Analytical Essay on Online Privacy

This essay analyzes the issues surrounding online privacy, specifically focusing on loyalty programs. It discusses the importance of privacy protection and the role of individuals in safeguarding their own privacy.

Running head: IT PROFESSION AND ETHICS 1
Assignment 1: Analytical Essay on Online Privacy
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IT PROFESSION AND ETHICS 2
Assignment 1: Analytical Essay on Online Privacy
Introduction
The progression of internet technology has been characterized with an extraordinary
increase in availability of information. The increased online services and instantaneous
communication has considerably made life easier. Nowadays, nearly everything is available
online from banking, retailing, shopping to education. The online service providers are shifting
to a more personal and customized strategies from product centric strategies to market their
goods to reduce service costs. However, such developments may make life easier, they are also
accompanied by their dark sides. The dark side is that such innovations raise questions
concerning ethical value of privacy either through ignorance or through the direct efforts by the
stakeholders to access confidential data without the user’s conscience. The advancement in the
internet could also imply that improper use of internet could be a threat to people’s privacy. This
article seek to explore the issues that have emerged around this subject and offer opinions based
on case studies. In particular, it will present a discussion on the “Retail rewards programs: what’s
the price of loyalty” case study.
What is privacy? What is digital privacy? Describe digital privacy in Australia.
In the background case, two loyalty programs (Coles and Woolworth) are examined by
Australian privacy Commissioner who are found to be awarding privacy notices consistent with
their practices. However, some key issues regarding privacy breach need clarification. On
matters with loyalty programs, people value saving than anything including privacy. But privacy
is an issue that has taken a significant portion of internet since its innovation. It has attracted the
attention of various researchers. Studies view privacy from various perspectives. However, the

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views burn down to the ability of an individual to seclude themselves or their information. The
privacy as far as digital error is concerned is known as digital privacy. The digital privacy
include the protection of the information of an individual that is used in or created through
internet on a personal device or computer. It is concerned with the information available online
about a given individual or a group.
According to studies, 80% of population expound that the loyalty programs are worthy
for the rewards and savings they provide (Yoo, Bai & Singh, 2018, June). This comes after 30
percent of the respondents agree that the program require a lot of personal data. 20% of
consumers however says they would not get involved in the program for the reason that is not
ideal as far as privacy is concerned. A good number are not careful while signing up for the
reward programs. The programs are worthwhile anyway. However, there has been many issues
revolving around the loyalty programs and privacy (Kumar & Reinartz, 2018; So, Danaher &
Gupta, 2015). Cyber criminals have found ways to illegally acquire sensitive information and use
them in various ways.
Other cases pertaining to privacy breach are Cambridge analytica of the US and the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner OAIC breach. The British political data
organization accessed and manipulated for more than 8.7 million US citizens in Facebook in
unethical manner for political gains. A scandal which elucidate a serious breach of IT ethics and
professionalism. In another case, the OAIC reported that personal information for over 10
million Australians suffered a breach. The breach was revealed January 2019 under the notifiable
data breach scheme in the quarterly statistics report (Johnston, 2019).
In the face of digital privacy associated with the loyalty cards, the Australian government
are looking for options to address such issues. The government, as noted in the law library of

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congress report regarding internet privacy published in the year 2012 expound that the Australian
government had launched privacy amendments for enhancing the protection of privacy (Cutler,
2012). The bill entails the requirements that would implement some Australian Law Reform
Commissions ALRC. It was consequently enacted in 2012 and amendments of the privacy act
1988 were executed in the year 2014 (Bassiouni, 2012). However, this may reduce the risks to
privacy, individuals should also take part in the process. This is in the sense that privacy starts
with individuals. It is essential to be careful while engaging in the programs like loyalty
programs.
The issues of concern raised around digital privacy
There are a number of issues raised regarding digital privacy. As much as loyalty cards
may be of great value to users, there are chances of privacy breach, though some uses of the
shopping data may seem innocent enough. For instance while earning some points for a cookie
purchase through a loyalty card, an individual is providing more information about him as well
as his shopping habits to the retail. Unfortunately in certain occasions, the data provided by the
individual can be used against him. The issue concerning the Washington-based fire fighter
occurred in the same fashion. The firefighter got accused through his purchase records which
showed that he bought a fire starter (Dooley & Valiente 2014). In another issue, a retail shop was
sued by an individual after slipping on a yoghurt and shatter his knees while shopping. The
supermarket also hit back by accusing him of being alcoholic based on the records for his alcohol
purchase. This is a clear indication that the loyalty programs cannot assure safety.
Options to consider to ensure digital privacy

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First off, it is essential to understand that trust, privacy and loyalty are linked together
and it is not a new revolution way of thinking rather part of humanity. Research from customer
loyalty programs and privacy demonstrate that upholding customer privacy is a fundamental
aspect in every business (Jai & King, 2016). The word “Loyalty Program” alone sums up the
point of the program; creating loyalty and trust with customers. According to the study, some
customers were making decisions for not involving in the loyalty programs for privacy reasons.
It is essential to take into account a customer’s privacy rights. This can be achieved by
considering the following options.
Retails should practice data minimization. Business should ensure that the data they
collect from customers is strictly relevant for the service they provide. Collecting more
information about users which are not relevant to the business practices may be tempting to
indulge in certain activities which would lead to users’ privacy breach. Besides, the more data a
business collect, the more the burden of protecting the data against privacy breach. On the users’
side, the customers should review the business privacy policies before involving in loyalty
programs. This is in the sense that the ultimate way of users’ to ensure their privacy is the users
being careful about any online activity they are involved in.
The measures to ensure users are protected on platforms like Facebook, Google and iCloud
The platforms like Facebook, google and iCloud are also viable for privacy breach. As
such, it is essential to consider privacy protection measures (Haikin & Abitbol, 2018). Some of
the essential measures for privacy protection for the organizations like the ones mentioned above
involve ensuring a secure account recovery. The account recovery can be a target in such
systems for cyber criminals. This was clearly demonstrated personal data for over 10,000 users
were exposed by twitter through insecure password recovery method (Mwc, 2016). This is not

