There isn’t a doubt that information gets shared in today’s online world. Identity information is required when someone is purchasing on the Internet, using social media websites, or making email accounts. It has become a matter of process to obtain that product or account.

But what exactly is this data used for?

Companies are always looking to find out about customers and their purchasing patterns, in order to better suit the needs of their target market. The problem is, many businesses do not manage this information well. Security breaches seem to become a trend. News about leaks of customer information to third parties are becoming more frequent, and even high security passwords could be cracked easily. Take Linkedin as an example.

A more popular example of privacy breaches is Facebook. It is very difficult for users to keep up with Facebook’s constant change in format and privacy policies. As a result, privacy issues are overlooked until mass problems occur, such as when private messages appeared on public timelines. This social media website is known for their lack of privacy controls, and users are very concerned with having their privacy abused.

But to what extent does this become an ethical issue? How probable is it that businesses may have used customers’ personal details to their advantage? Is there a story behind the security breaches?

These are privacy, fairness, and legal issues. Companies should be mindful that information is crucial for market research and growth, but ethics is also of major importance in their strategies. They should look at the long term sustainability of the company, and aim to be socially responsible by implementing policies that promote transparency and protect consumers. Because as much as you’d hate to admit, news spreads especially quickly when you do something wrong.