Privacy Issues Related to Cyberspace - Term Paper Example

Topic: Privacy Issues Related to Cyberspace Introduction Cyber security has become one of the major concerns for many organizations and even people. The paper tries to analyze the privacy policies of three companies in the mobile industry and they include Verizon wireless, T-mobile and AT&T Company. The paper will describe the organizations and their main missions in the industry, compare and contrast the privacy policies and propose recommendations that better protect privacy of the consumers and give the organizations flexibility. Brief description of the organizations (i) Verizon wireless Verizon wireless is a communication company, which is innovative, connects people and many businesses to the wireless technology and services that are advanced in this era. The company’s advanced wireless network is due to the launching of its advanced 3G broadband network. Furthermore, Verizon wireless communications is the first communication company to provide tier –one wireless in United States. They also built and operated a 4GLTE network, which enabled their customers to access, the internet and be able to media stream faster (Verizon, 2013). This has never been experienced before. This is also extended to the mobile world, which has an improved real time experience. According to Verizon (2013), given that Verizon wireless communication company is the biggest company, the retail connections it serves is about 98.2 million. Moreover, in United States alone, its retail locations are about 1900. In addition to that, the company offers data and voice services to destinations that are more than 200. Historically, the company was founded as a joint venture 2000 as Verizon communications Inc and Vodafone with Basking Ridge as its headquarters (Suzanne, 2012). Mission statement Verizon wireless communication company’s mission is to create an atmosphere where people and businesses are able to communicate with each other. Furthermore, the company is committed to provision of open and full communication to the employees, customers and investors as a leader in mobile communications industry (Verizon, 2013). (ii) AT&T wireless According to ATT&T (2013), the company has been in existence for more than a century. AT&T Company has been to the service of their customers by bringing products ranging from the revolutionary smart phones, to the television services and solutions that are sophisticated to multi-national businesses. The company holds a record for consistently providing reliable, innovative and high quality services and products and superb customer care. Furthermore, their international coverage and offering of phones is the largest. In addition to that, the company operates the largest Wi-Fi network in United States. This includes about their 30,000 hot spots in hotels, restaurants and bookstores .This is compounded with 220,000 global hotspots (ATT&T, 2011). Mission The mission of AT&T Company is to exploit technical innovations for the benefit of the company and its customers by executing next generation technologies and advancement in network it its operations and services. Furthermore, it strives to make people and their world to connect everywhere, be it their place of work or places which they live. It also strives to do it better than it has ever been done by anyone else before (ATT&T, 2013). (iii) T-Mobile According to T-Mobile (2013), T- Mobile company is one of the provider of voice communication services which are wireless in the United States .It has subsidiaries, affiliates and operating companies across the globe. The company has spread its wings to 22 countries where it provides customers with products and services such as internet, branded telephones, Voip services and engages in sale of televisions under the U- verse brand. The major consumers of the company include the corporate, governments and public sector and they use the services such as the managed network, conferencing and wholesale communication services. Mission The mission of the company is to help their customers build networks and richer relationships with things and people who matter to them most. Their plan’s value and their network’s reliability and the quality of their services are to make their customers stick together with the people who influence their lives (T-Mobile 2013). Similarities among the organizations privacy policies 1. The privacy policies of the three companies in the mobile industry (Verizon wireless, AT&T company and T-Mobile) are to protect their customers privacy and all the companies are committed to them. The policies are designed to inform the customers on the type of information they collect, how they are used and the available options to the customers on regard to the collections and use (Network World, 2001). 2. Sharing of personal information According to Samzenpus (2011), all the three companies share information of their customers within their family of companies mainly for operational purposes and for the companies own marketing purposes unless advised otherwise. Moreover, the companies share limited information with companies outside the families of the parent companies like the vendors, their agents and sub contractors and partners. For instance, advertising and marketing (Sara, 2006). 3. Information security The three companies in the mobile industry has administrative ,technical and physical safeguards in place to assist in protection of the data against unauthorized access ,disclosure or use, accidental loss or destruction. Furthermore, the companies constantly revise their security systems for maximum security (Samzenpus, 2011). 4. Information collected and how they are used All the three companies have related and similar ways of data collection and use the information about their customers and the visitors on their websites for many purposes. The information is gotten from consumer interaction with the companies, consumer use of the companies’ products and services and when consumers visit their websites. That is according to ATT&T (2013), Verizon (2012) and T-Mobile (2012). The similarity among the companies comes in the usage of the information. The information is used in to provide, deliver, repair services and products, establish and maintain accounts and billing record of the customers, contact the consumer about better services and products ,monitor statistic of the websites, protect their networks and employees of the customer service and finally establishment of the consumers online accounts (Network World, 2001). 5. Information provided to or used by third part advertisers A cookie is a unique but small text place on your device and enables the website to identify you whenever you visit the company’s websites. Cookies form part of third party advertisers on the three companies .The companies also provide third party advertisers with demographic or geographic information that allow the companies to tailor their adverts .Furthermore, the information does not identify the consumers individually ( Sara,2006). Differences among the organizations privacy policies 1. sharing of personal information According to Suzanne (2012),Verizon Company does not in their privacy policies license, sell or share information that identifies their customers individually with others outside Verizon for purposes which are non Verizon without the consent of their customers. This is also seen in AT&T Company. However, this is contrary to T-mobile Company that shares some personal information with third parties. The differences in the sharing of the personal information is that a company like T- mobile shares and discloses personal information to other third parties like : Agencies of credit reference Agencies of fraud prevention Agencies of debt collection Insurance providers if their client purchased insurance policies through the t mobile company Agencies of law enforcement, courts, regulators and public authorities Emergency services Trusted business partners of the T-Mobile company for purposes of research to understand consumer trends generally and make the company understand their customers better (T-Mobile, 2012). 