Privacy has taken on a new meaning in the age of the internet. No longer do we think about the privacy of our own homes or having a safe space away from others. Privacy is now a leading issue of internet usage, and it’s now common to assume we never have privacy online. Many people cover their laptop cameras when not using them, create an alias for their Facebook profile, and avoid sending personal information over text. What most people don’t think about, however, is the invasion of privacy on children, a vulnerable group of internet users who usually can’t understand that their information could be stolen, or even what that means. The 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was enacted to, “impose certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age,” (FTC). However, companies in the education technology industry and children’s entertainment sites, such as YouTube Kids, have intentionally violated COPPA by harvesting their information and tracking their every move. With children beginning to use devices at younger and younger ages, it’s important to protect their privacy.

Data mining has become a major issue, with companies like Facebook emerging as a threat to user privacy. As explained by the company, the Statistical Analysis System (SAS), “Data mining is the process of finding anomalies, patterns and correlations within large data sets to predict outcomes. Using a broad range of techniques, you can use this information to increase revenues, cut costs, improve customer relationships, reduce risks and more.” In simpler terms, data mining is sifting through users’ data to predict trends and find connections, and is often used for things like targeted advertising and figuring out how well a company is operating. According to MicroStrategy, data mining is used for database marketing and targeting, credit risk management and credit scoring, fraud detection and prevention, healthcare bioinformatics, and spam filtering. For companies practicing data mining, there are major benefits because it isn’t costly and they can uncover key characteristics of consumers. However, it comes with a major cost: compromising user privacy. 

One type of industry harvesting children’s information are education technology companies. As more schools shift their curriculum to virtual platforms, the dangers of collecting students’ data increases greatly. Very Well Family explains, “when it comes to mining student data, parents are discovering that it is next to impossible to find out which companies are collecting data on their students. Plus, they have no idea how this information is being used. What’s more, most industry experts indicate that there are huge holes in the protection of students’ privacy.” The vagueness of this issue and the idea that data is being collected and shared without consent are what people find most concerning. Students are monitored by every mouse click, every hesitation during a math problem, every video they watch, their quiz answers, and more. The data analytics firms are able to easily figure out how each child thinks and works, noticing which subjects they struggle with and which they thrive in. This kind of data can even predict how a child will do on future tests. Parents have a right to be concerned, because they are unaware of how their children are even being spied on. Additionally, with technology becoming a major part of everyday life and becoming integrated more and more within schools, it’s nearly impossible to keep a child safe from it. A big contributor to this issue has been Google since it owns educational platforms like Google Classroom, Google Drive, and Google Docs. It has been estimated that these platforms have 70 million users worldwide, and about 20 million Google Chromebooks in use in classrooms each week. The use of technology in classrooms has become unavoidable, and so has the data mining of students.

One case of education technology companies data mining students is when the data analytics firm, Knewton, harvested four million students’ information across the United States. According to Politico, “Ed tech companies of all sizes, from basement startups to global conglomerates, have jumped into the game. The most adept are scooping up as many as 10 million unique data points on each child, each day. That’s more data than Netflix or Facebook or even Google collect on their users.” The amount of data Knewton racked up was staggering, but the type of information was even more so. Monitoring kids’ every move on educational websites, Knewton was able to find out about their academic progress, work habits, how they think, learning styles, personal interests, and more. All of this information is extremely desirable for commercial use, meaning their data has the potential to be sold for profit to be used to target ads towards the children and their families. The information could also be used for things like college admissions, military recruitment, or employers. 

While there has been overwhelming anger and frustration among parents understandably protective of their children, data mining continues to become an increasingly used and well accepted practice. The benefits make data mining seem well worth it, and “A report by McKinsey & Co. last year found that expanding the use of data in K-12 schools and colleges could drive at least $300 billion a year in added economic growth in the U.S. by improving instruction and making education more efficient,” (Politico). There is a question of ethics that comes into play, though. Is there a better way to better the education system without potentially compromising millions of children’s information?

