Privacy Issues Related to Cyberspace - Assignment Example

Privacy Issues Related to Cyberspace Table of Contents Serial No. Topic Page No. 1. Introduction 3 2. Brief About the Chosen Organizations for the Study 4 3. IBM and its Privacy Policies Related to Cyberspace 4 3.1. Privacy Policies 5 4. Microsoft Corporation and its Privacy Policies Related to Cyberspace 7 4.1. Privacy Policies 8 5. Oracle Corporation and its Privacy Policies Related to Cyberspace 9 5.1. Privacy Policies 10 6. Conclusion 12 1. Introduction: With newer technologies of communication and information, there are greater dependencies of business organizations as well as different consumers on the use of these technologies that has significantly led to the concerns of privacy of information. These technologies have made it easy for business organizations to collect, store, transfer and analyze the huge amounts of information related to customers visiting their websites. While there are benefits of the uses of such technologies, on the other hand, it is also possible that such collection of information is misused if not properly protected (Quenel, 2004). The use of computer systems and online communications are highly common in the present day organizations. The use of internet has several issues that may be raised in regard to privacy (Privacy in Cyberspace: Rules of the Road for the Information Superhighway, 2004). Online communications are constantly making use of telephone, computers and wireless systems. Internet connections are provided by the Internet Service Provider. Privacy issues are raised through the use of internet since information that is used over the internet may pass through several different computer systems before reaching its destination. However these privacy issues may be protected through different policies and measures that business organizations in the present times have well learnt to incorporate in their systems (Privacy in Cyberspace: Rules of the Road for the Information Superhighway, 2004). The present study has considered three organizations- IBM, Microsoft Corporation, and Oracle Corporation - and conducts learning on their privacy policies and the effectiveness of these policies in protecting the information in the cyberspace. 2. Brief About the Chosen Organizations for the Study: The study has considered IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, for the learning, which are three top software companies in the US. They are also the top three software organizations in the world. Microsoft is known to be the largest software company in the list of the software companies, where the revenues of the company are recorded to be twice as that of IBM. In this list, Oracle stands out to be in the third position after Microsoft and IBM. Studies reveal that in the last few years, the IT industry has reflected significant growths and with a rapid pace in terms of employment facilities, as well in the amounts of salaries provided (Verberne, 2010). Cyber security has become a major concern for business organizations in the present times. Companies are required to put significant attention on the issues of security since they are prone to attacks from the hackers or other acts of information thefts. The consequences of violations in security include the cost of resolving the violation, performing investigations on measures of security, customer notice, network repairs, marketing costs and considerable loss of revenues. The need for protection of security is also necessary since breaches in information can also lead the organizations to face several lawsuits. The policymakers are also concerned and trying to take measures for the purpose of protection and cyber security (Larose, 2012). 3. IBM and its Privacy Policies Related to Cyberspace: IBM or International Business Machines Corporation is one of the leading software companies in the world that helped the information technology to pioneer in the field of technology. The company has shown its capability of adjusting to the ever changing nature of business environment and organizational culture depending on the needs of the customers as well as the organizational employees. It has been more than 100 years that the company has been doing business in the market and handled information as the major function of its operations. With the gradual development in the field, there are greater opportunities and chances of scope in the industry in the recent times. Thus the character of the company has been modified and got developed over the years (History of IBM, n.d.). The vision of the company states: “Through strategic investments in the people, ideas and partnerships essential to outstanding research in strategic areas, Egypt-IBM Nanotechnology Research Center will help build in Egypt Research of globally recognized excellence in Nanotechnology and nationally significant economic importance” (Vision and Mission, 2012); and the mission of the company is “Egypt-IBM Nanotechnology Research Center will build and strengthen scientific and engineering research and its infrastructure in the areas of greatest strategic value to Egypt’s long-term competitiveness and development” (Vision and Mission, 2012). 