
1) Think of 2 to 3 ways in which businesses may violate privacy or ethical rights without realizing it.
- Spamming - Sending out thousands and even hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e-mails, a source of nuisance and a drain on productivity for individuals and businesses.
- Web sites may track the activities of visitors, such as their spending and visiting habits. They may offer this information to advertisers without the knowledge of their visitors.
- Search engines remember the search data of users according to I.P. address. It is possible for someone to find out your interests or your plans based on the keywords you have been searching for on a search engine.
2) How can the violations mentioned in the previous question be avoided or minimized ?
- The Hong Kong Government has launched the "STEPS" campaign to contain the problem of spamming. They organise seminars, conferences and exhibitions to promote the latest anti-spam technical solutions to all users.
- Opt-in model - Businesses do not collect/use any personal information unless the consumer specifically takes action to approve information collection and use (e.g. by checking a box).
- Opt-out model - Businesses can collect/use personal information until the consumer specifically requests that the data not be collected (e.g. by un-checking a box on a form).
Businesses should try to adopt the opt-in model as much as possible. This is considered more ethical than using the opt-out model when collecting user information through an online registration form.
回覆刪除Businesses can also post a privacy policy that describes why they need to collect customer data, and what they plan to do with the data.
You are right in saying that businesses must be familiar with government regulations and ordinances regarding spam and user privacy. They should consult the authorities' web site or hotline in case they're not sure how ethical their actions are.