Another industry actively mining children’s data is entertainment technology. Just as education technology companies wish to use kids’ data to enhance school systems and learn about children’s academic behaviors, entertainment technology companies wish to use it to create targeted advertisements, learn about their interests, and build profiles for groups to benefit their business. A major player in data mining children over this type of platform has been Youtube. Owned by Google, YouTube and its children’s platform, YouTube Kids, has the ability to rack up millions of kids’ data by tracking the videos they watch. In August of 2019, YouTube was actually caught in hot water when it was discovered that it was intentionally and illegally harvesting personal information from children and then selling it to use for profit by targeting them with advertisements. As a top destination for young children, YouTube has claimed, its service is intended for ages 13 and older,” although “younger kids commonly watch videos on the site and many popular YouTube channels feature cartoons or sing-a-longs made for children,” (The Guardian). This makes YouTube’s actions all the more concerning because they were aware of their younger users and knowingly sold their data for profit, even bragging about its popularity with children to prospective corporate clients. Google was fined $170 million for the incident, with $136 million going towards the Federal Trade Commission and $34 million going towards New York state to resolve other very similar allegations.

YouTube was also asked by the Federal Trade Commission to strengthen their protection of children under 13 in a new system that, “asks video channel owners to identify the children’s content they post so that targeted ads are not placed in such videos. YouTube must also obtain consent from parents before collecting or sharing personal details like a child’s name or photos,” (The New York Times). The idea that Youtube didn’t already have these measures in place was concerning, as their previous actions directly violated COPPA. Also described in The New York Times, “Children’s advocates who lodged their own privacy complaint against YouTube with the FTC last year said that Google had simply agreed to abide by a children’s privacy law it was already obligated to comply with.” Many complained that the $170 million fine was merely a slap on the wrist, and a meaningless action considering these are laws that should’ve been followed anyways. Entertainment technology can be a major threat to children’s privacy, and it is important to keep these huge companies tracking data in check.

I found the issue of children’s lack of internet privacy and data mining so significant for many reasons. While the biggest stories to make the news are those of how to protect people over the age of 13 from their information being stolen, there are very few stories making headlines about children’s data being harvested. This is an extremely vulnerable group that doesn’t even understand that there is anything going on other than the video they’re watching. Also, there are so many holes in privacy policies and terms of service that the effects of COPPA feel too weak. More parents need to be educated about how to keep their children safe while using the internet, and more policies protecting children from data mining need to be put in place. Another reason I found this so intriguing is because I am a part-time nanny for a family with very young children. At just two and five, the kids I watch are already able to navigate their way through YouTube Kids, Netflix, and more. The five year-old is already using educational apps, such as ABC Mouse and Google Classroom, to do schoolwork and keep her mind working. What concerns me is how young these kids are, and the fact that their data is easily accessible for companies to look into. Being that I spend entire days with these kids a few times a week, this issue felt more personal to me.

Data mining children’s information is an unethical practice that deserves more attention from the public. Just as we care about our own information being stolen and sold, we should care about vulnerable children’s information being harvested. Many don’t even think about the dangers of the internet for children and their privacy unless they have children of their own, but it is a major issue. There should be more protections surrounding children’s privacy, and the holes in privacy policies and terms of service for kids’ protection should be filled.

---

WORKS CITED:

“Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (‘COPPA’).” Federal Trade Commission, 6 Mar. 2020, http://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rules/rulemaking-regulatory-reform-proceedings/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule.

“Data Mining Explained.” MicroStrategy, http://www.microstrategy.com/us/resources/introductory-guides/data-mining-explained#database.

Gordon, Sherri. “What Every Parent Needs to Know About Data Mining.” Verywell Family, Verywell Family, 25 June 2019, http://www.verywellfamily.com/how-your-student-data-is-being-mined-and-why-you-should-care-4176089.

Press, Associated. “YouTube Fined $170m for Collecting Children’s Personal Data.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Sept. 2019, http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/04/youtube-kids-fine-personal-data-collection-children-.

Simon, Stephanie. “The Big Biz of Spying on Little Kids.” POLITICO, 17 May 2014, http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/data-mining-your-children-106676.

Singer, Natasha, and Kate Conger. “Google Is Fined $170 Million for Violating Children’s Privacy on YouTube.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Sept. 2019, http://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/technology/google-youtube-fine-ftc.html.

“What Is Data Mining?” SAS, http://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/analytics/data-mining.html.

