Chapter 8

Question 1

The major issues raised by e-commerce can be categorized into four major dimensions, which?

Answer 1

1. Information rights - What rights do individuals have to control their own personal information?
2. Property rights - How can traditional property rights be enforced when copies can be easily made and distributed worldwide via the Internet
3. Governance - Should the Internet and e-commerce be subject to public laws?
4. Public saftey and welfare - Do certain online content and activities pose a threat to public saftey and welfare?

Question 2

Describe the steps in the process to analyze ethical dilemmas

Answer 2

• Identify and clearly describe the facts
• Define the conflict or dilemma and identify the higher-order values involved
• Identify the stakeholders
• Identify the options that you can reasonably take
• Identify the potential consequences of your options
• Refer to well-established ethical principles such as the No Free Lunch Rule

Question 3

What methods can be used to protect online privacy?

Answer 3

• Legal protections deriving from constitutions, common law, federal law, state laws
• Industry self-regulation via industry alliances such as the Online Privacy Alliance
• Privacy-enhancing technological solutions including spyware and pop-up blockers, secure email, anonymous surfing, cookie managers

Question 4

What two kinds of threats are there to individual privacy posed by the Internet?

Answer 4

1. Origins in the private sector regarding how much personal information is collected by commercial Web sites and how it will be used
2. Origins in the public sector and concerns how much personal information federal, state and local government authorities collect and how they use it