The Internet and an Ethical Debate on Our Information Privacy - Research Paper Example

ID Lecturer 7) We live in a world where the Internet plays a pinnacle role in our day to day lives. Discuss how the Internet has caused an ethical debate on our information privacy. The role of the Internet in this day and age has become immensely significant. This is because Internet is now being seen as the next big thing after television. People spend their lives associated with Internet in one way or the other. Their lives are linked with its nuances so much so that they are wired on to the different applications and software of the Internet through their desktops, laptops, cell phones and so on. The pinnacle role of the Internet within the lives of the people is tremendously drawn, so much so that there are Internet enthusiasts who just cannot think of anything else other than being connected 24/7. This paper establishes the need of understanding that the world of Internet is indeed an enormous one which has taken into its strides many avenues of life and which do not have a reversible effect attached to them. Whatever happens in the future would be based on the Internet domains as has been evidenced by research within these quarters for quite a period of time now. Also the ethical debate surrounding the usage of the Internet has also been expressed so as to comprehend where the shortcomings and loopholes lie and how these can be plugged to achieve sound results at the end of the day. Internet has become a major force more so because the proponents of this platform have understood the due roles that are attached with it. They have found out that businesses can prosper and individuals can grow and develop in an able way if they make the best possible use of the Internet. This force is being made use of by the people who are at the helm of affairs and that too for a number of reasons, most of which are linked up with the rationale of providing profits and benefits for the sake of the business (Klosek, 2000:85). No business organization in this day and age can make-do without the use of the Internet and there is absolutely no denying this very fact. The huge pitfalls of not making use of the Internet are apparent and can be understood if one sees the business perspective in a balanced perspective. Hence when the understanding is laid out as far as the role of the Internet is concerned, there are many aspects that can be covered fully, and especially within the realms of business alone (Holmes, 2006:116). The business regimes which have banked upon the due use of the Internet have benefited immensely yet the ones which have lost hope in its nuances have fallen short of the expected count, so much so that their business settings have almost faded away. This is important to know because in this day and age those businesses which have not made the best use of the Internet have largely not been able to compete with their rivals and also have a bad word of mouth within their respective stakeholders and customers. These people are quintessential towards the basis of any business because Internet at the end of the day is a force to reckon with. Moving on towards the ethical side of the Internet discussion, it is necessary to know that the Internet has raised quite a few eyebrows every now and then. This is in the light of the ethical haves and havenots which are spoken of. Some aspects are largely accepted by the society when it comes to the Internet while others are flatly rejected. Then again, there are spheres where the critics come out in large numbers. The need is to address the concerns of all and sundry before one moves ahead, with the due role of the Internet in the day to day lives of the people. The ethical debate is all the more necessary to fathom because each and every member of the society has a direct say or bearing within its formation (Thomas, 2002:56). They are essentially playing their due roles within the making up of the Internet and the social media which is a fundamental aspect of the Internet today more than ever before. The changes have happened for quite a few reasons and these have largely depended on the viable role of the people and how they have viewed their life in accordance with the principles of ethics and morality. This ethical debate is being spoken of by people who control the nuances related with the Internet and who have a huge say in deciding what should be put up on its different serves, websites and platforms of social media. They are the ones who eventually decide between the right and the wrong. When it comes to information privacy, the role of the Internet becomes even more magnanimous especially under the ethical debates. This is because nearly each and every Internet user feels that his information is being compromised upon in some way or the other. What this implies is the fact that his information is being leaked all over the Internet and made to sit in the databases to a number of companies, some spammers and hackers and so on. All these aspects are never appreciated by people who believe that information privacy is important for them especially when they spend considerable amount of time over the Internet. With the advent of the social media, this has gone to new dimensions and adopted a practice which was not seen in the past. There are issues that need to be understood before being implemented in a corrective manner (Cowan, 2004:193). Information privacy is being spoken of by people who either believe that Internet should be monitored regularly or the ones who have been affected by it in one way or the other. However, for the sake of comprehension, it is of paramount significance that things need to be scrutinized as far as putting out information on the Internet is related and these activities must always be checked so that any negativity that arise out of the equations are handled in a smooth enough way. The bottom line remains etched in the understanding that no one shall feel compromised upon as far as his privacy domains are concerned as these are some of the most pertinent issues that one comes across on the Internet. There have been restrictions and promulgations circulated on the Internet which essentially dictate how well information privacy issues should be dealt with and what kind of transgressions are simply disallowed from creeping up in the first place. What remains important somehow is the understanding that the people who decide the course of the Internet must not give the permission to dissuade away the users through their unpopular actions (Nesson, 2001:114). The need is to find out how serious anomalies can be taken care of and what steps must always be given the priority no matter how difficult it becomes at the end of the day. There is always a fine line drawn between things that are seen as acceptable within the information privacy tenets and the elements which are shunned away right from the outset of such discussions. These happenings and understandings must always be seen with a broad perspective of preaching more than deterring the cause of creating chaos and havoc if seen from a corrective standpoint. The fundamental rights of the Internet users take into consideration their safety and security because if they do not feel it that way, they are bound to remain offline more than online on the Internet (Jackson, 2001:89). This is not what the Internet stands for and should always be dictated against within the relevant thick of things to create a friendly atmosphere