Social media is a major part of our everyday lives, but something we never think about is what happens to a person’s account once they are no longer living? Each platform has its own way of handling the deceased individual’s profile, but there are many factors that go into it. 

For Instagram, the biggest factor is whether or not the family members of the person who passed would like it to stay up or for it to be taken down. If the account is to stay up, it is assumed that either the person has not been reported to have died, or more commonly, the family has decided to keep it up in memorial for their loved one. If the account is removed, it is most likely that the family wished it be taken down out of respect.

As detailed in What Happens to Your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter Accounts When You Die, “According to Instagram’s policy, the account of a deceased person can either be reported and then memorialised, or an immediate family member can request that the account be deleted. To memorialise an account, Instagram requires proof of death ‘such as a link to an obituary or news article.’” 

Instagram has a special section on their help page specifically for this issue. On it, the site explains that once a person has passed, their account can become memorialized. This would add the word “Remembering” next to the deceased person’s name, and would deny access to anyone trying to log into the account. Additionally, memorialized accounts will not show up in certain places of the platform, like the explore page. Instagram has set these measures to ensure the deceased and his/her family is respected during a time of tragedy. Below is the full list of measures taken when Instagram memorializes an account. 

---

Sources:

What Happens to Your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter Accounts When You Die

Instagram Help Page

“Robots have infiltrated the human world. We built them, one by one, and now they are all around us,” writes Adrienne LaFrance in What is a Robot. The 2015 film, Ex Machina, explores the idea that these robots we build can develop more than just what we program them to do. The movie takes on an extreme case, but the general message Ex Machina sends is relevant to the current world.

One particularly interesting factor in Ex Machina was that Ava, the robot Caleb interacts with throughout the movie, was created to replicate everything that a human feels, knows, etc. She may not have the context from actually being out in public or experiencing social interactions, but she feels emotions as a human would. Her facial expressions when talking to Caleb show the information he’s saying is processing in her mind and causing her to react. She uses her face to portray confusion, sadness, anger, urgency, and even romantic feelings, though we find out this isn’t truthful. She can even feel certain things we think are exclusive only to animals, including humans. Nathan explains that Ava has as close to a female reproductive organ as possible for a robot, and that she is programmed to actually feel something from it. At the end she also reacts to Nathan pulling her arm off as if it causes her some pain. 

The story in the movie directly connects to the aforementioned article, What is a Robot by Adrienne LaFrance. One of the biggest connections between the article and the movie is when LaFrance writes, “The human-machine relationship is rapidly evolving… Humanity, and what it means to be a human, will be defined in part by the machines people design.” Nathan, the creator of multiple A.I.’s in the movie, shares with Caleb that he created Ava to be just like a human, even programming her to have sexuality. He shares that just like Caleb was “programmed to be heterosexual,” he’s done the same with Ava. This is directly comparing Caleb’s human qualities to the ones he’s given Ava, reinforcing that, “humanity, and what it means to be a human, will be defined in part by the machines people design.”

Another big connection between the article and the movie was that they each touch on these robots doing more than we believe they can. LaFrance writes, “…[robots] can do things once thought impossible for machines. They vacuum carpets, zip up winter coats, paint cars, organize warehouses, mix drinks, play beer pong, waltz across a school gymnasium, limp like wounded animals, write and publish stories, replicate abstract expressionist art, clean up nuclear waste, even dream.” In Ex Machina, the robots can even actively dislike and kill a person who is cruel to them. To Nathan, Ava, and all the other robots he created, were just meant to be used in experiments and tests to monitor interactions between the robots and humans. What he’s actually created is a free-thinking being with emotions and the feeling like she is trapped by her creator.

Ex Machina is a very interesting movie that I really enjoyed watching.

---

Sources:

 What is a Robot by Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic

In my research I found that one major ethical concern with e-commerce is the issue of poor customer service. While brick-and-mortar stores allow face-to-face interactions between customers and employees, there is a barrier when it comes to online shopping that makes customer service difficult. 

According to Chron.com, “Unethical e-commerce companies can make it very difficult to get help. They may simply refuse to respond to emails and other attempts to contact them. In addition, the company may continuously promise a customer that the company will deal with the customer’s concern, but will continually delay taking action, until the customer gives up trying to get her problem resolved or when it is too late for her to request a chargeback from her credit card company.” 

