Privacy's Tipping Point: Ethical Considerations in Cybercrime

This essay explores the ethical implications of privacy breaches in the digital age, focusing on the potential tipping point in 2016. It examines the issue through the lens of various ethical theories, including utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and contract theory. The essay analyzes the impact of data collection practices by companies like Google and Facebook, highlighting the tension between user privacy and corporate revenue models. It also discusses the role of regulations and policies in protecting user privacy and mitigating the risks of cybercrime. The essay concludes with recommendations for individuals and organizations to navigate the evolving landscape of online privacy.

Privacy will hit tipping point in 2016
Assignment 3: Applying Ethical Theory
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Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................2
Utilitarianism Perspective..................................................................................................5
Deontology Perspective.....................................................................................................5
Virtue theory.......................................................................................................................6
Contract Perspective.........................................................................................................6
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................7
References.........................................................................................................................8
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Introduction
This Essay discusses the role of Ethics in the cybercrime. This article relates to the
privacy that can be a tipping point. The business collects the data and store; they
can have the risk of hackers. It also provides the certain recommendations that
include the different trends. This article can be reviewed on the theory of ethics. It
also provides the recommendations and suggestion to resolve the issues of
cybercrime.
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Ethics can be defined as the branch of philosophy that involves the regulating,
protecting, recommending the concepts of right and wrong. Information ethics can
be defined as the division of morals that can be a focus on the association between
the government, dissemination and the use of material and the ethical standards,
moral codes that helps to govern the behavior of a human in society.
Cyber-crime is the computer-oriented crime that involves the network and computer.
Cyber-crime can be defined as the crimes that are faithful against the people or
group of people, with the intention to harm the status of the object or cause the
victim directly and indirectly. There are different issues involved in the cyber-crime
and that can be high-profile and that can be in way of hacking, infringement. Cyber-
crime is associated with the problems of privacy when the confidential information is
disclosed or intercepted(Marsh, 2017).
The case study concerns with the privacy. Privacy is the state of being isolated from
the others. It permits the discovery of information and identity of the individual. The
internet serves the different means of communication and a platform for the financial
transactions and it also exchanges the data. The privacy includes the information of
the user with security and helps to prevent the disclosure of web without the
permission of users. Privacy can help the user against the threats and also protect
them breach. In another way, it can be used as to disclose the information and thus
invades the privacy on the internet. It gives the rise to ethical issues that surround
the protection of information from unauthorized access (Iqbal & Beigh, 2017). The
invasion of privacy can be avoided by the strict implementation of the law. It
recognises the concerns about the online privacy that can discuss the sociological
issues in day to day life. With the help of technology the regulators can crack down
the companies, consumers to demand the higher protection. It can be observed that
the business that collects the data store have more risk as they attract the hackers
and regulatory oversight that can be considered as the cyber-crime. The internet
companies adopt the different models and also offer the different services of
subscription and more privacy. It can also be analyse that the European Union is
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established to approve the data protection regulation that can make the company
liable up to 5% of income.
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Utilitarianism Perspective
The utilitartian theory is built on the capability of a individual to forecast the significances
of action. This theory can be said correct, if it provides the benefits to the maximum
number of people. It consists of the act utilitarianism and rule utilitarisim. It focuses on
the quality of pleasure not quantity. According to the article, paying for fewer ads with
more privacy is protecting the concern for the safety of the user. There are different
sites such as Google and Facebook they have different frameworks of privacy that
support the model of revenue. According to the study, it can analyse that the user of
Google revenue is low but their utility is high as it provides the pleasure to the advertiser
as well as the user. By blocking the data there can be a protection of private data.
Facebook also charges the same strategy and boost the revenue of the user. By using
this theory, there will be a greater advantage to the users as well as shareholders.
There are certain disadvantages in the utilitarian theory as the individual uses their
experiences to know the predictions but no one can provide the accurate prediction.
Same in the article, it is only the predictions that by adopting the different models, there
will be privacy in the sites, but by adopting these it leads to certain problems(Isaak,
2017).
Deontology Perspective
This theory elaborates that individual should follow or adhere the duties and obligations
when they are engaged in the process of decision making. This theory is based on the
ethical positions that judge the morality of action which was based on the rules. It can
be defined as the duty or rule or obligation as the duties can be bind by rules. Kant
discusses the duty-based ethical theory on the grounds that the individuals are
autonomous and rational. They are the end –in –themselves not means to ends
(Darwall, 2018).
According to the article, fewer ads with more privacy is not harmful to society as in this
case, it provides the benefits to the advertiser and user. It is the responsibility of the
organisation that those individividuals are using the internet and providing the benefits
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to the user that have to know the issue of privacy . There are certain advertisements
that provide the fewer amounts of data for the user. It can be analysed that google has
changed their laws of privacy landscape and Facebook has not followed the legal
obligations and morale. According to the study, it can be also analysed that Ad block
are willing to co-operate with the internet companies as it provide the services to the
user without threating the private data. According to the theory of Kant, it can said that
they are offensive to the duties and claims that will directly harm to the users.
Virtue theory
According to this theory it can be said that the disposition to do the right thing is
effective rather than following the rules or principles. It includes the morals, reputation,
and motivation of persons. It can be argued that the regulatory wrath against the
violators of privacy outline s the importance of regulatory measures that can be
emphasised on the duty towards the user of the internet. According to the article, it can
be analysed that Apple agreed to pay the $32.5 million to customers to settle the
complaint against the Federal Trade Commission. AT&T paid around $25 million to
settle the disputes regarding the breach of data. The policies and practices are clear
regarding the matter of data collection (Little, 2018).
Contract Perspective
According to this theory, the individual has to follow the rules and regulations to live in
the harmony. If the individual can’t follow the rules then there will be negative
consequences that can serve as the deterrence to the wrong thing. According to the
study, it can be analysed that the authorities should obtain the court order or warrant to
access the information of individual via electronic communications and that will be hard
to expand the breach of data notifications and regulations. The clients are also advised
to re-examine the trackers and cookies that can be deployed by the marketers on
various sites that help to collect data.
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Conclusion
From the above article , it can be concluded that the violation of privacy , breaches of
the security of data this all affects the issue of the individual as well as the organisation
in the context of the organisation. It also analyses the different theories of ethics with a
different view of authors. It also provides the certain recommendations which include
the establishment of regulations and policies regarding the violation of privacy that can
be defined as the there should be some measures to prevent the wrong use of software
and internet. It also recommended that the organisation should use the mobile wallet
that helps to protect the user. Ita so provides the protection for privacy in case of fewer
ads and also use the facility of ad blocks that provides the advantage to the users and
advertisers.
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References
 Darwall, S. (2018). Philosophical Ethics: An Historical and Contemporary
Introduction. Routledge.
 Iqbal, J., & Beigh, B. M. (2017). Cybercrime in India: Trends and Challenges.
 Isaak, R. (2017). Green logic: Ecopreneurship, theory and ethics. Routledge.
 Little, D. (2018). The paradox of wealth and poverty: Mapping the ethical
dilemmas of global development. Routledge.
 Marsh, D. (2017). Are Ethical Hackers the Best Solution for Combating the
Growing World of Cyber-Crime? (Doctoral dissertation, University Honors
College, Middle Tennessee State University).
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