NIT2201: Online Privacy Essay on IT Profession and Ethics

This essay, submitted for the NIT2201 IT Profession & Ethics course, delves into the multifaceted realm of online privacy. It begins by defining privacy and digital privacy, specifically within the Australian context, and highlights crucial issues arising from digital materials. The essay examines real-world case studies, including the use of webcams in a Pennsylvania school district, loyalty programs in Australian supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths, and the Facebook data breach, to illustrate privacy concerns. It proposes options for ensuring digital privacy, such as account security, web browsing protection, and software/device upgrades. The essay also explores measures to protect users on platforms like iCloud, Google, and Facebook, emphasizing the need for unique passwords and system locking. Furthermore, it discusses the varying levels of privacy needed by different individuals, especially those more vulnerable, and advocates for stricter laws and the ongoing evaluation of new technologies by Australian legislators. The essay concludes by comparing Australian and European Union privacy laws, highlighting the importance of individual responsibility in protecting personal information and understanding how information is accessed. The essay underscores the critical need for robust digital privacy measures in today's interconnected world.

Running head: IT PROFESSION AND ETHICS
Retail Reward Programs: What’s the Price of Loyalty?
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................2
2 Discussion...............................................................................................................................2
2.1 Defining Privacy, Digital Privacy and Proper Discussion in Digital Privacy within
Australia.................................................................................................................................2
2.2 Issues of Concern that are raised by Digital Materials....................................................3
2.3 Options that are to be considering to ensure Digital Privacy...........................................4
2.4 Measures to ensure that users are protected over platforms like iCloud, Google and
Facebook................................................................................................................................4
2.5 Main Requirement of Similar Privacy Level and More Vulnerable People....................5
2.6 Legislators to pass New Laws for protecting Privacy with newer Products and
Technologies to collect Information......................................................................................5
2.7 Individuals bearing Responsibilities to protect own Privacy and most people
understanding Methodology where information gets accessed.............................................5
2.8 Discussing about Functional Comparison in Present Privacy Law within the Australia
and the European Union.........................................................................................................6
3. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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1. Introduction
Moral principles that are mainly responsible for governing the behaviour of an
individual and even conducting any specific action and activity to systemize, defending and
recommending the various concepts for right and wrong are collectively termed as ethics. The
digital privacy can be referred to as an important and noteworthy need in the company
(Zyskind & Nathan, 2015). This report will be outlining a detailed description on significance
of this digital privacy by undertaking three case studies regarding online privacy after
consideration of few important factors.
2 Discussion
2.1 Defining Privacy, Digital Privacy and Proper Discussion in Digital Privacy within
Australia
Privacy is defined as an important and significant capability of an individual or group
of people to seclude the confidential information or data and thus eventually expressing
themselves in a specific selective mode (Horvitz & Mulligan, 2015). Four distinctive and
subsequent kinds of privacy are present that involve publicly disclosure of confidential facts,
false lighting, solitude intrusion and also appropriating names of the victim.
The digital privacy can be used within such contexts that are responsible for
promoting advocacy over the behalf of customers as well as individual rights of privacy in
respective digital spheres. Moreover, this is also used in opposition of the most relevant
business practice. The digital privacy also makes sure that the confidential data or
information is not getting exposed and the specific business is not losing their data security.
The entire country of Australia mainly emphasizes on laws of digital privacy and thus
they are ensuring that the privacy invasion is being allowed at any cost (Martin, Borah &
Palmatier, 2017). They are hence securing this type of data privacy within limited methods by