online. Since the world is changing at an alarming rate, it is only normal to understand that same is the case with the Internet. However, when one speaks of the Internet there are bound to be many other factors which need to be considered. One such factor is the amount of information that can be shared across the board. The advent of the social media domains has largely brought the cat out of the bag. This is because now everyone seems to share so much information regarding their own selves, friends and family members that the companies and brands have not found it hard to use it for their own intentions and activities (Bentley, 2008:71). Hence the information privacy and the ethical debates seem to go down quickly which is somewhat of a problematic marriage between the users and the ones who control the lengths and breaths of the Internet. The users therefore have to choose between what is right and what they ought to see as corrective steps within the relevant scheme of things. The ones who complain that their information is being shared must also check the extent to which the sharing is being done on their part as well. This implies that intentionally or unintentionally there is immense information which is being shared by them and which essentially leads to problematic scenarios for them under different circumstances (Fernback, 2005:109). What is needed now is an effort to do it the right way by being ethical, however not many would comply with the same proposition. An attitudinal change is what is needed to make sure that such negativities are kept at bay and that the Internet becomes a source of fostering positive relationships with no privacy issues coming to the fore. The rapid advancements within the social media regimes have meant that the Internet has suffered more than anything else. It has also implied for huge changes happening within the information privacy acts. The Internet’s role has amended with the passage of time more so because the people have started to view it differently. They believe it is now more a part of their lives which was not the case in the yesteryears. Since Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Google+ and other social media avenues have hit the jackpot, the information privacy discussions have actually cropped up for a number of wrong reasons within the spheres of the Internet. What has essentially happened is a furor of sorts because people are being harassed and taken to task wrongly. Their information is being made to use against them and also the crime levels have increased over the years. The Internet has immediately become a whole lot of nuisance for the average user. This has hurt the cause of the Internet and the people associated with it in one form or the other. What is interesting to note is the fact that the world’s leading governing and control authorities of the Internet have not much done when it comes to the social media streams. What has happened meanwhile is that the particular brands like Facebook, Twitter and the like have come up with their own respective terms and conditions where each of these has its own privacy policy and so on. This does not solve the issues which have come up. For the world to see the Internet and the social media as a non-private affair, it is quintessential that the privacy and moral tangents should be handled similarly across the board so that there are no ethical considerations involved under differential circumstances. From a critical perspective, doing away with the realms of the Internet might seem like a first step towards having a protest against information privacy issues but would it solve the problem? That remains a question which has very few suitable answers. What remains to be seen is the ideology behind building an environment where ethical zones are created automatically and not in line with a specific Internet websites, a RSS forum, a social media platform or any other. There must be protocols to make sure that the information privacy discussions are taken care of on a proactive basis. This will help solve the quandaries that people find themselves plunged into whenever such issues surface (Dittmar, 2004:51). The need of the hour is to instill a positive belief all along to make sure that the people feel comfortable more than anything else, and this is indeed quite significant if seen within the discussions surrounding the proper use of the Internet and its ethical debates that also remain very pertinent to comprehend. The need is to find out who causes the uproar when it comes to information breach and how the matter becomes an unethical one. This is the basis of analyzing adequately well how transgressions are made within the relevant quarters and the exact means to discern where the gaps could be plugged at the earliest (Andress, 2003:81). The role of the social media platforms, their owners, the users and almost every other stakeholder involved in such equations is such an important one that one can find out more and more regarding their ethical considerations and matters. This is significant because it caters to the widespread usage of the Internet in such a way that there is more learning and education involved for the users than any kind of breach which might come about. In the present times, the Internet will not come down any bit. However, what must come down is an attached feeling of mistrust and grievance which should be addressed at the earliest. This is so needed because it will eventually solve the irregularities that are involved with the usage of the Internet in a widespread manner. The proponents and supporters of the Internet should always know where they need to pinpoint their energies and how the gaps could be done away with sooner rather than later. This will take care of the queries that people have with the Internet in the name of the ethical issues which are usually making the headlines for a number of wrong reasons. Internet will not shut down and hence it is essential to know that the people need to change their mindset before devising new applications, software platforms and so on and so forth. This will ultimately address the misgivings on their part and the average user of the Internet will also know that he is investing his time and energy in the right direction, and without much breach of his information that is so very dear to him. To summarize the discussion at hand, it is necessary to know that the Internet is a haven for people who want to use it in a negative way. The need is to turn it around and make it a haven for the ones who would like to employ it in a positive fashion. However, this requires hard work and patience on the part of the authorities and the individuals involved with the Internet in one way or the other (Bier, 1980:121). The average user of the Internet must voice his opinion in favor of less disclosure of information so that the world knows where anomalies exist and how best to address them at the earliest. Bibliography Andress, A., 2003. Surviving Security: How to Integrate People, Process and Technology. Auerbach Publications Bentley, C., 2008. The Great Information Equalizer: The Internet Enables People to Easily Exchange Information, Communicate in Real Time, and Organize Their Efforts for Change. The New American, vol. 24 Bier, W., 1980. Privacy: A Vanishing Value? Fordham University Press Cowan, D., 2004. Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet. London: Routledge Dittmar, H., 2004. 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