This is an ethic question, is it ethically correct for cable companies or Internet Service Providers to install software that monitors our activities on the internet or monitor the shows we watch on our Television sets and during the installation of such software, the company service person just clicks off the EULA of the software without our consent? I don’t know what you think but l strongly opposed these activities. I refer to the installation of monitoring software, despite the company that installs it, as spyware. It is important first to understand what spyware actually is. According to a reliable technology definitions site, webopedia.com, spyware is defined as: “Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user’s Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes.” It is my contention that the installation of spyware is not only an example of bad ethics by the development firm, ISP or website installing this software, but is also the number one hindrance to the progression and advancement of the Internet. Spy-ware by nature is a business built on criminal behavior. In sum, what a spyware does is to track information about User’s Internet-viewing activities, and sell this information to companies for marketing purposes. Though there are many spyware programs that get installed in much the same manner as the above case, most spyware ‘sneaks’ its way into a user’s computer. Once installed, the software will gather information that is easily obtainable (web-browsing history, purchases, other applications installed on the computer, etc), and the company can then use this information to sell to other companies. Information of this nature is extremely valuable to an array of different types of companies. Mainly, it’s about targeted advertising. If a company knows they have X number of people on the Internet viewing certain types of sites, they can target email advertising, popup ads and many other types of Internet-based advertising. While working on this case, I’ve experience one of the most surprising work of spyware in my life and l will not encourage the installation of such software on customers modems. So, where is the ethical dilemma? Is it not normal for companies to want to target certain demographics to get more specific with their advertising, thus increasing revenues? I would think so, as we see it every day on TV. Sports programs have beer advertising, family programs are loaded with diaper ads – It’s really an across the board technique in our economy. Though this seems to be a normal business tactic, the ethical questions regarding television, a somewhat passive electronic device, and an active device such as a computer are much different. Computers are storing vital personal information that can be used for numerous purposes, such as banking account numbers, social security numbers, personal conversations and emails among others. The ethical problem with spyware is fairly clear, as companies not only seek out this information, they also trick computer users into agreeing to releasing it. An average computer user generally doesn’t understand all of the legal ramifications involved when agreeing to install a piece of software, and companies know this and feed off of it.You may make the argument that the end-user agreed to install the software, and all terms were specifically stated within said agreement.” So, there is little legal backlash that comes from cheating computer users out of their private information. But in this case, it is the ISP provider who actually agreed to the EULA, and not the end user. In my opinion, despite being legal, this is a huge violation of an individual’s privacy and personal freedoms. It is no different from breaking into a house, and searching through filing-drawers full of personal records. If I leave my front door unlocked, should someone have the legal right to enter my house and take information from me? I tend to think not, and this is how we should view the companies involved in this kind of practice. There are other factors involved in the rise of spyware that raise even more ethical questions than just a violation of privacy. Spyware programs and websites have increased dramatically over the years, leading to an extreme slowdown in the progression and advancement of the Internet. Companies have not concerned themselves with the negative effects spyware has on the Internet as a whole. Not only this, but this is not a problem limited to small companies, or basement hackers looking for a credit card number to scam. The Washington Post has reported in more than one article that major companies have turned to spyware tactics for targeted advertising and information gathering. It may seem cynical to state that we simply cannot trust businesses, however spyware is fairly clear proof that my cynicism is warranted. Spyware on a technical side leads to degradation of computer systems, both web servers and home PCs, consumes massive amounts of bandwidth (a cost almost always eaten by home users and unassociated ISPs) and many other technical problems across the Internet. It is not the companies paying to have spyware applications written that pay the bigger cost, it is the home user. It is also important to note that this is not just on a marketing level. The advancements of programming languages, in particular in web languages plays a role as well. As companies continue to spend money to research better applications for information gathering, advancements that come from this research inevitably leak into the web programming culture as a whole. With this comes a massive amount of scripting-based viruses, built much in the same vain as spyware programs. Most people fully understand the negative impact viruses have on our culture in this day and age, however we need to view spyware in the same exact way. Webopedia defines a virus as: “A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes.” If you compare the definition I cited for spyware, you will see they are very similar. Importantly, both are installed against a user’s wish or without a user’s knowledge. There is currently little legislation that targets spyware developers and companies involved in spyware tactics as a way to advertise and gather information, and though this issue is getting more world attention, it is still something that is not taken seriously such as viruses. In the end, it will still be up to companies to take a stand against this malicious attack on our privacy, and stop using these tactics. Spyware is an example of bad ethics, like many things we see in business, however the impact of spyware is far-reaching and extremely expansive. It slows us down as a society, it blatantly attacks our right to privacy and because companies see results from information gathered via spyware, it essentially sells itself. Until companies take a stand and realize the impact this kind of marketing has on our culture, we will always be a step below our own technology.