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the respective common law of Australia or even commonwealth law and administrative
management in a company.
2.2 Issues of Concern that are raised by Digital Materials
Few important and significant concern issues, which could be raised for digital
materials. These significant issues that are associated with individual, communication and
information privacy could be termed as quite common for these digital materials. In April
2010, a Pennsylvania school district had utilized their in built webcams for monitoring the
utilization of numerous Apple laptops, which were provided to the students and it was found
that there are several online privacy issues (Internet Privacy Scandals. 2019). A lawsuit was
even lodged for this purpose and the school district had to pay 610000 dollars for settling the
case of invasion of privacy.
Loyalty programs in some of the popular supermarkets within Australia such as Coles
and Woolworths are also other distinctive examples of digital privacy. Personal information
can be easily and promptly handled with these loyalty programs, however privacy issues are
also possible here. According to the Privacy Act 1988, privacy of confidential data should be
protected effectively. After proper assessments, it is being analysed that the Flybuys of Coles
and rewards of Woolworths eventually consist of privacy notice and thus users’ confidential
data are being hacked (Retail reward programs. 2019).
The third similar case scenario is about Facebook data breach. In October 2010, the
popular applications like Texas Hold and FarmVille were using users’ ID numbers for
advertising other companies and after a third party privacy audit, it was being analysed that
privacy issues were extremely high in respect to online privacy. This particular issue was
being raised due to the stringent privacy settings of Facebook.

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2.3 Options that are to be considering to ensure Digital Privacy
By properly analysing the three above provided case scenarios of digital privacy, few
important and significant options or alternatives are needed to be considered to ensure digital
privacy and such options are provided below:
i) Account Security: This is the first important option, which can be effective to
ensure digital privacy (Victor, Lopez & Abawajy, 2016). Any type of leakage of password
and username could be quite common for account security. For the case study of Facebook, it
is being observed that the users must have secured the specific accounts for ensuring that
applications like Texas Hold and FarmVille cannot use these confidential data.
ii) Protection of Web Browsing: Web browsing protection is yet another option that
can be effective for case scenarios like Facebook and Pennsylvania school district.
iii) Upgrading Software and Devices: The device and software up gradation is the
third effective option in this case (Weiss & Archick, 2016). In the case scenario of
Pennsylvania school district, the students should have upgraded their devices and software
for reducing such issues any further. The case study of loyalty cards could also be referred in
this case.
2.4 Measures to ensure that users are protected over platforms like iCloud, Google and
Facebook
Some of the major measures that are effective to ensure data security over platforms
such as iCloud, Google and Facebook are provided below:
i) System Locking: In the case scenario of Pennsylvania school district, the systems
should have been locked and free from tracking software so that the data are kept secured.
ii) Utilization of Unique Passwords: The passwords are the most effective measures
for ensuring that data and information of users within digital materials are protected

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effectively (Yang et al., 2013). In the case scenario of Facebook breach and loyalty cards of
Coles and Woolworths, password utilization and regular changing of passwords would have
been effective.
2.5 Main Requirement of Similar Privacy Level and More Vulnerable People
Every individual does not need similar privacy or security level. The most significant
reason is that the individuals carry separate data importance level. A major dependency on
type and position of data is present and thus vulnerable people need more data privacy and
security. Furthermore, these individuals also utilize the information while being on online for
ensuring that the security of data is quite higher in comparison to others (Richards, 2014).
The example of Pennsylvania school district can used for this purpose.
2.6 Legislators to pass New Laws for protecting Privacy with newer Products and
Technologies to collect Information
Australia is using numerous privacy and security laws like Privacy Act 1988, however
data breaches are still taking place (Greenleaf, 2014). To resolve the issues, the Australian
legislators must pass few new rules and regulations that can be extremely strict than the pre-
existing laws. New technologies and products are also needed to be checked periodically to
avoid issues related to digital privacy.
2.7 Individuals bearing Responsibilities to protect own Privacy and most people
understanding Methodology where information gets accessed
All the individuals within any organization or country must bear core responsibilities
towards data security and protection. The most significant reason for such distinctive
responsibilities would be that all individuals are understanding the major significance of the
personal information and thus they will themselves be ensuring that only secured and

