Ethics in Digital Media and the Issue of Privacy - Research Paper Example

Project 3 – Research Paper Ethics in Digital Media and the Issue of Privacy Introduction In the last two decades there has been a rapid transformation from traditional media into new media. New media has been generally characterized by digital, networked and computerized communication technologies that are available to a large majority of society. Although this shift is positive and has been welcomed by many people particularly of the young generation, concerns have been raised as discussions about the positive and negative implications of this change continue among all stakeholders. Social networking sites, wikis, blogs, and video-sharing sites are just some of the internet platforms for communication and exchange of information that have come up as a result of the Web 2.0 concept. Millions of people around the world are currently building online communities through social networks to communicate their shared activities and interests as well as disseminate information. Access to information and privacy is one of the most serious ethical issues that have raised concerns about the characteristics of new media. Incidents of misconduct though breach of privacy and access of private information has been widely reported in recent times, particularly on internet and social networking sites. The issue of ethics and privacy also affects journalism as the growth of new media has ensured that journalism is undergoing a difficult transition from traditional, professional ethics to mixed media ethics with little or no control. This research project investigates privacy as an ethical issue in the digital media. The paper starts by highlighting the research principals, methods and procedures that were applied in collecting the information and reaching the findings on the topic. The paper then presents the findings about privacy as a media ethics concern in the digital media before exploring the context in which the media operates and why security issues remain a concern. Finally, the paper presents a conclusion to the research by summarizing findings and giving brief recommendation. Research This study utilized qualitative research because of its suitability to generate the information sought in the study. This study was about providing answers and explanations to a social issue, the issue of privacy in relation to ethics in digital media. According to Cresswell (2003), qualitative research emphasizes the process of discovering the way in which social meaning is constructed. Qualitative research is all about meanings, definitions, concepts, characteristics and descriptions of things. This research was all about finding out and describing digital media ethics with the main issue being privacy. For that reason the researcher found qualitative research and analysis to be the most appropriate method to accomplish the research. According to Cresswell (2003), qualitative research is interpretative in nature and is mainly concerned with understanding the meaning people attribute to phenomena within society. Some of the elements that distinguish qualitative research and that played a key role in this study include the fact that it provides a deeper understanding of the social world; it is based on a small scale sample, and it allows exploration of concepts (Cresswell, 2003). While researching on the issue of privacy and ethics in digital media, this study set out to explore the context in which the issue exists and to explain various concepts with regard to digital media. For example, media ethics in itself is concept which was examined in the study as well as privacy and the legal system as it applies to new media. It is also important to classify the type of approach applied in this study so as to understand the findings and the way in which they were reached. This study was approached on the basis of inductive research design. This approach generally gives the researcher an opportunity to explain more deeply what is going on about the subject of research. This research involved exploration and collection of data and information from secondary sources by use of multiple sources for evidence about issues to do with privacy in new media. The secondary data utilized in this study mainly included data from peer reviewed journals where researchers covered the issue of privacy in social media, investigative reports by the media, government reports and a number of other appropriate sources discussing privacy as an ethical issue in new media. The inductive approach was appropriate for this study because of its usefulness in collecting and analyzing data in a qualitative study. According to Creswell (2003), qualitative research is mostly associated with inductive research designs where a range of methods are applied in collecting data and exploring the study problem from diverse perspectives. Creswell (2003) also argued that research must further be distinguished in terms of theoretical and epistemological perspectives because the researcher can only utilize either an objectivist or constructionist approach. This study utilized interpretivism in it search for answers, this approach asserts that social reality can be viewed as being constructed. Accordingly the approach is based on a continuous process of interpretation and reinterpretation of the behavior of people. Thus, interpretation of the social inquiry is an interpretive process in which the researcher is also part of the phenomenon under investigation. This study assumed an interpretivist approach in researching issues of privacy as a continuing discourse in society with regard to ethics in the new media. The study tried to interpret the current opinions and findings about privacy, which is a contemporary concern among digital media users, including the researcher. Findings The findings of this study can be presented under small heading representing different issues about privacy in digital media; Theoretical Understanding of Privacy It is important to understand the theory behind the concept of privacy so as to be able to approach the issue of privacy in the digital media properly because of the complexity associated with the issue. Legally, privacy is defined in different ways in various parts of the world. According to Christians (2010), the multiple legal definitions of privacy in different parts of the world make it very complicated to reach a consensus with regard to privacy and ethical behavior. Christians (2010) indicated that the ethical right to privacy inherently based in the relationship between the individual and society. According to the researcher, Talmudic law is the origin of the doctrine which expands