On Tuesday, September 10, The U.S Federal Court announced that the lawsuit condemning Google of invasion of privacy and illegal wiretapping would proceed. Google, using it’s “Street View” program, accessed individuals private data through unprotected Wi-Fi networks without consent from individuals.
Google was founded with the mission statement: “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. The company is forgetting that in order to fulfill this mission statement as active members of the business community, it is their responsibility to make money within the confines of laws and ethics (Corporate Ethics and Corporate Governance: Zimmerli, Walther Holzinger, Markus Richter, Klaus). Invading customer’s privacy and illegal acquisition of their data breaks both laws and ethics. Google has overstepped their role as a public organization by breaking the social responsibilities that the business community expects in regards to protecting customers. These social responsibilities include maintaining the customer’s rights and privacy.
Google’s has unsuccessfully tried to get the claims dismissed, and the proceedings will continue in the U.S Federal Court. This issue has the opportunity to define for both customers and the business cummnity the meaning of business ethics in terms of customer’s privacy and their privacy and rights within the relm of technology.
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/technology/court-says-privacy-case-can-proceed-vs-google.html?ref=business&pagewanted =print&_r=0