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protected information system is being utilized and thus they are successful in maintenance of
data security and privacy from threats and vulnerabilities to a higher level.
Similar examples or situations are often being analysed that individuals are not
understanding the core method, by which the respective confidential data could be collected
and accessed efficiently (Kokott & Sobotta, 2013). Due to this type of activity or action, these
individuals are allowing attackers or hackers to get into the personal systems for breaching of
data. This type of data can be compared to the respective case scenario of Facebook data
breaching.
2.8 Discussing about Functional Comparison in Present Privacy Law within the
Australia and the European Union
Australia and the European Union are similar to some extent in respect to the privacy
laws. Australian privacy law of Privacy Act 1988 eventually refers to handling of any kind of
confidential or personal data about their citizens. All of such privacy laws can set out major
individual rights, obligations and standards for easier handling, holding, utilizing, accessing
and even correct the sensitive or confidential data and information (Victor, 2013). The
respective Australian government or management is quite strict regarding their various
privacy laws or regulations for effectively ensuring that no such sensitive data are lost or theft
under any circumstance.
On the other hand, the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR is termed as an
important and noteworthy regulation in the European law to protect data and maintain
privacy for all individuals within the subsequent European Union. In spite of the fact that few
terms or conditions are different from the privacy law of Australia, the subsequent privacy
law of Europe even ensures higher security as well as privacy of data, thus maintenance of
confidentiality of users’ data.

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3. Conclusion
Thus, conclusion can be drawn that the digital privacy could be referred to as a proper
description that majorly is responsible for encompassing three important sub categories such
as privacy of information, privacy of communication and privacy of individual. Various
significant issues related to security and privacy have eventually become quite important
concern after including some of the new and popular technologies to make personal as well
as confidential information much more easy and accessible to collect, access or manipulate
and also repurpose the information. This above given report has properly described about
online privacy and digital privacy with relevant explanation from three popular real life case
studies.

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References
Greenleaf, G. (2014). Sheherezade and the 101 data privacy laws: Origins, significance and
global trajectories. JL Inf. & Sci., 23, 4.
Horvitz, E., & Mulligan, D. (2015). Data, privacy, and the greater good. Science, 349(6245),
253-255.
Internet Privacy Scandals. (2019). [online]. Accessed from
https://www.networkworld.com/article/2185187/15-worst-internet-privacy-scandals-
of-all-time.html [Accessed on 11 May 2019].
Kokott, J., & Sobotta, C. (2013). The distinction between privacy and data protection in the
jurisprudence of the CJEU and the ECtHR. International Data Privacy Law, 3(4),
222-228.
Martin, K. D., Borah, A., & Palmatier, R. W. (2017). Data privacy: Effects on customer and
firm performance. Journal of Marketing, 81(1), 36-58.
Retail reward programs. (2019). [online]. Accessed from https://www.oaic.gov.au/media-
and-speeches/news/retail-reward-programs-what-s-the-price-of-loyalty [Accessed on
11 May 2019].
Richards, N. M. (2014). Why data privacy law is (mostly) constitutional. Wm. & Mary L.
Rev., 56, 1501.
Victor, J. M. (2013). The EU general data protection regulation: Toward a property regime
for protecting data privacy. Yale LJ, 123, 513.
Victor, N., Lopez, D., & Abawajy, J. H. (2016). Privacy models for big data: a
survey. International Journal of Big Data Intelligence, 3(1), 61-75.

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Weiss, M. A., & Archick, K. (2016). US-EU data privacy: from safe harbor to privacy shield.
Yang, Z., Yang, M., Zhang, Y., Gu, G., Ning, P., & Wang, X. S. (2013, November).
Appintent: Analyzing sensitive data transmission in android for privacy leakage
detection. In Proceedings of the 2013 ACM SIGSAC conference on Computer &
communications security (pp. 1043-1054). ACM.
Zyskind, G., & Nathan, O. (2015, May). Decentralizing privacy: Using blockchain to protect
personal data. In 2015 IEEE Security and Privacy Workshops (pp. 180-184). IEEE.