the right to privacy by indicating that individuals have to be protected from intrusion and surveillance by other people. The concerns about privacy have been raised in digital media with many users being concerned that their information has been accessed by other people or it is in danger of being accessed. Even though this is considered violation of privacy, the legal system to address this sort of concern is quite weak. The nature of the internet for example, makes it a ubiquitous form of media where most people can be able to access information belonging to other people quite easily. Studies have also questioned the concerns for ethics in situations where people have placed a lot of their private information online even after being warned about this or being provided with security features to increase their privacy. In the current settings, it is evident that only journalists have serious sets of laws that control their activities with regard to respect for privacy of individuals and media ethics. This kind of legislation is inadequate in an environment where most people now play the role of journalists through social networks, blogs and other internet spaces. People now report information, analyze issues and present material online in form of pictures and documents without regard for private concerns. In essence such people are using their online networks to carry out work that is journalistic in nature without the training, discipline or legal accountability of journalists. On the other hand professional journalists are largely bound by law not to go through private sites, social networking sites, and blogs with the intention of obtaining and publishing material considered private. This situation is viewed as being biased and exposing the ineffectiveness of laws concerning media ethics and privacy as far as digital media is concerned. In trying to understand privacy, there is also a distinction to be made between secrecy and privacy. While secrecy has been defined as intentional concealment, privacy is the condition of being protected from unwanted access by others to personal information or invasion of personal space (Singer, 2010). It has been argued that many new media users confuse between the concept of privacy and secrecy. While it is important for users to enjoy privacy, which allows individuals to control what information about them, secrets are completely hidden from view and they extend far beyond privacy. In that regard within journalistic cycles, there are calls for greater distinction to be made between privacy and secrecy because some information considered ‘secret’ may need to be disclosed for the sake of public interest. An example is the case of the wiki leaks reports which released government information considered private to the public. The company argued that this information is ‘secret’ and not private because most of it touches on public issues of which the people have a right to know. This study also found out that the definitions on the nature of privacy and what can be considered private varies. While some individuals consider privacy as the right to control information, others consider it as the right to prevent access to information (Federal Trade Commission, 1998). This is one of the issues making it challenging for medial laws to be developed in some countries which specifically target issues of privacy in the new media (Nissenbaum, 2010). Online privacy provisions and ethics codes Ethical codes are mainly created to address issues of privacy by minimizing harm and for the sake of fairness. According to a number of researchers investigating the issue of privacy in the new media, there is a distinction between private people and public people. The assumption is that private people have greater control of information about their lives than people considered being public figures. The code of ethics in media requires that compassion and sensitivity be applied when dealing with children (minors), people who are grieving and people who are not accustomed to the public limelight. According to Turkle (2004), radio, television, and digital news code of ethics requires that special care must be ensured when covering children because they deserve greater privacy than adults. The codes also extend to cover people considered vulnerable including people in tragedy or victims of crime. It is notable that the code of ethics applies to mainstream media where there are rules and regulations regarding privacy Babcock, 2005). However in most of what is known as digital media, the actors are private individuals acting free of any regulation or code of conduct. There is need for clarification concerning the gathering of private information online; this is because more information about individuals is available electronically and increasingly easier to access. Whereas some of that information has been availed through user-generated content on social networking sites, other information comes from sources which are beyond individual control. This makes private individuals vulnerable to an increasingly widening public sphere. Looking at the issue of privacy from a bigger perspective, journalists are supposed to protect individual privacy; however there are no provisions as to how individual privacy should be protected by people other than journalists or even how journalists can obtain information online from digital media where private information is so easily obtainable. Online Misrepresentation Online misrepresentation is one of the most mentioned ethical issues relating to the digital media. There are no normative guidelines for online privacy in many parts of the world with regard to misrepresentation. Online misrepresentation involves two main ethical issues: exposure of private secrets and lying. With the advancement of electronic tools, online spying has become quite easily and cheap for many people. While journalist and security officers may apply spying techniques in gathering information that may be considered important for public interest, it is evident that many other people can easily do it for personal or malicious reasons. This is made much easier by the fact that most people place their private information online or store it in new media devices that can be accessed through online networks. Online misrepresentation is a particularly serious issue because it has been associated with cybercrime (Turkle, 1999). Many individuals obtaining private information online do it with intentions of libel, blackmail and many other purposes that may be both malicious and criminal. The major problem is that it is getting increasingly difficult to prevent people from accessing private information online because