I’ve noticed many unethical customer service practices occur over Instagram. Some businesses ignore or even delete negative comments from users requesting help with a product. This makes the business seem sketchy and reveals they are unwilling to help their customers. Other companies have even commented for show, meaning they responded to a concerned customer’s comment, but the customer later reveals the company never took action to help them after all. 

This becomes a major unethical issue in e-commerce, because it lessens consumer trust in companies, and is likely to make them think twice about purchasing a product online. Companies who wish to boost their trust amongst consumers need to have a strong online customer service presence ready and willing to help with issues as fast as possible.

---

Source:

Chron.com: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-problems-ebusiness-62037.html 

One case of cyber vigilantism I’ve seen fairly recently was in the documentary, Don’t F*ck With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, on Netflix. I watched this a few months ago, but the effort put into finding an internet killer was incredible. The documentary follows a Facebook group of concerned users from all over the world who do everything in their power to find a man who posted multiple videos torturing, mutilating, and/or killing cats. The horrifying videos prompted everyday citizens to take action, using any type of technology they can to track down where and when photos/videos were posted, who the man in the videos is, and when his next killing may be. Slowly the internet vigilantes realized the man was just practicing on animals and was showing serial killer tendencies, and ultimately they were too late in catching him before he took a man’s life. 

The online community took matters in their own hands to target and rein in the cyber harasser, who in this case was a serial killer flaunting his horrifying acts online. This was necessary because there wasn’t any government regulation preventing their free speech in going after the cat killer and there were no laws blocking them from finding him. The only hurdle to surpass was how tricky it was to track him down. The killer took them on a rollercoaster of a journey, knowing fully well there were people after him, so the cyber vigilantes’ only issue was how fast they could track his next move.

Don’t F*ck With Cats is a thrilling documentary that ends in victory for these internet heros, though there were tragic events that occured in between.

---

Source:

Netflix Original Documentary: Don’t F*ck With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

A platform with specific guidelines to protect certain groups is Instagram. This social media platform, which launched in 2010, allows users to share photos on their feeds or stories, along with comments and likes on others’ posts. Being that it’s a platform of sharing personal information for many, Instagram has set certain rules and measures to ensure the safety of its users. 

One group Instagram most actively works to protect are minors, meaning those under 18. Under the Privacy and Safety Center tab, there are multiple sections for different issues. The “Tips for Parents” shares information on how to monitor their children’s accounts, reminding them that kids under 13 cannot make an account, and parents have to run their accounts if they’re younger. The bio must clearly state that the account is run by their parents, as well. 

According to CNN Business, another measure the social media site has taken is that, “Instagram users known to be under 18 will now be blocked from seeing posts promoting the use of certain weight-loss products or cosmetic procedures and those that have an incentive to buy or includes a price.” This works to discourage minors from developing eating disorders or to partake in dangerous dieting practices. 

For all groups, Instagram asks its users to use their best judgement and to report any hateful, dangerous, or exploitative posts. Below is a photo of the types of posts Instagram acknowledges as harmful. Each tab allows users the opportunity to police the site to protect everyone, especially those vulnerable groups. 

---

Sources:

Instagram Help Center: https://help.instagram.com

CNN Business Article: https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/09/20/instagram-block-weight-loss-cosmetic-procedure-ads-minors-mxp-vpx.hln

Facebook, a social media site created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, has come under fire across the globe for scandals involving tracking and selling users’ private data. While privacy laws in the United States where the platform was created are looser and not strictly regulated by federal laws as in other countries, elsewhere around the globe privacy policies are stricter. In Italy, “The Data Protection Code demands that you need consent before even tracking your user and using data for advertising or marketing communications. Users need to be provided with specific information before gathering or processing their personal facts, and you also need to include a purpose behind such a request,” (Privacy Laws in Different Countries and How to Comply With Them). 

In the United States, privacy laws are a bit more vague and do not guarantee protection. As also stated in the aforementioned article, “In the US, privacy laws are not strictly regulated by federal laws as in other cases mentioned in the text. However, the US does leave up to the state to decide on the strictness of their privacy policy. In other words, laws differ depending on the state as well as the industry which implements them.” This is concerning for most users in the U.S., but for an Italian citizen this is unacceptable. 

