What Are The Ethical Issues Of Internet Privacy

Introduction: During the late nineties the Internet exploded in popularity as more users began to connect to the web. Services like AOL allowed users to connect to the internet and access information through portals. Most internet users originally connected to the web through their computer, but as new technologies became available more people connected to the internet using phones, tablets, game consoles and other devices. In 1993, less than 1% of the global population was connected to the internet. Today, about 44% of the global population is connected to the web (“Internet Users 1993 – 2015,” 2016). As more people have started to connect to the internet, new issues have emerged that were not present during the early days of the Internet. As the Internet has expanded larger volumes of sensitive information are constantly processed through the network on a daily basis. Bank information, credit cards …show more content…
During the problematization phase one must first identify the actors and determine which actor is crucial or indispensable to the network (Callon 1986, 202). When looking at the issue of Internet privacy, one can identify at least three actors which include the developers, the government and the internet users. Each of the actors play a unique role within the network; the actors are motivated by their own goals and experiences, but they must work together in order to protect the privacy of internet users. For this analysis I will analyze the policies that were implemented by the government after the September eleventh attacks. The first actor, and crucial actor in the development of privacy in a post-9/11 world, is the United States government. Their policies affected the internet users and forced developers to comply with their policies. One shall see that each actor had their own reasons for participating in the discussion of internet