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Google and Internet Privacy

In: Business and Management

Submitted By chuggi14
Words 710
Pages 3
Google and Internet Privacy
In this exercise on ethics and privacy policy we focus our studies on an oft occurring situation in offices that have multiple employees sharing office resources that may lead to intrusive instances.
The case refers to a couple of employee’s complaints of unwarranted pop-ups on their computers from unsolicited advertisers. In particular, the ads pertain to some sorts of HIV/AIDS medications that stimulate recovery from this fatal disease or at least help cope with it. The immediate suspicion goes toward targeted marketing carried out by many online advertisers today using pervious browsing history and other such tools available to them. The employees delve about the possibility of who these ads were targeted to without questioning their basic premise of whether these were targeted ads at all. They go on to narrow down the list of suspects to two individuals who also use the computer in question. In the discussion, they list out the personality traits of these individuals that they have been able to perceive based on their short interactions with them. (Since they work in different shifts the interactions would not have been detailed). These cursory definitions lead to them zeroing in on Charlie Patton as the culprit behind the pop-up ads. They suspect him of having AIDS and are now pondering on how to tackle the situation.
However, the basic questions here aren’t being asked. They are, if it was indeed a problem, or just a marketing blitz with no basis in browser history and saved cookies? Secondly, who was the culprit, does jurisprudence dictate that we investigate other possibilities? Thirdly, on being reprimanded would he be offended, hurt? Also, was it necessary to reveal the ailment to the entire office?
These possibilities are discussed in the context of Google’s privacy policy and the company’s motto of “Don't be evil". The

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