1. The Ethics of Electronic Marketing

2. “ Marketers must accept responsibility for the consequences of their activities and make every effort to ensure that their decisions, recommendations, and actions function to identify, serve, and satisfy all relevant publics: customers, organizations, and society.” (American Marketing Association, November 1998)

3. Introduction Internet has become popular medium for communicating and marketing to widespread consumer and business groups Marketers must act responsibly in their usage of the Web Requires self-regulation which may include developing a “Standards and Practices Code” which would mitigate the need for additional governing There are unwritten rules of ethics that must be followed by all who are creating materials for public viewing or commerce

4. A Commitment to Customer Service Treat all customers as you would like to be treated Put the needs of the customers first Provide secure, fast connections to your Web site Provide your customers safe delivery and promised satisfaction Do not tempt your customers with false advertising, provide what you promise Make all necessary disclosures about legal issues or product limitations in a prominent place on your Web site Make sure that orders are filled accurately and on time

5. A Commitment to Customer Service Notify the customer immediately of items that are out of stock, have been discontinued, or otherwise unavailable Give accurate estimates of the delivery times If a mistake occurs, be sure to apologize and accommodate the customer the best you can Provide a fair and responsive return policy

6. Personal Privacy Everyone on the Internet deserves privacy This is an ethical and moral obligation that a marketer has to the consumer and the company Do not bombard potential customers with unwanted solicitations and information Provide customers with the option to join mailing lists Also provide them with the option of terminating their subscription to your mailing list

7. Guidelines to Protecting Customer Privacy User information is private and belongs to the user Users should volunteer to reveal their information Users should be made aware of all information collection activity Users should be able to refuse to allow collection of their user data Under no circumstances should the privacy of a user be violated No information about a user should reach a second party without explicit user permission

8. Guidelines to Protecting Customer Privacy Users should be able to choose the type and timing of information they want to receive Only information that the end user specifically is interested in and wants should be sent No junk mail should ever reach the end user Users should remain in control of there information profile so that at any time they can update that information

9. Security: Validation and Censorship Customers will expect privacy and security Provide them a secured transaction as they order products or services or request information online Provide a written policy to let the customer know how you deal with security of their personal information Consumer information should not be traded or sold without permission

10. Securing Customer Transactions Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): uses a form of encryption to provide privacy for the information being transmitted between the user’s browser and the merchant’s server Secure Electronic Transactions (SET): protocol is proposed to safeguard credit card transactions via open networks

11. Technology Limits Spying on Web Users Firewalls prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet For greater security, data can be encrypted Passwords should also be changed frequently Do not leave your company and your consumers open to break ins and theft of information Validating a person’s age or identity may be necessary if your site contains material that should not be viewed by minors Must be aware of products that are prohibited for sale in certain states and ensure that they are not sold there

12. Technology Limits Spying on Web Users Must notify the customer if you are unable to ship the goods do to legal issues Must also be aware of trade embargoes between the United States and other countries Digital certificates allow people to authenticate themselves and companies to be authenticated to the consumer They are attempting to bring the world closer to an electronic solution to the problems of validation Do not assume you are in the clear just because you have a disclaimer on your Web site

13. Copyright Issues With electronic communication comes the temptation to borrow from others on the Internet It is still illegal Ask for permission before using someone’s site or material Unless they are a direct competitor, most are open to reciprocal relationships Copying the code from someone else’s Web page is also illegal Images and background must be purchased Fair Use Act provides for the use of small pieces of copyrighted materials for the purposes of education

14. Computer Viruses Cause problems for the consumer and the marketer Do not want to spread viruses to your consumers Must use virus protection software to protect you and your customers Watch out for virus hoaxes that are spread on the Internet These can be time consuming and costly to handle Must notify your system administrator or Internet Service Provider when you discover a virus

15. Pirated Software Unlawful to copy and use software without purchasing a license Can make backup copy of software that you purchased for your purposes only There are entities that look for companies that are involved in software piracy You can go to jail for software piracy

16. Who Should Be Using the Internet? Who should be deciding what content is appropriate for the medium Should there be any regulations on usage of the Internet Extremist Groups Children Inmates

17. Internet Issues Who should be the gatekeeper of Internet content Is someone’s desire to download indecent images and to archive these images protected by free speech Do content filters violate the same principles of freedom of speech by the pornography disseminators Should the government or the online industry decide what content is acceptable What standards should be set Is access to the Internet a universal right

18. Internet Issues Should everyone have free access to the Internet Should advertisers be allowed to place their messages anywhere on the Internet or should there be safe times or channels free of advertising Should advertising be restricted to promotional channels How will computer-illiterate people or those without computers compete within this economy

19. Internet Issues Can or should community funding or the federal government pay for the costs of the advancement of the technology Should public buildings and schools be required to be equipped with free public-use computers How will these technology rights be paid for Should there be an individual technology grant or an online services tax credit to help people keep up-to- date with Internet usage and new applications These issues deserve observation so that the power and convenience of the Internet serves everyone

20. Key Terms Computer viruses Digital certificates Electronic Frontier Foundation Encryption Ethics Fair use Hackers Hoaxes Internet Censorship Internet firewall

21. Key Terms Intranet Morals Piracy Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Spam