This poses an interesting situation for the social media platform, Facebook, because of all the data hacking scandals and invasion of user privacy. In 2018, Italy actually fined Facebook a whopping $11.4 million for breaking its country’s laws and using peoples’ personal data for commercial use. According to CNET, “The company said it’s reviewing the Competition Authority’s decision and hopes to work with the agency to resolve its  concerns. It also pointed to the steps it’s taken in recent months to address privacy issues.” Facebook made the statement, “This year we made our terms and policies clearer to help people understand how we use data and how our business works… We also made our privacy settings easier to find and use, and we’re continuing to improve them. You own and control your personal information on Facebook.” Whether or not Facebook continues to break the Italian government’s laws on privacy is up in the air, and remains an important question for users across the globe.

---

Sources:

Privacy Laws in Different Countries and How to Comply With Them https://www.websitepolicies.com/blog/privacy-laws-in-different-countries#privacy-laws-by-country-india

Facebook Fined $11.4M in Italy Over Data Misuse https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-fined-11-4m-in-italy-over-data-misuse/

The documentary, “Terms and Conditions May Apply” was interesting for its deep look into the one thing we always agree to without knowing exactly what it is: the terms and conditions. It was scary to think of all the ways users of websites, apps, devices, etc. are being taken advantage of by the government and by the corporations that make these things. The world isn’t really private anymore, and information you don’t want to share with everyone could be released in a matter of seconds. The issue of the First Amendment also came up, specifically freedom of speech.

One example from the documentary was when a comedian based in New York came home from a long day and sat down to relax and watch a movie. He popped fight club into the DVD player, and within minutes he was on Facebook posting a quote from the movie as his status update. Fight Club fans would recognize this quote immediately and innocently think, “he’s just enjoying a movie right now.” The quote, however, included a reference to a gun and violence, prompting a visit from the police and secret service. Once he realized why they were there and explained the situation, the problem dissolved, but the idea that he couldn’t freely post what he wanted is troubling. The man’s freedom of speech was limited by the government because no longer did he feel safe just posting anything that comes to mind, including an innocent movie quote.

Another example was when a middle school-aged boy posted on his social media following Osama Bin Laden’s death that President Obama should “watch his back.” The boy explained that he meant it in the way that he was concerned about Obama’s safety, but only after being sent to the principal’s office where police and secret service were waiting for him. His post was taken as a threat to the president, which sounds pretty ridiculous since he is only 12 and cannot do much damage to the president of the United States. His language on social media was even more vague than the previous example, where the man literally wrote the name of a gun in his status. This is frightening because social media has no tone of voice or further explanation. If the government monitors all these posts and hones in on a post that just kind of sounds like it could be threatening, then what we can write is pretty limited.

These examples from the documentary are shocking for their limitations on free speech and the invasion of privacy on users without their knowledge.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is a nonprofit internet governing body that works to coordinate the Domain Name System (DNS) to ensure no two web addresses are the same or conflict with each other. In order to do this, ICANN “outsources the actual buying-and-selling of those domains to third parties, and has oversight by the departments of Commerce and Justice,” (Engadget). ICANN’s overall mission has been to keep the internet secure, stable and interoperable.

Recently, ICANN has made headlines for working with one of its partner companies, Verisign, to raise the price on .com domains. As of 2012, the price for .com domains has been frozen at $7.85, though the two organizations plan to unfreeze this price so that it can be increased approximately four out of every six years. By 2026, the cost of a domain could rise to $10.26, which is an increase of about 7%.

There were two main reasons for doing this. One major reason was to back away from the initiative set during Obama’s presidency. In order to work towards the Trump administration’s policy priorities, this works to repeal Obama-era price controls. Another reason was because previously documentation has stated Verisign could not compete with other DNS businesses or act as a registrar. The decision to raise the price of web domains makes this policy apply only to .com addresses, but not any other domains it offers, such as .net.

Concern for this deal has been strong from the Internet Commerce Association, as they have thought Verisign to be a monopoly as the only company that can offer .com names. For everyday people looking to create a website, the price increase can also be a concern.

---

Sources:

Engadget: The price of a .com domain is set to rise, and some sellers aren’t happy

Coywolf: ICANN allows Verisign to start increasing .com prices indefinitely

ICANN’s Website