Is it ethical for corporations to collect data about a person's shopping habits without that person's consent?
page revision: 0, last edited: 07 Dec 2017 15:13
The invention of computers was accompanied with a variety of advantages that include sophisticated analysis capabilities, easy communication and accessibility to information through powerful search engines. However, if data is used for different motives than what it was initially intended for it can lead to serious unethical issues. This can come about due to a number of pretexts, especially if the rules governing who can access the information and their motives, is not restrictive or clear enough to guard the interests of the subjects. The authority or individuals who have control over the data may not enforce strict rules and regulations pertaining to or in other instances may not have total command as to whom the data can be availed to. It is unethical to collect information about an individual without their consent as this can lead to abuse of data that may cause severe complications.
Marketers like accessing personal information which they get through collective data together with statistical analysis techniques that can be considered to be sophisticated to predict what customers prefer purchasing. They monitor customer behaviors that have a strong influence the customer’s choice and their continued loyalty. This intelligence is then integrated with detailed information of consumer subgroups and particular individuals to impact their decision to buy certain goods or services. The information they want range from names, phone numbers, emails, shopping habits and addresses. They go a notch further to even ask for more personal information such as the individuals assets in total, age, type of car owned, gender and family situation to manipulate the data to adapt to their advertising and target a particular group.
This type of customer information can be acquired from but not limited to the post office, car dealerships and credit agencies. Department stores, retailers and supermarkets have the ability to track the goods bought by every customer online as well as in-store. Customers who use bank card, store identification and credit cards can have their information linked to their home address, name, gender and other attributes. Information portals such as social networks and Google are the most lucrative information hub. This information is then manipulated and personalized for advertisement purposes in regards to each individual’s preference, characteristics and current circumstances and then delivered online. There are also mobile applications that that are designed to track a user’s real time location and adapted to the current location of the recipient.
It is questionable whether collecting of this information has been given the green light by the customer because the service providers are always observing their online behavior. They store the information, compile it and analyze the outcome and use it solely for the corporation’s own beneficial purposes. They even go to the extent of sharing it with other parties. The companies are always keen to point out that the information gathered is strictly stored under privacy policies or terms of service and insist that whoever uses the services must comply with the terms. But it should be noted that these policies are complex and very long and in most cases the individual is not expected to read and analyze them. It even gets unethical when they are not given the opportunity to accept that they acknowledge the terms. The conditions are often based on all or nothing whereby the customer has to acquiesce to control regarding information that is personal or they are not eligible to use the services. Companies in most cases have been known to change their privacy policies without noticing the customers.
As much as customers of a particular service might consent to their information of shopping habits to be collected it is questionable whether they do it knowingly. To give consent one has to be informed on the totality of the situation and in return freely accept. It is safe to say that most users don’t have the knowledge that every transaction carried out via Google leaves a track record that is permanent and can be traced back to them. If consumers knew the possible outcome is that they would not agree to such an invasion of privacy thus user consent is not freely informed or even well informed. Nowadays it is virtually a necessity that whoever wants the services of a search engine they should accept that whatever transaction they undertake will be monitored, analyzed, stored and cross-referenced and used for purposes that have not been specified. This can be termed as market failure because consumers are not in a position to negotiate hence forced to comply with the terms of the company. A greater problem is those individuals or corporations who sell or transmit personal information to third parties which in most cases is without the consent of the owner. This is a serious issue between those businesses that are conducted online, search engines and individuals who care about privacy.