3.1. Privacy Policies: Considering the need for security of information in the cyberspace, IBM Company has its privacy policies established for the purpose of protection. This includes the IBM Online Privacy Statement, the highlights of which are as follows: The company collects personal information of its customers for various purposes that include processing of their order, corresponding with them, offering them with a donation or in association with an application of a job. The company may merge the information that they collect from the customers with information that they acquired from other sources helping them improve their general precision and comprehensiveness, thereby helping them better tailor their interactions with the customers. The company may also accumulate information concerning the customer’s use of the company’s Web sites with the employment of a range of technologies, including cookies. The company has its focus on fulfilling the requests of the customers. The customers may be contacted for the purpose of surveys to understand their level of satisfaction. These may include market research associated with particular transactions. They would try to provide support to the customers for the products that they purchase from the company. Moreover the company deals with personalization of the experiences of the customers while they make use of the websites of the company. Customers are in the process allowed to express their views in regard to the usage of their information for marketing purposes. That is to say, if the customers do not want, their information would not be used for further marketing activities. Cookies may also be turn off in the browser depending on the choices of the customers (IBM Online Privacy Statement Highlights, n.d.). IBM is a member of TRUSTe in the United States. Also, the company takes part in the EU Safe Harbor Privacy Framework that has been set by the United States Department of Commerce. With the participation of the company, IBM has decided to TRUSTe Watchdog dispute resolution for any form of disputes concerning the compliance of the company with the Safe Harbor Privacy Framework customers (IBM Online Privacy Statement Highlights, n.d.). Thus it can be understood from the policies of the company that IBM is concerned about the protection of the information that they collect from the customers. However, the usage and sharing of that information largely depends on the choices of the customers, since if they do not show disinterest, the information may be used or shared in the market. This is one fact that needs to be considered effectively since this increases the risks and threats of cyber crimes. The various other practices of the company however involve monitoring of all calls, using the customer’s information for the protection of the company’s intellectual property, and others. The Privacy Statement of the company and their practices are planned to offer an internationally reliable degree of security for personal information across the world (IBM Online Privacy Statement, n.d.). 4. Microsoft Corporation and its Privacy Policies Related to Cyberspace: Microsoft Corporation deals with providing their software to millions of customers across the world and is focused towards allowing their software to be used by the customers to deal with new business problems and deliver new solutions to them. The company runs on eight divisions of their business that include: online services division, server and tools business, Microsoft business solutions, Microsoft office division, interactive entertainment business, windows phone division, windows and windows live division, and skype. Microsoft is focused towards satisfying the needs of the customers and deliver products that are necessary for them (Our Commitment to Our Customers, 2011). The mission of the company states that: “At Microsoft, our mission and values are to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential” (Our Mission, 2012). As far as the values of the company are concerned, “As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and partners and have a passion for technology” (Our Mission, 2012). The company feels proud of taking the big challenges that it comes across. Moreover the company holds itself responsible to the customers, shareholders, partners, and employees and respects them through commitments, performances and high quality products (Our Mission, 2012). 4.1. Privacy Policies: Like IBM, Microsoft too has its statement of privacy policies. This statement can be highlighted as follows: Personal information of the customers is asked for in cases where the customers register for certain services of the company. The collected information may be combined by the company with information that other services of the company or other companies have gathered. Cookies and other technologies are used by the company such that customer transactions may be kept under monitoring. The customers are given the choices of ignoring or stopping the promotion emails delivery. One can also make proactive choices allowed by the company or can even opt out of certain advertisements that are displayed to them, depending on their choices. The information collected by the company is used to provide the services that the customers have asked for. The information is also used to inform the customers about newer products and services. However the lists and information of the customers are not sold to third parties and hence can be considered to be secured. Like IBM, Microsoft is also a member of the TRUSTe. The company also assists its customers with knowledge of how to protect their personal information as well as their computer systems (Microsoft Online Privacy Notice Highlights, 2011). Thus it can be understood that Microsoft Corporation not only has its privacy policies trying to protect the information that they collect from the customers, but also selling of this information to the third parties is avoided which provides further security to the personal information that customers share with the company thereby allowing lesser chances of frauds or cyber crimes to occur. Moreover, in case of Microsoft it has been obtained that the company makes use of a variety of security technologies and procedures to facilitate protection of the personal information of customers from unauthorized access, use, or exposure. “For example, we store the personal information we collect on computer systems with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities. When we transmit highly confidential information (such as a credit card number or password) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol” (Microsoft Online Privacy Statement, 2012). 