Ethics and the Internet

The proliferation of data over the past one and a half decades is astounding. Made possible by the rapid growth trends of computer technology, data continues to be amassed at astounding rates, exabytes per year[1] by some estimations. From digital file sharing to databases of phone calls, medical records, and internet searches, data records are everywhere. The issue continues in the increasingly popular online world of social networking. Massive global user bases coupled with vast amounts of data make social networking sites far from immune to prevailing ethical issues. Codes of ethics have been developed by both the IEEE and the ACM that give guidelines for the ethical design, and use of software. Some of the most prevalent ethical issues with these systems include user privacy and copyright infringement.

In 1999 Shawn Fanning wrote a program which “proceeded to redefine the internet, the music industry and the way we all think about intellectual property.”[2] This program, named Napster, was a centralized music file sharing service. When there was no great way to find music online, Napster provided the answer. The software rapidly became popular, attracting approximately 27 million[3] users worldwide before its demise. What caused its demise? The fact that copyrighted music was being freely distributed using this program. United States copyright law clearly “protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.”[4] Therefore, since Napster clearly allowed users to violate copyright law, the program goes against both the ACM code of ethics and the IEEE code of ethics. If the program had been used acceptably, to distribute music tracks entered into the public domain, this would not have been a problem. The music industry quickly caught up to this music “sharing” and began filing copyright infringement lawsuits and approximately two years after the service began, it was shut down.

Four years after Napster fell, YouTube hit the internet by storm.[5] The company’s tagline “Broadcast Yourself” sums up the business of YouTube. Allowing users to post videos of whatever they want, the company has revolutionized the ability of users to post videos online with its easy to use interface. The company has come under criticism many times for both copyright and privacy infringement. “YouTube has been criticized frequently for failing to ensure that its online content adheres to the law of copyright.”[6] This criticism spawns from users uploading videos which they did not create and therefore the copyright is held by another individual. Policing the approximately 140 million[7] videos on YouTube would be a next to impossible task. What YouTube has done to keep the design and use of their software ethical is three fold. It has adding a warning message which is displayed before a user uploads content. The message states: “Do not upload any TV shows, music videos, music concerts or commercials without permission unless they consist entirely of content you created yourself. The Copyright Tips page and the Community Guidelines can help you determine whether your video infringes someone else’s copyright.”[8] This asks users to responsibly use the software by respecting copyrighted material. Secondly, YouTube has added to the ethical design of its software by checking file signatures of uploads against known copyrighted works. If a match is found, the video will not be allowed to be uploaded. Finally, copyright owners can also be involved in the process by requesting videos posted without authorization be removed. Privacy is another issue facing YouTube. YouTube’s privacy policy explicitly states that they may track user behavior.

When you use YouTube, we may record information about your usage of the site, such as the channels, groups and favorites you subscribe to, which other users you communicate with, the videos you watch, the frequency and size of data transfers, and information you display about yourself as well as information you click on in YouTube (including UI elements, settings). If you are logged in, we may associate that information with your YouTube Account. In order to ensure the quality of our service to you, we may place a tag (also called a “web beacon”) in HTML-based customer support emails or other communications with you in order to confirm delivery.[9]

In 2008 during a copyright infringement case with Viacom, a United States court ruled that YouTube must “divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched any video on YouTube.”[10] This represents a privacy risk for anyone who uses YouTube. A number of issues are raised when looking at this case. Is it ethical for YouTube log and keep all this data in the first place. Should is it ethical for the government to be able to view that data upon request? Generally, data logging off all events on a website is an accepted practice. It is very helpful in improving service to users so data logging should probably not be ruled out all together. “It is big business that collects most of the data about us. But increasingly, it is the government that’s using it.”[11] Often in many court cases, the government is requiring businesses to turn over data logs in order to provide evidence in cases. Obstruction of justice is one argument for allowing government to access corporate data logs but on the other hand its is concerning that the government should be able to have access to every piece of information about a persons internet usage at its fingertips.

Facebook, one of the newer players in the ethical issues debate, showed up on the scene in 2004.[12] It has been doing a booming business, quickly becoming one of the most popular U.S. websites, topped only by the Google and Yahoo search engines.[13] Currently with over 175 million[14] active users, Facebook hosts personal profiles which contain status updates, photos and videos for each user. Originally available only to college students, the company quickly expanded its user base to the general public. Facebook has revolutionized social networking by allowing friends to keep in touch, share photos and more. While Facebook has many redeeming qualities, privacy concerns are rampant. The concerns start even before becoming a user while reading the privacy policy which users are required to accept.

When you visit Facebook you provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected by us and Web Site use information collected by us as you interact with our Web Site. [15]

Facebook may also collect information about you from other sources, such as newspapers, blogs, instant messaging services, and other users of the Facebook service through the operation of the service (e.g., photo tags) in order to provide you with more useful information and a more personalized experience. [16]

By using Facebook, you are consenting to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States.”[17]

While Facebook is using the information they log from user activities to help improve service, the security of that data is questionable. Could that data be made available to the world through external hacking or an internal security breach? Could the government require Facebook to turn over their logs of information, as in the YouTube Viacom case, thus affecting the privacy of users? These privacy concerns are important for all software designers and users to consider.

In a time where the internet is rapidly growing, data is being logged constantly, and the government seems to have their fingers in just about everything, privacy and copyright issues prevalent. It is extremely important for software developers and users to be aware of and understand these ethical issues. More than understanding and awareness though, it is imperative for all parties involved to make ethical decisions regarding their part in the matter. Developers can adhere to professional standards put forth by the IEEE and ACM. Users can be guided by regulations and ethical standards for the acceptable use software. Society has and can continue to benefit from the continual development of online applications so long as the systems are used in an ethically responsible manner.

[2] http://computer.howstuffworks.com/napster.htm

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napster

[4] http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#protect

[5] http://www.rev2.org/2006/10/02/youtube-the-complete-profile/

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

[7] http://beerpla.net/2008/08/14/how-to-find-out-the-number-of-videos-on-youtube/

[8] http://www.youtube.com

[9] http://www.youtube.com/t/privacy

[10] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7488009.stm

[11] http://www.cnbc.com/id/18803659/

[12] http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/

[13] http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sites?cc=US&ts_mode=country&lang=none

[14] http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

[15] http://www.facebook.com/policy.php

[16] http://www.facebook.com/policy.php

[17] http://www.facebook.com/policy.php