Ethical Issuesthat Busi ness Faces Today

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recorded over 73,000 online businesses registered with the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a sharp rise from the 1, 753 online companies before implementing quarantine restrictions.

With the rise of online business, the department also recorded a significant increase in consumer complaints related to e-commerce transactions. The department also noted Shopee and Lazada to have the greatest number of consumer complaints. With the continuous rise in e-commerce, significant number of ethical concerns also arise. Ethical issues in e-commerce

Data Handling

When it comes to any e-business, the lifeblood, the triumph, or failure rides on data. E-commerce data does not differ significantly from regular types of personally identifiable information, and this e-commerce usually collects names, addresses, birthdays, phone numbers, and credit card information.

Credit card details are incredibly lucrative for would-be attackers out of all the data mentioned above objects. Attackers can obtain the credit card information from unsecured business websites and commit fraud on other e-commerce websites or your or gan i zat i on .

Data Processing

Data processing involves converting data into something usable. In e-commerce, data processing takes the basic inputs by customers, such as delivery address, name, and credit card information. But in the broader context, e-commerce platforms may collect emails for marketing purposes or relay information to customers. All data processing applications within the e-commerce industry can be liable to privacy concerns.

Email Spamming

In ethical data processing, spam could be unwarranted communication with the customers. Many e-commerce organizations gather clients' emails to send marketing offers or keep them up to date with changes within the business.

The Department of Trade and Industry is looking into institutionalizing and capacitating an e-Commerce Bureau that will monitor e-Commerce initiatives, oversee effective regulation of online business activities, and facilitate inter and intra-agency cooperation. This will be made possible by the Internet Transactions Act.

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The author is Senior High School Teacher at Children Of Fatima Inc.