5. Oracle Corporation and its Privacy Policies Related to Cyberspace: Oracle Corporation deals with more than 3,80,000 customers and is focused on providing optimized and completely integrated load of business hardware and software systems and is deployed across several industries in the world. The intentions of the Oracle systems are to offer improved performance, consistency, protection, and flexibility; reduce the cost and intricacy of IT execution and management; and distribute greater output, agility, and better business intelligence. Customers are highly benefitted from the company’s open architecture and multiple operating-system options that provide the customers with high quality products thereby enabling them to build improved infrastructure for their organization (Welcome to Oracle, n.d.). The company has its beliefs in three major principles that include: (1) Simplification: The company believes that organizations need to increase the speed of delivering information with the use of integrated systems; (2) Standardization: Organizations are required to reduce the expenses and maintenance issues through the use of technologies that are available; and (3) Automation: Organizations need to improve the efficiency of their operations taking advantages of the advanced technologies and best practices. The mission statement of the company is: “Deliver the best information with the Highest Quality of Service at the lowest cost” (Ellison, 2003, pp.5-6). Keeping these factors in focus, the company’s products and services and made to be fast, scalable, reliable, secure, and easy to use, for all the types of information in use (Ellison, 2003, p.6). 5.1. Privacy Policies: Oracle Corporation and the subsidiaries and affiliates of the company provide high value to the preferences of the customers in relation to the handling of personal information that the company needs to gather. The collected information from the customers is used for the Oracle.com Web sites as well as involves different interactions of the customers with the company off-line. The privacy policy of the company allows the customers to know about the methods used by the company to collect and use their personal information, and the manner in which the information security is controlled. This policy explains the widest possible use of personal information all through the Oracle.com Web sites and in off-line transactions. Nevertheless, the company may make lesser use of the customer’s personal information as well. Since different ways are used by the company for the purpose of information collection, hence Oracle has determined separate policies for privacy (Oracle Privacy Policy, n.d.). Following are the privacy policies of the company that are purposely considered for the applicable line of business or offering. These are separate and distinctive from the actions that are administered by this privacy policy (Oracle Privacy Policy, n.d.): The services privacy policy addresses customer data to which the company may be provided admittance in order to execute consulting, product support, outsourcing and other services. The recruiting privacy policy addresses information that the company may gather in relation with the efforts of Oracle's employment recruiting. The Exchange.Oracle.com privacy policy addresses information shared in an online commercial trading community. The Profit Magazine and Oracle Magazine privacy policy addresses information that Oracle collects from subscribers to these publications. Oracle also has the license of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. The privacy practices of Oracle, together with the practices addressed in the above mentioned policy and those appropriate to its services businesses, are self-certified to the United States/European Union Safe Harbor Program and the United States/Swiss Safe Harbor Program as expressed by the U.S. Department of Commerce concerning the compilation, use, and maintenance of data from the European Union and Switzerland correspondingly (Oracle Privacy Policy, n.d.). Thus it can be said that Oracle has considered the privacy policies effectively to the extent that personal information shared with the company are protected and frauds and cyber crimes may be prevented. 6. Conclusion: The above study has been focused on an understanding of the privacy policies of three organizations chosen from the software industry. It can be concluded from the study that considering the cyber crimes and attacks that are prevalent in the present times, business organizations are far more concerned regarding these issues. Hence they can be found to take the necessary measures and present appropriate privacy policies intending to protect the personal information of the customers that are shared with the companies as well as organizational information. The application of the privacy policies can be expected to create barriers to a great extent to the cyber crimes and the frauds that occur from external to an organization. As far as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle are concerned; these companies can be found to consider the privacy policies effectively and efficiently towards protecting their customers’ data and hence keep them satisfied to the greatest extent possible. 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