MEDIA ETHICAL CHALLENGES

Media Ethical Challenges in the Age of the Internet



Media Ethical Challenges in the Age of the Internet

Over the years the internet has literally revolutionized the mass media industry and, in the process one of the most affected areas by the internet is in the area of compliance with media ethical standards. These ethical problems are invasion of privacy, inaccuracy, and copy right infringement. One of the biggest ethical problems is privacy rights over the internet. Internet privacy is defined as the desire of personal privacy with respect to transactions or transmission of data via the internet. It involves the exercise of control over the type or amount of information that persons reveal about themselves on the internet and who may access such information. Internet privacy forms a subset of computer privacy. A number of experts within the field of internet security and privacy believe that privacy doesn't exist; "Privacy is dead - get over it according to Steve Rambam, private investigator specializing in Internet privacy cases (Carr, 2012).

The extraordinary growth of the Internet has created a number of privacy issues that society has never encountered before and therefore has been slow to address (e-bussinessethics.com). For example peoplesearch.com allows anyone to do background searches, asset verification checks and criminal background checks on any individual for a $39 to $125 fee. Also, whowhere.com allows users to order a background check on any individual in the database for only $39.95. This public record report includes property ownership, civil judgments, driver's license physical description and summary of assets.

Everyone is communicating with these new technologies, but our ethical obligation is to be thoughtful about how the Ethics Code applies to these communications and how the laws and regulations apply. For example, if you are communicating with your client via e-mail or ...