Amazon Terms And Conditions

First of all, I think it is very important to read the terms and conditions. For this assignment, I looked at the terms and conditions for Amazon devices. I was curious because I have a kindle fire and the Kindle app on most of my devices. After reading through all of the terms, I found a few of the data collection systems surprising.

It may not be shocking for some to find out that Amazon keeps track of the users location through the device at all times, but I did not know that. This would definitely be useful for the obvious reason that you need an accurate location if you are going to use any kind navigation. Also, if you loose your device, this would allow you to locate it. However, there is a downside to this. If someone with more nefarious purposes in mind had access to this information, they would know where you are at all times.

Another term allows the device to store your voice samples in the cloud. It is supposed to help the device be more accurate when you give it voice command. I think for this strict purpose, it would be helpful. On the other hand, this would potentially allow the company to have access to your conversation and violate your privacy.

The last term I found very interesting stated that the company is allowed to store your personal information overseas. I supposed this would be helpful if the system crashed in the US and they need to restore your information. Knowing this does beg a very important question, “Who has access to this information once it stored abroad?”

All in all, the data being collected through these devices can be used to better the customers operation of the device. That does not mean the information is not also useful to other parties. If the information were distributed to the right people, the customer would be specifically targeted for ads based on what they like, what they have looked at, and what they talk about. I do not think it is unethical to gather this information because it can be used for the right reasons. At the same time, information can also be used for the wrong reasons. It depends on the intent of the person or entity that is collecting it. That is why in the article about the Snowden case, the public had varying opinions about the ethics involved in the NSA collecting information like phone records. Furthermore, I do not think this is an instance of hacking because the point is that you are agreeing to these terms and conditions. People should not be shocked when they find out that this data is being collected from them. If anything, they should blame themselves for not taking the time to fully understand what they were committing to in the first place.

I think it is tough to say whether it is good to report data corruption. From the examples that we have looked at, it is easy to see that that the sort of thing never ends well. For example, Edward Snowden is only in his early 30s and he will never see his home again. It would have to be a life or death situation for me to make that kind of sacrifice. Anything less would definitely not be worth it. The Panama Papers incident does reflect a global problem. Light needed to be shed on this issue because it revealed the dirty dealings surrounding world leaders. This was not just a data collection; it was a manipulation of governments around the world. I do not think it would be ethical to bring charges against the offending company because the information was technically stolen. If nothing else, the situation raises a lot of questions that need to be answered.