The Role of Computers in Industrial Espionage - Research Paper Example

is, sharing sensitive information with suitable parties while protecting that information against competitors, suppliers, vandals, foreign governments, and customers. The attempt to gain access to a company’s plans, products and clients’ information, and whatever trade secrets are, is considered as industrial espionage. It describes activities such as theft of a business formula, practices, processes, design, instrument, pattern, or any vital information which is generally not accessible because these give the company leverage from competitors.

Some other acts associated to this are bribery, blackmail, and technological surveillance. Intellectual property crimes are grave offenses in their own right, “not because they inflict physical injury or death upon a person, but rather because they steal creative work from its owner.” (Nasheri,) It is inevitable that a company aspires to know the business moves of a rival business and this has been the primary concern of some of the largest companies in the world. They have an annual budget and pool of people to handle these concerns.

While it is true that to “survive in today’s cutthroat business environment, [one] must be properly armed. And one of the most important arrows in the businessman’s quiver is accurate knowledge of his competitors and business environment – in other words, detailed knowledge of the enemy and the terrain of the battlefield,” (Rustmann, 2004) it is however unfortunate that commonly this said conduct is illegal. Oftentimes, rival companies will browse through public records in order to pre-empt actions about another company.

However, when the search becomes private, industrial espionage is an unlawful act and punishable with financial penalties and sometimes jail time. Furthermore, this may lead businesses to bankruptcy and also affect the ties of friendly nations for when it already surpasses national boundaries it can make allied nations momentarily are indecisive and doubt