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unusual occasion. Various comparable issues have been reported. As such, it is essential for the
method for accounts recovery for users reflect the importance a business or organization place on
their customers and ensure that is secure.
Do all people need same level of privacy? Do some, who are more vulnerable in some way,
need privacy more than others?
Privacy is essential for everyone. Besides, everybody have right to privacy.
Organizations, be it a retail or a government agency, should take actions more than ever to
preserve its customers’ online freedoms and rights. This is in the sense that all customers benefit
the organizations thus no one should be neglected neither should a priority given to a particular
individual. As such all people need the same level of privacy.
Do you believe that our legislators should pass new laws to protect privacy, given the new
technologies and products that now collect information about us?
Given the technological innovation, legislators should think twice about online privacy.
Online privacy has been a topic of concern over the last few years due to regulatory actions and
the increased cyber-security incidence like the Cambridge Scandal and the OAIC data breach. In
the midst of the growing incidents, the legislature should make amendments accordingly.
Moreover, the rising public concerns regarding the privacy issues should prompt the law makers
to revisit the privacy acts. Studies suggest that more than 90% of adults believe that they have
lost control of their personal information to various organizations (Bennett, 2018). This was
exemplified in the issues involving Cambridge analytica which hit millions of US citizens. Thus
nations should review the privacy policies with the advent in technology.
Should individuals bear the responsibility of protecting their own privacy?

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In my view, individuals should also be responsible for protecting their own privacy. This
is in the sense that privacy protection is an issue of shared responsibility. Individuals should
participate in the process to protect their personal information as well as the information for
others. Some people may not also understand how their data is collected or used online, in this
case, it is the responsibility of the organization to handle the users’ data the right way. The
organization involved in collecting and storing the individual data should therefore be
responsible for empower its users to control their own personal information, but also take the
step of securing its users data.
Functional comparison between current privacy law in the European Union and in the
Australia
The privacy laws in the European Union (GDPR) and the Australian laws for data
privacy move in the same direction except for some few key differences. The identifiable
difference is that the Australian privacy regulations provide for a few compulsory minimum
limitations for Australian businesses but not for private sectors and agencies with an annual
turnover of over 3 million dollars (De Padirac, 2018). The GDPR on the other hand does not
make this distinction. The two legislations, however concur that data breach assessment is part of
every forensic investigation.
Conclusion
In summary, this essay has presented an analysis on issues concerning internet privacy.
The subjects addressed include the case of the “Retail reward programs: what’s the price of
loyalty?” along with Cambridge analytica Scandal and the OAIC data breach alongside the
interplay of the online privacy. Ultimately, these issues are related to ethics and professionalism

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in the information technology. Based on the analysis, it is recommended that organization
observe ethics and professionalism and ensure people’s right to privacy is not violated.
Individuals are also encouraged to participate in improving their privacy.
References
Bassiouni, M. C. (2012). Introduction to international criminal law. Brill Nijhoff.
Bennett, S. (2018). GDPR: Change to European privacy laws and its impact on Australian
businesses. Governance Directions, 70(2), 85.
Cutler, J. E. (2012). Privacy & Security Law Report®.
De Padirac, B. (2018). The international dimensions of cyberspace law. Routledge.
Dooley S. & Valiente A. (2014 April). “Ex-Fire Chief Convicted of Attempted Arson Says He’s
Not a Pyromanic.” Retrieved on 5th September 2019 from: <
https://abcnews.go.com/US/fire-chief-convicted-attempted-arson-pyromaniac/story?
id=23453574>
Haikin, I., & Abitbol, D. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 10/015,310.
Jai, T. M. C., & King, N. J. (2016). Privacy versus reward: Do loyalty programs increase
consumers' willingness to share personal information with third-party advertisers and
data brokers? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 28, 296-303.

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Johnston, A. (2019). Prevention is better than the cure: Getting privacy compliance right is
essential practice management. Australian Journal of General Practice, 48(1/2), 17.
Kumar, V., & Reinartz, W. (2018). Loyalty Programs: Design and Effectiveness. In Customer
Relationship Management (pp. 179-205). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Mwc. (2016). “Fixing a recent password recovery issues.” Retrieved on 5th September 2019
from: < https://blog.twitter.com/engineering/en_us/a/2016/fixing-a-recent-password-
recovery-issue.html>
So, J. T., Danaher, T., & Gupta, S. (2015). What do customers get and give in return for loyalty
program membership?. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ), 23(3), 196-206.
Yoo, M. M., Bai, B., & Singh, A. (2018, June). Loyalty program effectiveness: investigating the
evolution of behavioral loyalty and customer lifetime value over time. in 8th advances in
hospitality and tourism marketing and management (ahtmm) conference (p. 262).