Policy Issue Assessment: Consumer Privacy - Term Paper Example

This is the ease of modernity as e-commerce introduced consumers to transactions by simply swiping their ATMs in tendering payments. But along these developments brought questions on whether or not consumers right to privacy are protected (Henry, 2010). This study is a critical qualitative explication about consumers' right taking into account policies and practices surrounding these modern commercial behaviors of consumers. Consumer and privacy defined Consumers are buyers or purchasers of any service or goods from commercial sites and are economically explained as an important factor in market's value chain.

Their behaviors in the market are influenced by myriad of factors, such as their economic standing, political views, level of environmental advocacy, theosophical beliefs, as well as their physiological status (Perner, 2011; Casquet & Diaz-Mendez, 2010). Their strategic motivation and decision-making, in relation to their needs and wants are also motivating factors in determining their preference over products. As part of micro-economic systems, public policies also direct and supposedly protect the interest of consumers (Perner, 2011).

Policies are also recently improved as social marketing is rigorously influencing consumers at the household level (Perner, 2011; Croitoru & Ristea, & Stegaroiu; 2010). Privacy, on the other hand, refers to specific directives which prohibit disclosure of data and information as part of any business transactions which could be transpiring in commercial areas and amongst banking institutions (Burke, 2001). Privacy is either informational, physical, decisional, or propriety. Informational privacy refers to that information obtained for medical or employment purposes either manually or electronically generated that are supposedly be kept with confidentiality and of protection (Burke, 2001).

Physical privacy, on the other hand, refers to constitutionally guaranteed rights for individuals such as the right to search and seizure and be freed from papparazi-style of media coverage. Burke (2001) likewise argued that solitude is a form of physical privacy which is essential for integral and personal peace. Decisional privacy refers to an individual's right to decide over one's personal welfare like what healthy food to buy or what kind of medication is essential for certain illnesses while proprietary privacy deals with publicity rights, ownership of property or those which cover proprietary over material and intellectual ownership (Burke, 2001).

To cite concrete examples, the European Union (EU) had as a matter of national policy protecting consumers’ right to privacy, among other rights. US Court have interpreted that consumer’s rights to privacy are already inherent in statutory provisions which is inclusive of to information and correspondence whether actually done or through technological mediation. The right to privacy is in fact broad and susceptible to varied interpretation that some economists perceived that privacy provide such liberty for capitalists to invoke such right against advocacy or policies on transparency.

On the other hand, consumers argue that their rights to privacy protect them from unscrupulous capitalists who had been using consumer data base in strategically advancing their business interests in the market. Hence, in EU, authorities uphold Federal Trade Commission