Businesses strive to make profit, but they must do so within the boundaries of business ethics. NY Times, however, reveals that this common, yet significant rule, is not always followed by all enterprises. It has recently been revealed that health apps that are intended for the benefit of consumers pose serious privacy risks for users. The nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and the California Consumer Protection Foundation found that “more than a quarter of the free apps and 40 percent of the paid apps” are found to be equipped with no privacy policy at all. Njie, who did the technical analysis for this research, adds that it is very easy for third-party services to steal information that health apps transmit. This means that consumers are vulnerable to having their private information, such as their name, address, weight and even their daily lifestyle, leaked to advertising companies. The protection of privacy must, of course, be respected and protected from the viewpoint of business ethics, let alone the universal code of ethics. Nonetheless, in this instance, there is not much one can do to prevent the leakage of information once he shares his personal information with an app; personal information simply becomes a public data once it leaves the hands of the owner. This article, once again, reminds us that consumers in this day and age must always be aware, if not cautious, of potential dangers that may lie in trivial acts such as using an app. Business ethics may be a righteous judge, but it is ultimately a powerless lawyer.

.

CARRNS, A. (2013, September 11). Free apps for nearly every health problem, but what about privacy?. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/your-money/free-apps-for-nearly-every-health-problem-but-what-about-privacy.html?ref=business