E Business Legal and Ethical Issues

If customers have any problems or questions about your product or service, they will contact you. But to be a reliable company, consider the next section. Some companies install monitoring systems to identify employees who are not engaged in business activities during business hours. It can monitor emails and other activities. The final ethical challenge, non-repudiation, is about verifying transactions or “what actually happened” online. For example, in 1999, an article appeared on the Bloomberg Financial News website announcing the acquisition of a major telecommunications manufacturer. The news triggered a buying frenzy. Later, however, it turned out that the story was false. Someone had copied Bloomberg`s footprint and published the rumor online.

It is important to verify identity, authenticity and digital signatures. Ecommerce scams have emerged with the rapid increase in the popularity of websites. This is a hot topic for cyber and click-and-mortar traders. Fraudsters are mainly active in the field of equities. Retail investors are attracted by the promise of false profits from stock promoters. Auctions are also subject to fraud, both from sellers and buyers. The availability of emails and pop-up ads has paved the way for financial criminals to gain access to many people. Other areas of potential fraud include phantom business opportunities and fake investments.

One of the most discussed ethical issues in e-commerce is information security and privacy. Companies that sell products and services online typically collect sensitive information from customers, including credit card or bank account information, as well as the customer`s name, address, and phone number. In addition, many e-commerce sites offer customers the option to create an online account, which requires the customer to set up a username and password. Due to the free flow of information on the Internet, plagiarism and copyright infringement are a constant problem. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act deals with plagiarism and copyright infringement in the specific context of the Internet and e-commerce. Under this law, it is illegal to use online technology to copy and distribute legally protected material such as photos, articles or books, music or videos. Unfortunately, many organizations have a lot of personal data from for-profit users. They compromise the privacy of their customers, which can be a big problem for the company itself.

Many workers find this inappropriate and unethical. As an ecommerce business, you collect emails from customers in order to stay in touch with them. You also have the option to sign up for your subscription. According to the authors, the main ethical value of e-commerce lies in the fact that increased market efficiency will ultimately contribute to the benefit and well-being of people. However, unethical companies do the opposite. You may refuse to respond to emails or other communication efforts. Many online marketing problems stem from the anonymity inherent in the Internet. It is often difficult to know the true identity of an e-business owner. Some online businesses exploit this in unethical or illegal ways. Some online businesses track their customers` online activities so they can run ads based on customer behavior. Behavioral advertising is not illegal, and it is not illegal not to disclose that an electronic business is carrying on business, although many people consider this secrecy unethical.

In general, many global and ethical issues of information technology deal with electronic commerce. Therefore, what we need to know and understand is; What are the particular and specific problems related to e-commerce? Below are some ethical issues related to e-commerce. Email spamming involved unsolicited commercial emails (ECUs) that sent or disseminated unsolicited advertising or correspondence over the Internet. The use of email spammers designed to trick consumers into entering their personal information via email on fake websites that are fake to make it look like it`s from authorized organizations like banking. Email content often directs consumers to the fake website to trick them into entering their personal information, such as credit card or bank account information. This technique is called phishing. And these illegal processes easily jeopardize the user`s right and expose them to dangers. Basic copy and paste allows anyone with access to the Internet to directly copy someone else`s original works. Texts, photos, music, illustrations and ideas regularly pass from creators to copiers without permission to use or on request. The victim of this theft has recourse only if he has registered a copyright and then wants to devote time and effort to writing letters of formal notice and threatening legal action. At the other end of the ethical spectrum, “copyright trolls” buy the rights to movies, books and music, threaten mass lawsuits against thousands of people who download the material, and demand a prompt settlement from each of them.

43% of consumers spend more on companies they are loyal to. In addition, establishing a relationship of trust with them can increase your profits by up to 95%. ❌ Imitate logos. Your logo is an essential part of your branding. It is designed to represent your business to your target audience. To spend less, others copy an existing design. Most electronic payment systems know the identity of the buyer. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the identity of a buyer using the electronic payment system. One privacy issue related to the company`s employees is tracking. Monitoring systems are installed in many organizations to monitor email and other web activities to identify employees who are making extensive use of office hours for non-business activities. E-commerce activities performed by a buyer can be tracked by organizations. These customer monitoring activities raise ethical questions about how secure and anonymous information is handled by e-commerce providers.

To protect your business, you can use authentication and indenitability. The reason? You may be violating an ethical policy that you are not aware of. To have a more ethical approach to your business, take a look at these ethical guidelines to build customer trust: Although e-commerce, selling goods over the Internet, has boosted online sales (especially for “low-contact” products such as books, CDs, and computer products), it also raised important new ethical challenges.