Negative Implications of Posting, Sharing and Circulation Information Online - Essay Example

Critical Review of Data Dealer Introduction The evolution of technology has brought about transformation on how previous private information is shared and made readily available to the public. The availability of information has led to negative implications where there has been an infringement of privacy. Although information presented online is usually done innocently, it leaves traces and footprints that can be used against a person in the future. There is, therefore, a need to protest against the violation of privacy. The goal of protecting private information has led to data dealer project, which aims to sensitize people on how their information is usually collected and commoditized for personal gains. This paper through its review of the data dealer project looks at the negative implication of posting and circulation private information online, forms of protection by PIPEDA to its Canadian citizens and the effectiveness of the protection. Lastly, the paper gives a realistic representation of data dealer towards the security of online information. Negative Implications of Posting, Sharing and Circulation Information Online Sharing and circulation of information can have shattering and disastrous consequences to an individual's personal and professional life. The location-based service provided by social media discloses a person’s location and whereabouts which makes it easy for them to be tracked endangering their lives (Govani and Pashley 10). One also becomes a target of open searches and further makes their reputation for being at stake. Social media has provided individuals with a platform to air their opinions and give their experiences. However, this can be detrimental to a person's reputation especially if the information posted goes against the moral values of a particular group or society (Pfeffer, Zorbach and Carley 125). Social media has led to new modern day technology related problems that did not exist. There is an increased obsession to keep up with a virtual world that has led to dysfunctional families where divorce and separation have increased. Personal information posted on social media has been cited as a course for modern-day divorce. Personal data from social media has been used and presented in court as evidence for divorce cases (Valenzuela, Halpern and Katz 98). Further, children's lives have been put at risk as a result of the parent's online behavior (Livingstone and Bober 100). Sharing of children's information such as birthday, school, age, and the name has led to strangers getting access and trust of children which has increased cases of child abduction and molestation. The information provided online does not provide visibility on who has access to the obtained data and how it can be used. This poses a threat to the lives of social media users. Cyber bullying has become rampant and has led to suicide as individuals do not know how to protect themselves when faced with a rogue cyber audience (Patchin and Hinduja). Due to the anonymous nature of the internet, cruelty has increased as people turn the keyboard as their tool to inflict harm. Social media has proved detrimental to the medical field as there is increased poor quality information distribution, patients privacy have been breached by posting photos and information that should not be public, personal and professional boundaries have been violated and further, there is increased permission of illegal issues (Chauhan, George and Coffin 207) PIPEDA Protection to Canadian Citizens The digital privacy act (DPA) was passed into law in Canada in June 2015 and serves to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). The act offers protection to Canadian citizens while doing online transaction. Personal information is not allowed to be used contrary to its intention. The act stipulates and governs how organizations in the private sector can collect, use and disclose information that is deemed as personal while conducting their business (Bennett and Bayley 13). Any personal identifier that can be used to infringe on privacy is not allowed under this act. Regulations on how private information can be collected and used are set in the law. The statute further stipulates how the notification is given in case secured personal information is leaked or comprised. Through the act, no person is allowed to collect and use personal information hence information obtained on online services is kept private. Initially, businesses would obtain consent when they needed to collect and use personal information. However, this has changed as the consent now entails an understanding of the purpose and consequences by the person whose information is sought. This act has enabled the protection of Canadian citizens from having their information used by unauthorized individuals. More vulnerable groups like persons living with disabilities and children have further been protected by the added clause on consent. The effectiveness of PIPEDA Protection PIPEDA has been effective in offering protection against use of personal information to Canadian citizens as it stipulates on use and collection of private information. Having this law put in place has led to increased accountability from organizations that might be interested in using personal information without consent (Austin 21). Organizations for this matter have tried to comply by assigning a person responsible for safeguarding personal information to avoid being sanctioned. There is increased protection of information by limiting and prevention of disclosure of information. Data received that is termed as personal information has been used for its intended purpose making PIPEDA very useful. Organizations are now seeking consent from individuals in case they need to use their information. This implies there is increased consideration and well-being of clients which makes PIPEDA very effective. By seeking consent, human rights protection is upheld hence human dignity is considered paramount. Realistic Representation of Online Issues by Data Dealer Data dealer offers a realistic representation of online issues. Initially, there used to be crude ways of gathering information especially from the government that was used to control its citizens and ensures compliance with the law. This has drastically changed with the evolution of information age where through the click of a button using social media one can access all the needed personal information. This endangers an individual’s life as there is deprived privacy. The information which is usually obtained innocently can be used in the destruction of a person’s reputation, character assassination and other heinous acts (Jap and Mohr 30). Data Dealer presents how Private information can be obtained through computers, phones, using a credit card during purchase, internet searchers among others. The information is then transmitted to a server like a device, and upon analysis, one can get information about a person that is usually considered to be private. Upon synchronizing the information, privacy is breached and the information obtained makes up the data dealer. Consequently, banks, authorities, insurance companies, corporations, and online shops use the available information to run a background check when a person requires services. The availability of information on data dealer has been used to deny an individual access to services basing on their online and social media traces. Improvement of Data Dealer The game should be made simpler to enable everyone to be able to play it with ease. This will ensure all cadres of individuals can play the game. The producers of the game further need increase its awareness by reaching out to a big audience who can help with the dissemination of the information. It should partner with organizations that protect the inversion of privacy to ensure awareness is escalated. Works Cited Austin, Lisa M. "Reviewing pipeda: Control, privacy and the limits of fair information practices." Can. Bus. LJ 44 (2006): 21. Bennett, Colin J., and Robin M. Bayley. Canadian federal political parties and personal privacy protection: A comparative analysis. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, (2012): 1-47. Chauhan, Bindiya, Ruth George, and Janis Coffin. "Social media and you: what every physician needs to know." J Med Pract Manage 28.3 (2012): 206-209. Govani, Tabreez, and Harriet Pashley. "Student awareness of the privacy implications when using Facebook." unpublished paper presented at the “Privacy Poster Fair” at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Library and Information Science 9 (2005): 1-17. Jap, Sandy D., and Jakki J. Mohr. "Leveraging Internet technologies in B2B relationships." California Management Review 44.4 (2002): 24-38. Livingstone, Sonia, and Magdalena Bober. "Regulating the internet at home: contrasting the perspectives of children and parents." Digital generations: Children, young people, and new media (2006): 93-113. Patchin, Justin W., and Sameer Hinduja, eds. Cyberbullying prevention and response: Expert Perspectives. Routledge, 2012. Pfeffer, Jürgen, Thomas Zorbach, and Kathleen M. Carley. "Understanding online firestorms: Negative word-of-mouth dynamics in social media networks." Journal of Marketing Communications 20.1-2 (2014): 117-128. Valenzuela, Sebastián, Daniel Halpern, and James E. Katz. "Social network sites, marriage well-being, and divorce: Survey and state-level evidence from the United States." Computers in Human Behavior 36 (2014): 94-101. Wolak, Janis, et al. "Online" predators" and their victims: myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment." American Psychologist 63.2 (2008): 111. Read More