the technological platform on which such information is held is vulnerable to manipulation by people with computer skills. Context Privacy in the digital media is something that raises great concern among many people in the contemporary world. The increased concern about people’s privacy must be viewed from the context of current happenings. Various recent and current issues form the basis of public concern about the protection of their privacy in the new media. The first issue is the design of online platforms. Most online sites, social networks and blogs now require users to divulge a lot of information which is considered private in order to participate. While it is argued that this information is necessary to ascertain legitimacy of the users, it is also evident that most people either have to lie about themselves in the information they provide or else their private details become available online. For example, social networking sites will require users to provide details such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mails for verification, among a host of other information. Most people provide legitimate details which end up in the hands of unintended people, many users just realize this when they are approached by blackmailers or scammers. It must also be appreciated that while most users demand privacy of their details and information online, many do not understand the vulnerability of online sites to information access by other people. It is common for many social network site users to place a lot of private information online without appreciating that many unintended people have the ability to access this information easily. It can be argued that most of these platforms should take the ethical step of forewarning users sufficiently about the dangers they face while including their private information online. Another factor that forms part of the context for privacy is the exposure of public or government secrets that are either considered private, or touch on the lives of private people. This situation is best illustrated by the WikiLeaks dilemma. WikiLeaks is a non-profit media organization that has been leaking information it considers important for the public. The organization has released over 90,000 documents containing Afghan War secrets and many other issues concerning governments all over the world. Currently the organization is releasing bit by bit of documents and information belonging to the US government and its activities. There have been protests by the US government and other parties that most of the information being released by the organization touches on the privacy of individuals, some of which are still active in national service and that this places such people in danger or leaves them vulnerable to manipulation. Many questions have also been raised about the motives of WikiLeaks and the validity of most of the information they provide to the public. The main debate currently centers on the ethics of releasing private information in the unsolicited ‘interest’ of the public and what this achieves for the good of everyone. The United States government and other governments involved view these leaks as an attack on their country and unethical because they place the lives of many citizens at risk. On the other hand, supporters of WikiLeaks and other similar forums indicate that the release of this information is very important for the public as it is aimed at increasing transparency and accountability to the people by their governments. The issue of WikiLeaks and a number of individuals who have been able to come up with private government information and avail it online has raised questions among new media users. The main concern is that if these organizations and people can be able to access highly protected government digital media then it is very possible that private information from public users can easily be collected. There are also concerns that data mining online technologies that are applied by companies e.g. analytics take advantage of people’s private information to profile them and target them with adverts without their consent. Although has been going on well within the laws of many countries, people still consider it unethical because it violates privacy. However, there are arguments that such data mining technologies do not involve people and therefore the information gathered is safe because it is just useful for marketing alone and no other reasons. Conclusion In conclusion, most of the findings in research about privacy as an ethical issue in digital media come up with similar conclusions. Even though there is agreement that privacy is a serious concern in digital media and it is getting increasingly difficult to control access and distribution of personal information, many people still risk placing their private information online for different reasons. As far as legal and regulation methods are concerned, it is evident that control of media and protection of privacy has only been able to be achieved to some extent in the mainstream media where professional journalists are the main target. However, it is difficult to come up with laws and regulations that can work effectively to protect privacy in what is considered a global platform like the internet. Even though privacy has always been a great concern to many individuals, it is also evident that irrespective of caution about sharing information and placing private information online, most people are still willing to risk. The issue of privacy in digital media has been brought to the fore mainly by concerns about unethical issues like blackmail, slander, and manipulating of private information for malicious damage. References Babcock, W. (2005). Frustrating investigations don’t have to lead to deception. Ethical News, 1, pp.3 Christians, C. (2010). The ethics of privacy. In C. Meyers (Ed.), Journalism ethics: A philosophical approach (pp. 203–214). New York: Oxford University Press Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Federal Trade Commission. (1998). Privacy online: A report to Congress. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.ftc.gov/privacy3/index.htm Nissenbaum, H. (2010). Privacy in context: Technology, policy, and the integrity of social life. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Singer, J. (2010). Norms and the network. In C. Meyers (Ed.), Journalism ethics: A philosophical approach (pp. 117–129). New York: Oxford University Press. Turkle, S. (1999). Cyberspace and Identity. Contemporary Sociology, 28(6): 643–648. Turkle, S. (2004). Whither Psychoanalysis in Computer Culture? Psychoanalytic Psychology. Journal of the Division of Psychoanalysis, 21: 16–30 Read More