2. Information security As much as companies like Verizon use their own security systems for protection of their clients’ personal information, this is contrary to companies like T- mobile, which use other organizations to process their customer’s information on their behalf. Moreover, they store all the account details and other information on external servers of different companies (Samzenpus, 2011). Recommended changes to policies that could better protect customers’ or consumers’ privacy (i) Verizon wireless company On the policy of security of sharing of their client’s information, Verizon should consider storing some of their customer’s information on secure servers, which adhere to relevant legislations instead of banking on their trusted single internal, severs which might pose a problem when it crushes or are hacked and the information accessed by unauthorized persons. Furthermore, they should consider use of transmission links, which are encrypted wherever they can to maximize their security (Sara, 2006). Verizon has also a policy of sharing the personal information among the family members of Verizon Company during their sales promotion. These methods of promotion where the company market through emails, postal mail and door to door calls in a bid to advertise and promote their products infringes the privacy of their consumers especially when the mails and emails can be accessed by third parties. Therefore, they should seek customers consent before sending the text messages, door to door marketing of their products and sending of their market related emails (Suzanne, 2012). (ii) T-Mobile The company has a privacy policy that governs the security of personal information of their consumers. T- Mobile company should consider dealing with the customer’s information as a company and desist from involving other third parties. Use of other organizations to process the customer’s personal information on their behalf can compromise the privacy of the consumers. As much as they don’t allow them to use the information for their own commercial purposes cannot be trusted fully (Network World, 2011). (iii) AT&T Company AT&T Company should adopt the following mechanisms to add privacy to their consumers. They should provide a room where a customer can choose to opt out of sharing specific customer information within the partners of the AT&T Company. Recommended changes to the policies that could give the organizations more flexibility to use personal information of customers while still avoiding privacy or liability issues. (i) AT&T Company In a way to restructure the privacy policy of data collection and still enhance flexibility, the companies should embrace data collection through the use of their various products and services and when a consumers visit their websites. That a very easy and efficient way to get data with minimal costs. This way the company would be able to provide, deliver and establish customer accounts and records for bills, contact their consumers faster when there are new products and services and specifically direct a promotion to a particular consumer. This is flexible in comparison to general public advertisement and promotion with no specific targeted audience (Net Work World, 2011). AT&T Company should also enact a policy of sharing the personal information among the family members its Company. The method should enhance marketing through email, postal mail and door to door calls in a bid to advertise their products. However, it should not be done in a way that infringes the privacy of their consumers especially if the postal mails and emails can be accessed by third parties. Therefore, they should seek customers consent before enrolling out their plan to their consumers. The company sending the text messages, door-to-door marketing, executes the program and sending of market related emails to their consumers (Samzenpus, 2011). (ii) Verizon wireless company As a means of policy recommendation on Verizon Company to change some of its policies to enhance flexibility and to limit violation of the privacy of its consumers, Verizon Company should put into play a security and location services to its consumers so as approximate where the consumers are to deliver their products and services (Suzanne, 2012). Location information can be relayed to the company through the cell ID. This is also helpful when the client dial emergency calls as it ensures emergency services respond promptly to the location of the consumer in distress. In addition to that, the location information Verizon company is recommended to adopt may be used in provision of services that are linked to the locality of the consumer such as the traffic updates and listings of the entertainment. (iii) T-mobile As a means of ensuring accuracy, it is recommended that the T mobile company change its policies to enable the get the correct information from their consumers. The T mobile company should adopt a faster mechanism of updating all the information in their data especially for the youngsters who buy their products and register in their parents identities. When they get of age, they should be in a position to update the information with the company. This will increase the flexibility on the part of the company especially in provision of services and when advertising (T-Mobile, 2012). References AT&T. (2011). AT&T Sustainability Report: Frequently Requested information. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from http://www.att.com/gen/corporate-citizenship?pid=18039 . Sara K. G. (2006). Business Post: Technology. Concerns Raised over AT&T privacy policy. The Washington Post. June 26. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from www.washingtonpost.com . ATT&T. (2013). International public policy: ATT&T International Public Affairs Privacy Statement. Retrieved on 5th April 5, 2013 from www.attpublicpolicy.eu . Verizon. (2013). Privacy Policy Summary. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from https://www22.verizon.com/about/privacy/. Suzanne .C. (2012).Technology: Why you should check your Verizon wireless privacy settings Right now. NBC News. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from www.nbcnews.com . Samzenpus. (2011). Slashdot: Verizon Changes Privacy Policy. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from yro.slashdot.org. Network World. (2001). Management Strategies. Privacy Protector. Network World. Minnesota. IDG Network World publishers’ pp57. T-Mobile. (2012). Privacy Policy. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from www.t-mobile.co.uk. T-Mobile. (2012). T-Mobile USA Inc: Privacy Policy. Retrieved on 5th April 2013 from webpage.pace.edu . Read More